Tour finale can give a flavour of who will rule in Paris
With a potential payday of £9.5million on Sunday, the conclusion of the PGA tour season in Atlanta clearly has plenty on offer to concentrate the minds of the 17 players in the 30-man field who will then move on to the Ryder Cup in France.
For the rest of us, however, it will be hard not to view the tour Championship at East Lake, which begins on thursday, through a Parisian prism. here are five things to look for at the strokeplay event that could have a direct bearing on the matchplay tussle next week.
1 THE BATTLE FOR WORLD No 1
After taking 20 years to reach the summit, it seems almost cruel that Justin Rose could be replaced after only a fortnight enjoying the view.
it’s so tight among the leading four, however, that he will almost certainly need to finish ahead of Dustin Johnson, Justin thomas and Brooks Koepka this week to stay there.
imagine what it would do for Europe’s morale to have the world No 1 in Versailles. imagine the shift in momentum if he’s usurped by an American.
2 RACE FOR £9.5m
i think it’s safe to say that any player who wins at East Lake (first prize £1.4m) and claims the FedEx Cup bonus cheque (£8.1m), as well, is going to have a bounce in his stride heading to France.
it certainly gave Rory Mcilroy a lift at hazeltine in 2016, where he played like a man who had just won the lottery. Even someone who goes close clearly gets a lift. Look at Ryan Moore last time. Seven days after losing a play-off to Mcilroy, he was holing the winning putt for America.
3 WALKING WOUNDED
Almost inevitably at this stage of the season, there are players dealing with tweaks and niggles.
Keep a close eye on Paul Casey, in particular, who pulled out before the final round of the last FedEx event with a grumbling back. Rickie Fowler has only just returned from a fortnight away with a strained oblique muscle.
4 FORM OF THE ROOKIES
it doesn’t always prove the case, but the debutants who cope with the unique pressure of a Ryder Cup tend to be the ones who have gone into it on the back of a good performance and full of confidence.
tommy Fleetwood has done well to make it to East Lake at the end of his first full season on the PGA tour and will be keen to sign off with another strong showing, as will Jon Rahm. Of the five rookies in Europe’s team, it is these two who are surely going to see the most action in Paris.
5 HOW WILL THE VETERANS HOLD UP?
Europe’s captain thomas Bjorn must be delighted that ian Poulter and henrik Stenson both missed out on East Lake, giving them an extra week to recharge their batteries.
Not so tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods is playing his sixth event in eight weeks, which is almost inconceivable given where he was with his fitness six months ago.
Mickelson, at the age of 48, is playing his ninth event in 12 weeks, would you believe, with the most arduous tournament of all still to come.
US captain Jim Furyk must be concerned that the heavy workload will catch up with them.