The PGA Tour is in Norton, Mass., this week for the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston – the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Bryson DeChambeau won the playoffs-opening Northern Trust on Sunday by an impressive four strokes. But loads of players are still in the mix for the $10 million prize. And, for a number of players — like DeChambeau, Kevin Kisner and Tony Finau — a potential Ryder Cup captain’s pick is still in play.
Most weeks, courses on the PGA Tour favor the big hitter. This week is no exception. The biggest hitters have a huge advantage at TPC Boston.
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So, which players should you be keeping a close eye on at TPC Boston this week?
We asked three caddies who are on the ground there.
To protect their identity, the caddies have submitted their three respective picks anonymously.
Let’s take a look at who they picked this week and why:
Caddie 1
- Justin Thomas, “Justin is the No. 3-ranked player in the world. He’s missed the cut just twice this season – one of those was in the Zurich Classic, a team event. He’s got nine top-10 finishes in 20 starts, including his last three in a row. Oh, and did I mention he’s the defending champ here at TPC Boston? His all-around game and form are right where they need to be.”
- Tony Finau, “Tony has been playing consistent, great golf lately. The latest example of that was his runner-up finish last week in the Northern Trust – his third such finish this season. TPC Boston favors the big hitters and there are few in the game longer than Tony. On top of all that, he’s making that final push for a Ryder Cup captain’s pick. He’s got plenty to play for.”
- Rory McIlroy, “Rory is a factor wherever he tees it up, but especially here based on the fact that he’s won on this course before. He’s got all the tools and he comes in fresh after two weeks off.”
Caddie 2
- Dustin Johnson, “Three wins this season. He’s the No. 1 player in the world and, let’s face it, he plays good every week.”
- Tony Finau, “He’s done everything but win this season. It just feels like he’s due, especially after a third runner-up finish this past Sunday at the Northern Trust.”
- Kelly Kraft, “He needs a big week to advance to the BMW Championship and capture some of that magic that earned him a runner-up finish at Greenbrier. If he’s got something going for him, it’s this: the tournament is at TPC Boston and ‘Boston’ just happens to be his caddie’s name. Maybe that’ll provide some good luck.”
Caddie 3
- Justin Thomas, “This is a length-biased course and he’s the defending champ. So why not?”
- Dustin Johnson, “It’s been, what, a month since his last win? He’s due!”
- Billy Horschel, “Outside of a T2 in 2014 – the year he won the FedExCup – Billy doesn’t have a great record at TPC Boston. But, he does come in riding great form after a T3 finish last week where all four rounds were in the 60s.