The race for the FedEx Cup title is already heating up with only 100 players remaining in contention for the $10 million top prize. All of them will now turn their attention to the Deutsche Bank Championship where a cool $1.485 million awaits the winner. More importantly though, 2,000 FedEx Cup points are at stake and with only 70 golfers advancing to the BMW Championship in a couple of weeks’ time, competition will surely be intense once again.
Can Jordan Spieth rebound from his disappointing performance at The Barclays and restore his winning ways? Read on below for our preview of this exciting tournament and while you’re at it, you can check out our sleeper picks for this world-class event.
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2015 Deutsche Bank Championship Betting Preview
Where: TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
When: September 4-7
Line: TBA
Favorites – Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy
What in the world happened to Jordan Spieth? The newly-minted world no. 1 was sent crashing back to earth in the Barclays golf tournament, shooting rounds of 74 and 73 to miss the cut by a whopping five shots. It was Spieth’s first missed cut since the Players Championship back in May. As a result of that atrocious performance, Spieth once again relinquished the world’s best player tag to Rory McIlroy.
[sc:Golf240banner ]That being said, you can’t rule out the reigning Masters and US Open champion from contending at the Deutsche Bank Championship this week. Spieth has been on a roll since November, racking up six wins worldwide and recording 17 top-10s in 24 starts. Look for Spieth to bounce back strongly this coming weekend.
He will have his work cut out for him, however, in the Deutsche Bank Championship, as standing in his way at TPC Boston is the returning Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman will be making his FedEx Cup Playoffs debut after missing the Barclays tournament last week. McIlroy is seeking a return to form in just his second start since June. The Northern Irishman finished 17th at the PGA Championship and entered the FedEx Cup Playoffs at No. 9 in the points race.
McIlroy will fancy his chances this coming weekend as he has fared extremely well at this golf course before. He won the Deutsche Bank Championship back in 2012. He also finished tied for fifth in this event last year. With his familiarity with the golf course, look for McIlroy to be in the hunt come Sunday afternoon.
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High-Value Sleepers – Zach Johnson and Brandt Snedeker
One golfer who’s having a phenomenal season this year is Zach Johnson. The 39-year-old has finished in the top-10 in nine of his 21 starts this year, including a dramatic victory at the British Open last July. Johnson, who is currently tied for fourth in the Barclays tournament, has been boosted by his superb accuracy off the tee. He is eighth in the PGA Tour in driving accuracy with a mighty 71.36% clip. Thanks to that high percentage, Johnson is ranked 12th in the tour in scoring with a solid 69.911 average. That will come in handy when tackling the intricate golfing set-up at TPC Boston. He finished tied for 16th in this event last year.
Another American who’s making waves in the PGA Tour this year is Brooks Koepka. He has already won in the PGA Tour this season, grabbing the Phoenix Open last January. He’s playing some excellent golf of late, finishing in the top-6 in three of his last four starts, including a fifth-place showing at the PGA Championship earlier this month.
Key to Koepka’s ascent this season has been his incredible driving. Koepka is a big hitter who is averaging 309.5 yards off the tee, ranked seventh overall on the PGA Tour. Thanks to that extreme length, Koepka is now third in the PGA Tour in scoring with an impressive 69.463 average.
That tremendous power will come in handy for Koepka when facing the long 7,242-yard, par-71 TPC Boston course. With the form that he is in right now, expect Koepka to post some low numbers this week.
Long Shot – Keegan Bradley
Keegan Bradley’s golfing woes continued last week when he finished in a tie for 94th at the Barclays golf tournament. He shot rounds of 71 and 76 on Thursday and Friday, respectively, to miss the cut by five shots. Bradley hasn’t had a top-10 finish since way back at the Memorial. In his last two major tournaments, he finished missed cut (British Open) and a tie for 61st (PGA Championship).
The American will look to get his game going in the Deutsche Bank Championship this week. He finished tied for 16th in this event last year, shooting an eight-under-par total of 276. He may be struggling for form at the present time but don’t be shocked to see Bradley contend this coming weekend.
