Deutsche Bank Championship - Power Rankings
As the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs come to a close, it’s time to head to round two in Boston - The Deutsche Bank Championship. Norton, Massachusetts is home of TPC Boston and the annual site of this exciting event, where the top 100 in the playoff standings will seek to make the cut into the top 70. TPC Boston describes itself as follows:
Originally designed by legendary player/designer Arnold Palmer, TPC Boston’s award-winning layout was re-designed in 2007 by Gil Hanse, with PGA TOUR player Brad Faxon serving as a consultant. The result earned TPC Boston the “Best Private Remodel of 2007” honor by Golf Digest.
The golf course at TPC Boston is crafted to fit seamlessly into the natural New England landscape. While challenging enough for the best players in the world during the Deutsche Bank Championship, five sets of tees on each hole make the course enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels.
TPC Boston was honored in 2011 by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA)/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf with the National Private Award. This honor recognizes courses that excel in the areas of resource conservation, water quality management, integrated pest management, wildlife/habitat management and education/outreach.
Here are players to keep an eye on this week, as well as my DraftKings lineups.
Jason Day - Mentioned following his round Sunday that he needs to hit the range, for he was struggling with his shotmaking over the weekend in Long Island. Yet he still finished on the leaderboard.
Adam Scott - A solid week at the Barclays, finishing T4. Currently sitting 4th in the playoff standings with his game in great shape to make a run.
Patrick Reed - A great win last week to go along with a solid season to date, showing great poise earning back lead, on back nine. Has taken over the lead in the playoff standings. Needs another good week if he wants to stay on top. Finished T4 at TPC Boston last season.
Ryan Moore - Recent winner of the John Deere Classic, posted an impressive T7 finish last week at the Barclays.
Emiliano Grillo - Continuing to show that his game is legit. Made a serious run at the championship last week, moving up 26 spots into 6th place in the FedEx Cup standings.
Jordan Spieth - He has certainly been quieter, but he is consistently putting himself in good positions to make a run. Finished T3, T30, T13, T10 in last four events.
Jim Furyk - Currently sits 84th in the standings and needs a big week in order to move on to the BMW Championship. Finished T4 at this event last season.
Rickie Fowler - This week’s defending champion. While his finish on the back nine last week was disappointing, his overall performance in the event reveals that his game is in a state that he can be excited about.
Rory McIlroy - Not the week he was hoping for at the Barclays, but you can never count him out. Especially since his game has been looking good for much of the summer.
Henrik Stenson - If he is healthy, we can expect that he will contend. Withdrew last week with knee troubles.
Sleeper Picks
Justin Thomas - Has two top-10s in his last three starts. It will be interesting to see if he can get his game back to what it was last season when he continually put himself in contention.
Jerry Kelly - Has been playing some solid golf lately, and must continue doing so if he wants to make the final stages of the playoffs. Currently sits 61st in standings.
And now for my DraftKings picks for this week.
This week, my 'Starting' lineup follows my typical strategy where I take one or two players who have been on fire, followed by educated guesses whom I feel are primed for a big week. I took a different route with my 'Alternate' lineup, however. Instead of taking “heavy hitters”, I stuck simply with picks that I have a good feeling about. It’s something I love about DraftKings - they allow you to construct as many teams as you’d like, allowing you to put in play multiple strategies for the week. And they do so for a low cost.
Starting Lineup:
Jason Day - $12,500
Hideki Matsuyama - $8,600
Matt Kuchar - $8,400
Kevin Na - $7,600
J.B. Holmes - $6,500
Webb Simpson - $6,100
Alternate Lineup:
Jim Furyk - $8,800
Branden Grace - $8,200
Brandt Snedeker - $7,700
Justin Thomas - $7,600
Jerry Kelly - $7,100
Patrick Rodgers - $6,000
This article was written by Jonathan Carr (@jonathanwcarr) as part of our weekly #FantasyGolf series. Each week we preview the upcoming PGA Tour event and highlight some of the players we'll be keeping an eye on. As a scratch golfer himself, Jonathan has a keen eye for what it takes to be successful on and off the golf course. His passion for golf is surpassed only by his passion for his faith and his family.
Read some of Jonathan's other articles here.
