TIME TO CROWN CHAMPION
Victory clinches FedExCup for DeChambeau, Rose, Finau, Johnson or Thomas
Defending FedExCup champion Justin Thomas and 29 other golfers are vying for the 2017-18 PGA Tour season title at the Tour Championship starting Thursday.
ATLANTA – After 44 regular-season events and three playoff tournaments, the season-long race to the FedExCup and the $10 million bonus comes down to four laps around East Lake Golf Club in the Tour Championship.
And five guys have the pole position. Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson and defending FedExCup champion Justin Thomas are at the top of the standings and in the driver’s seat for the start of Thursday’s first round at East Lake, a par-70, historic gem where legend Bobby Jones called home.
While the task at hand is difficult, especially with a loaded field that features nine of the top 10 players in the official world rankings and 22 of the top 25, the scenario to win the ultimate monetary prize in golf is simple for the top five guys — win the Tour Championship and you win the FedExCup and $10 million regardless of what anyone else does.
The five also have a reasonable chance of winning the FedExCup if they finish on the first page of the leaderboard, just as long as none of the other four top guys wins the tournament.
In other words, each of them likes their chances.
That’s not to say none of the other 24 players have little to no chance to win the FedExCup, but they need help. In the case of Patton Kizzire, who is in 30th and last place, he needs a lot of help —
he has a 0.4 percent chance of winning the FedExCup.
This week also marks the return of Tiger Woods to the Tour Championship. In a remarkable comeback season following fusion surgery to his spine, Woods has six top-6 finishes, including in the British Open and the PGA Championship, and earned his way to the playoff finale for the first time since 2013. Woods, in 20th place, is the only two-time winner of the FedExCup.
Here is a look at the top five guys.
No. 1 Bryson DeChambeau
Stat line: World No. 8 won the Memorial and the first two playoff events — The Northern Trust and Dell Technologies Championship. Finished second in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tied for third in the RBC Heritage and was fourth in the Wells Fargo Championship. Has 9 top-10s in 25 PGA Tour starts.
Skinny: One of only five players to win the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA individual championship, the others being Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Woods and Ryan Moore. His scientific approach that includes single-length clubs, a unique swing and distinctive range sessions works for him, and that’s what matters. Has improved in all facets of his game this season. Is making his first start at East Lake.
Road to FedExCup: If he wins the Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. Can finish as low as a tie for 29th and still have a mathematical chance. Has a reasonable chance of winning with a finish of second, third, fourth, fifth or sixth, if the other top four do not win.
Quotable: “Being No. 1 in the FedExCup Playoffs is something that I’ve dreamed of, especially going into East Lake. That’s a humongous advantage and something that’s quite a tremendous honor as well,” DeChambeau said.
No. 2 Justin Rose
Stat line: World No. 1 won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and the Fort Worth Invitational. Finished runner-up in the past two playoff events, the Dell Technologies Championship and BMW Championship. He also tied for second in the British Open and was third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Won the Turkish Airlines Open and the Indonesian Masters. Has
10 top-10s in 17 PGA Tour starts and 16
top-10s in 23 worldwide starts.
Skinny: The gold medalist from the
2016 Rio Olympics is as consistent as any player in the game. Improved putting this season coupled with his stellar ball-striking took him to the top of the world rankings. He likes East Lake. In eight starts here, his worst finish is a tie for 20th in 2011. He finished runner-up in 2012 and has three other top-6 finishes. Road to the FedExCup: If he wins the Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. Can finish as low as ninth and still have a mathematical chance. Has a reasonable chance of winning with a second- or third-place finish, if the other top four do not win.
Quotable: “To win the FedExCup, it’s about being in the right spot to win this week, and that’s kind of what everyone is trying to time their run for, and absolutely, the last couple weeks have done a great job of keeping me in that position,” Rose said.
No. 3 Tony Finau
Stat line: World No. 16 had runnerup finishes in the Safeway Open and Northern Trust, tied for second in the Genesis Open and tied for fourth in the Dell Technologies Championship. Had three top-10s in majors and had 11 top-10s in 27 PGA Tour starts, tied for the most with Dustin Johnson.
Skinny: Finau can do what no man has done before — win the FedExCup without winning a tournament. He’s a birdie machine and one of the longest players in the game. Overcame a dislocated ankle at the Masters when his leap of joy after making a hole-in-one in the Par 3 Contest resulted in an unfortunate thud. In only appearance at East Lake, he tied for seventh in 2017.
Road to FedExCup: If he wins the Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. Can finish as low as a twoway tie for third and have a mathematical chance. Has a reasonable chance of winning with a second-place finish, if the other top four do not win.
Quotable: “It’s been a great year for me, solid year, a year where I’ve learned a lot about myself. Just playing events and competing and playing at a high level and just being consistent throughout the year is something that I’m pretty proud of,” Finau said.
No. 4 Dustin Johnson
Stat line: World No. 3 won the Sentry Tournament of Champions, FedEx St. Jude Classic and RBC Canadian Open. Tied for second in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, finished third in the U.S. Open and tied for third in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Had 11 top-10s in 19 starts.
Skinny: The former world No. 1 has
10 victories in his last three seasons and is one of the longest players in the game, has a great wedge game and has improved his putting. Can overpower any golf course. Has finished in the top
6 in three of his last four starts at East Lake.
Road to the FedExCup: If he wins the Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. Can finish as low as a three-way tie for second and still have a mathematical chance. Has a reasonable chance of winning with a secondplace finish, if the other top four do not win.
Quotable: “This golf course sets up well for me. I like the golf course. I’ve had some success here. I’ve played well. Obviously, I haven’t won it. It’s a little surprising, but it just seems like I just haven’t ever put four rounds together here,” Johnson said.
No. 5 Justin Thomas
Stat line: World No. 4 and defending FedExCup champion won the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, Honda Classic and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Finished second in the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championships and fourth in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Had nine top-10s in 22 starts.
Skinny: Thomas can do what no man has done before — win the FedExCup in back-to-back years. He has plenty of firepower throughout his golf bag. In his only two starts at East Lake, he finished in a tie for sixth in 2016 and second last year.
Road to the FedExCup: If he wins the Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. Can finish as low as a twoway tie for second and still have a mathematical chance. Has a reasonable chance of winning with a secondplace finish, if the top four do not win.
Quotable: “I’m excited to have an opportunity to do something that no one has ever done, which is pretty cool,” Thomas said. “I’ve been working as hard as I can to try to get my body and mind as fresh as possible to have a chance come Sunday.”