FedExCup Playoffs 2016 - The Barclays Preview

Last Sunday evening at the Wyndham Championship meant the end of the PGA Tour’s regular season. Those ranked outside the top 125 in the FedExCup – Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen and Hunter Mahan to name a few – will not be participating in the FedEx playoffs. The playoffs consist of four tournaments which start at The Barclays for the 125 field, however only the top 100 FedExCup ranked players will make it through to next week. This week, golfers will descend on one of the toughest courses in America – Bethpage Black; The U.S. Open has been staged here twice – indicating strong tee-to-green play will be required for glory.

Each playoff event awards quadruple the amount of points (2000) of a regular PGA Tour event, however this system has seen little advancement in the players' overall ranking. Since the playoffs began, The Barclays has not served as an important event to win in order to improve final FedEx position. Of the nine years played, Mahan, Scott and Stricker’s position has actually decreased, with the remaining winners staying the same.

Since 2007, the average winning total has been 13 under par; however the only previous time The Barclays was played at Bethpage Black, a score of 10 under par was shot, so a similar score is expected for the winner of the 2016 event.

Jason Day’s 2015 season was impressive all-round, and no more so than during July and August. Heading into The Barclays, he averaged fifth position from his previous five starts, including two victories. Although not quite to the same level as Day – Scott, Kuchar and Stricker were in consistent form heading into the first playoff event. Johnson and Singh each missed the cut in their previous start but did show strong finishes in previous events. Notably, Heath Slocum showed little form in his previous five starts and was a shock winner.

The players highlighted in red recognises those in notable current form, underlining the difference between FedExCup ranking heading into The Barclays compared to last week. Significantly, Brett Stegmaier jumped 18 places to 101st, and with three top 10s this season has a real chance of pushing his way into the top 100 and advancing to the next stage of the playoffs. Additionally, Blayne Barber, Kyle Stanley and Shawn Stefani all made notable advancements last week, but with only two top 10s between the three of them all season, they will need to maintain their form and hope for the best.

Francesco Molinari ranks at 105th and dropped seven places during his last event, however with three top 10s this season from only 17 events; he has the game and experience to extend his playoff series. Andrew Loupe has four top 10s, showing he has the game and season form to progress, but on the other hand he dropped six places last week and might be hitting poor form at the wrong stage. Robert Garrigus has three top 10s from just 20 starts and gained six places last week to put himself just outside the top 100, giving himself every opportunity of advancing. Furthermore, Graham DeLaet possesses similar stats but must produce a strong finish this week to make up for recent lost ground.

Ones to Watch

Phil Mickelson currently sits in eighth position in the FedExCup race and has exceptional course form, finishing as runner-up in both of the U.S. Opens held at Bethpage. Furthermore, notoriously difficult courses – such as the Black – suit Mickelson’s game as he relishes the challenge, often producing his best golf on such occasions. Still without a win since the 2013 British Open, his game has been in great shape all season and now may be the time he makes a charge for the FedExCup. With SkyBet placing him at 30/1 to win, he is good value for money.

Justin Rose currently occupies 51st in the FedEx ranking due to average results by his standards and an injury lay-off in the middle part of the season. Now back to full fitness, he registered two top 25 finishes in the final majors of the season and became Olympic champion in Rio, so his game and confidence is as high as it’s ever been. Justin put forward the importance of winning Olympic Gold as equal, if not above a major and will be looking to make a final push in the season as possibly the freshest man on tour right now. At 22/1 to be outright winner with SkyBet, he could be tough to beat.

Lucas Glover sits just inside the top 100 at 96th in the FedEx rankings and will be looking to improve on some solid finishes. T29 and T22 in his previous two events – which included a 61 at The Wyndham – as well as being triumphant around the Black the last time the U.S. Open was held here may bring back the positive memories to produce a high finish. SkyBet have him at 125/1 to win, which may be a little out of reach, but a top 5 placing at 25/1 appears a good bet.