The Northern Trust 2018 is next stop on the PGA Tour calendar as the FedEx Cup play-offs get underway, and it has a wonderful field on show.
The former Westchester Classic event is based in the North East of America, alternating between some of the finest courses in and around New York state.
2018 sees the event return to the Ridgeway Country Club for the first time since 2014.
The Northern Trust is the first stop of the four-legged FedEx Cup – and contains the 125 players who have qualified for the event, before dropping down to 100 players for the next event – The Dell Technologies Championship.
Over in Europe, and once again the offering pales in significance with the Czech Masters offering up a less than scintillating field with the likes of Thomas Pieters, Danny Willett and Lee Westwood preventing it from being a total right off.
See below as we run through the tournaments for you including facts, odds and picks from our own golfing professional Cliff Jackson and Betfair.
THE NORTHERN TRUST – FEDEX CUP
FIELD: The FedEx Cup is underway and as you would expect, it is a top field. Dustin Johnson won the first leg last year, but he has the world’s best in his way in New York this weekend with Brooks Koepka favoured to be his biggest rival.
QUOTES: Tiger Woods has made the FedEx Cup play-offs for the first time since 2013, and he is looking to end a thus far brilliant 2018 with a tournament win.
“I feel like my next wins are coming soon. How soon I don’t know but I’m putting myself there in tournaments now,” said woods.
“I’ve done it two of the last three tournaments I’ve played and they were big events, so I’m not that far away from getting it done.”
It’s been an incredible year out here on the @PGATOUR. I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support. I’m excited to get the #FedExCup playoffs going this week @thentgolf. #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/8s3SbqxJLI
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) August 22, 2018
Our resident golf expert is Cliff Jackson. Cliff is a leading youth coach and PGA professional at the famed Seaton Carew Links – one of the oldest courses in the world.
The FedEx Cup is a great format and it produces great tournaments. For me Brooks Koepka is the favourite, the best golfer on the planet at the moment. I would also not rule out Tommy Fleetwood doing well here.
We caught up with Betfair’s Joe Dyer to get their views on this week’s action
The PGA Tour’s finest are riding the FedEx Cup bandwagon for four weeks of mega-money golf and there’s no surprise to see Dustin Johnson heading the betting once again.
At 9/1 the world no.1 is the only player available to back in single figures in Betfair’s Northern Trust winner market. With a win and two third-placed finishes from five events played in the last 10 weeks, Johnson deserves his place at the top of the betting with the Betfair Sportsbook is paying seven places this week at a fifth of the odds.
But there is a helluva lot of class in behind him. USPGA winner Brooks Koepka heads the chasing pack at 12/1 alongside Jason Day and Justin Thomas, with Tiger Woods a 14/1 chance.
You can get 18/1 on a trio of likely contenders – Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose with 20/1 Francesco Molinari a couple of ticks bigger.
