Dell Technologies Championship Preview: Spieth-DJ Round 2

I suppose the folks at CBS could have dreamed up a better scenario, but what they, and we for that matter, got at the Northern Trust last weekend was about as good a scenario as anyone could have hoped.

Jordan Spieth held a share of the 36-hole lead, which all but guaranteed that he'd be a big factor in the weekend coverage, and he wasn't the only big name in the mix entering the weekend. Dustin Johnson was near the lead (spoiler alert, more on him later), and none other than fan favorite Rickie Fowler was right there as well. Unfortunately, Fowler did what he does quite often and made a couple critical mistakes and was never a factor after the front nine on Saturday. The other two guys though, Spieth and DJ, were setting up an epic battle, except, heading into Sunday, it didn't feel as though that battle would develop because Spieth had a three-stroke lead. Fast forward to the back nine on Sunday and Spieth had inexplicably let DJ back into the mix.

What happened next made for the most exciting finish on the PGA Tour this season. Not to diminish what we saw at the Masters and Open Championship this season, but when you have two of the best three players in the world going to extra holes, it's hard to top. Throw in an incredible putt by Spieth on 17 and one by DJ on 18, and you really couldn't have asked for more. Oh, then add an absolute bomb by DJ off the tee on the first playoff hole and you've got everything you ever wanted and more.

A tee shot, by the way, that all but ended the match. It wasn't just a long tee shot, it was a long tee shot, over a lot of water, with everything on the line. In a strange way, though, it almost seemed like DJ was freed up as he hit that tee shot. Like the pressure was off. Maybe he felt that everything after making that putt on 18 was gravy? Who knows — DJ has never been one to show his emotions — so perhaps it's easier to misread anything we get from him. Whatever the case, DJ came out on top, in what looks to be the first of a four-round fight between him and Spieth.

Spieth will no doubt come out ready to dominate this week and if he wins, we'll be guaranteed nothing less than a winner take all scenario at the Tour Championship. A scenario that the folks at NBC and all golf fans have been clamoring for.

This week: Dell Technologies Championship - TPC Boston, Norton, Mass.

Last Year: Rory McIlroy shot a final-round 65 on his way to a two-stroke victory over Paul Casey.

PLAYERS TO CONSIDER

Jordan Spieth

Spieth is locked in and quite simply the most reliable player on the PGA Tour. Spieth doesn't have a great track record at this event, but it's not terrible either, and he has a top-5 here, which shows he can get around this course with efficiency. More than anything, though, Spieth will have even more determination to win this week after a tough loss, and that's saying quite a bit.

Dustin Johnson

Pretty simple, right? Just take the top-2 guys from last week and see how it shakes out. It's more than that, though, as when at the top of his game, there is no one better than DJ. That was on full display during the playoff last week as DJ can do things that Spieth simply can't ... when on top of his game, that is. The question this week is whether he will build off the win from last week or coast until the Tour Championship knowing that a win there is all that really matters now.

Patrick Reed

Reed has had a pretty good season as he enters with more than $2.5 million in earnings and a spot just outside the top 30 on the FedEx points list, but the reason it hasn't been a great season is his lack of high-end finishes. His best finish came at the PGA Championship just a few weeks ago, so there's hope that he's peaking. His track record here is solid as well with two top-5s in his last four tries.

Louis Oosthuizen

Outside of winning, Oosthuizen has accomplished just about everything you could ask of anyone on the PGA Tour this season. Oosthuizen finished runner-up at a major, runner-up at The Players and is inside the top 30 on the FedEx points list. He's also rounding into form with consecutive top-10s entering this week. His track record here is just icing on the cake, with a runner-up, a T8 and a T12 in three starts.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler was in the mix on the weekend at the Northern Trust, but once again, he made a couple big mistakes. If Fowler is to take his game to the next level, he'll need to avoid mistakes like putting his tee shot in the water on par-3s. He's on this list, though, because he's not that far off, and when he came here in 2015, he put it all together and won, something he's certainly capable of this week.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Kelly Kraft

Kraft got off to a great start last week at the Northern Trust but finished with rounds of 74-78-76. It was actually a strange finish for Kelly because he'd made a season out of being on or being off with little in between. The fact that he played poorly after a strong start has me worried headed into this week.

Phil Mickelson

Whether he's ready to call it a season or his game is just that far off, there's no reason to think that Mickelson is going to suddenly play well this week. Mickelson has missed two cuts in his past four starts and he's finished T39 and T54 in his other two. He won this event in 2007, but his recent play here hasn't been great.

Martin Laird

It's the easiest cut to make all season, in that there are only 100 golfers in the field, but somehow, Laird has missed the cut four of seven times here and has only cracked the top 25 once in those seven tries.

Ian Poulter

Poulter has been on quite the roll since he lost his playing privileges, only to regain them a week later. His run has spanned the better part of five months, but he began to show signs of fatigue last week at the Northern Trust where he faded to a T66. His numbers aren't great here either, as he's missed the cut in four of nine starts and has finished inside the top 10 just once.

Bubba Watson

Watson played well last week at the Northern Trust, but he's been anything but consistent this season, so there's no reason to think he'll carry any momentum to this week. Also working against him is his track record at this event. While he's made the cut here in the majority of his starts, he's never cracked the top 10.

ONE AND DONE GOLFER

Last week: Ollie Schniederjans (MC) - $0; Season - $7,059,139

This week: Louis Oosthuizen - He's the only guy in my top 5 this week I haven't used, so there's no time like the present. I feel pretty good about this pick as Oosthuizen has been one of the better players on the PGA Tour the last few weeks, and if he can carry any momentum into this event, he should end up around the top 10 again.

YAHOO PICKS

Points: 4,375
Rank: 22,735

This Week:

Group A: Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler

Group B: Hideki Matsuyama, Matt Kuchar, Paul Casey, Charley Hoffman

Group C: Jon Rahm, Daniel Berger

SURVIVOR PICK

Last week: Jason Day - (T6); Streak - 9

This week: Paul Casey - For the final cut of the season, I'm going to mix it up a bit and refrain from doubling-up on my "one and done" pick of Oosthuizen. Casey looks like a good pick in either format as he's played well in recent weeks and he finished runner-up at this event last season.