This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
The Northern Trust
Old Westbury, New York
Glen Oaks Club - Par 70 - 7,346
Field - 120 Entrants
Purse - $8.75M
The Preview
The stage is set for the FedEx Cup Playoffs after several players on the bubble battled for a spot inside the top-125 of the standings at last week's Wyndham Championship. Meanwhile, Henrik Stenson surged up the leaderboard with 29 birdies to set the tournament scoring record and position himself for a TOUR Championship run. You'll notice a few absentees electing to skip this week's Northern Trust, with Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker, Scott Piercy and Dominic Bozzelli withdrawing due to various reasons. No alternates will be added as the Tour heads to Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, NY for the first time. The somewhat lengthy par-70 setup involves holes from each of the venue's three nine-hole layouts, including two par-fives and four par-threes. With no rain in the forecast and temperatures reaching the high-70s each day, the course will play a bit faster and shorter under these manageable conditions. Quick, undulating greens could make a combination of putting and wedge play the difference maker, but players who excel tee-to-green will be able to swing away and once again own the advantage.
Past Champions
2016 - Patrick Reed
2015 - Jason Day
2014 - Hunter Mahan
2013 - Adam Scott
2012 - Nick Watney
2011 - Dustin Johnson
2010 - Matt Kuchar
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Hideki Matsuyama - $18,300
Matsuyama has risen to first in the FedEx Cup standings and second in the Official World Golf Ranking thanks to five consecutive top-14s internationally, including a win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and two other top-fives during that span. He ranks first among the field in terms of SG: Total and fourth in P4: 450-500 efficiency throughout his past 12 rounds. Matsuyama is first on Tour in birdie average and second in SG: Tee-to-Green this season.
Rickie Fowler - $17,800
The Tour leader in SG: Total, SG: Putting, sand save percentage and scoring average heads into the playoffs with five top-10s in his last six starts. Fowler also ranks second in average proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards and seventh in proximity from over 200 yards out. Glen Oaks Club should set up nicely for Fowler to potentially notch his first win since the Honda Classic in late February.
Brooks Koepka - $16,600
Koepka's last four starts have included three majors and a WGC event, but the U.S. Open champion has managed to post no finish worse than a T17 against such loaded fields. He's fifth on Tour in birdie average and ninth in driving distance this season, while also ranking first in proximity from 175-200 yards and 11th from over 200 yards. Koepka should coast to a fifth consecutive top-20 if he continues to play at an elite level from those yardages.
Glue Guys
Francesco Molinari - $14,800
Coming off a T2 at the PGA Championship, Molinari is sitting just one spot outside of the cutoff for the TOUR Championship at 31st in the FedEx Cup standings. The Northern Trust will provide a solid opportunity for Molinari to make that jump into the top-30, however, as he ranks first on Tour in SG: Approach and third in SG: T2G. He's also second among the field in par-four efficiency throughout his last 24 rounds.
Charley Hoffman - $14,400
Hoffman remains atop his throne as the highest-ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings without a win this season at No. 11, but he can still be such a valuable fantasy asset near the average player price of $14,285 on FantasyDraft.com. A streaky putter has hindered the 40-year-old at times, but he's eighth among the field in SG: Putting and sixth in SG: Total throughout his last 24 rounds. Hoffman also hasn't missed a cut since the RBC Heritage in mid-April.
Tony Finau - $14,300
Finau, who ranks seventh on Tour in both driving distance and SG: Tee-to-Green, should be able to fire away at Glen Oaks this week. One of the more popular daily fantasy weapons, Finau has the ability to put up points in a hurry as seen by his Tour-leading 14 eagles and ranking of eighth in par-breaker percentage.
Bargain Bin
Ryan Moore - $13,500
Following a stretch of three missed cuts, Moore has turned it around at the perfect time with three consecutive finishes of T28 or better. He's seventh in SG: T2G, 15th in SG: Approach and 10th in SG: Around-the-Green among the field throughout his past 12 rounds. He also ranks 18th in terms of proximity during that span as well.
Keegan Bradley - $12,900
At last week's Wyndham Championship, Bradley ranked top-10 in terms of both driving accuracy and distance en route to his seventh straight made cut. A similar performance off the tee at Glen Oaks Club would set him up for a quality finish as he looks to make a push for the top-30 in the FedEx Cup standings, currently seated at 46th.
Chez Reavie - $12,400
Throughout his past 24 rounds, Reavie ranks top-20 among the field in several statistics including SG: Total, SG: T2G and SG: Approach with just one missed cut in his last 12 starts. He's fifth on Tour in driving accuracy and 34th in GIR percentage for the season, but he could end up on the bubble for the 70-entrant BMW Championship if he doesn't perform well over the next couple weeks.
