A happy early fourth to you! I would have liked to get this out last week ahead of the newly renamed ROCKET Classic (now both on brand for seasonal holidays and current events), but you can chalk the sparse communication (and any delays in the near future) up to the fact that I’m writing this with a one week old swaddled to my chest. But without further ado…
Yes, we are skipping the the John Deere Classic this year. Even if there are a few standout names in the field this week (likely looking for FedEx Cup and Ryder Cup points late in the season), it looks like most of you have already offloaded your Ben Griffin pick during his recent hot streak anyhow.
Dwindling Player Pools
I’m impressed by the restraint shown in the number of remaining Scottie, Rory, and Collin picks left among us, presumably with the playoffs in mind. At this point in the season, it’s actually Ludvig Åberg who is our most popular pick. J.T. and Bryson are more predictably tied for our 2nd most popular pick.
Unsurprisingly, no one managed to pick J.J. Spaun for the U.S. Open and even after that impressive victory, I doubt many are going to pick him going forward. Goes to show that even the hardest possible tests of golf don’t guarantee a household name winner. That being said I still have a shortlist in mind for the final major of the season at Royal Portrush — which last hosted in 2019 where Shane Lowry ran away in the third round to win by 6.
Dwindling Opportunities
The Traveler’s Championship was the last Signature event which makes the final major of the year and the subsequent playoff events your remaining opportunities for big leaderboard swings. Unfortunately for most of us, Captain Keegan’s upset — which denied Tommy Fleetwood his first PGA tour victory for the umpteenth time — also extends the cushion for our One & Done leader as we head into the final stretches of the season.
Speaking of which, let’s deep dive into the recently updated format of the FedEx playoffs.
Dwindling Player Pools
I’m impressed by the restraint shown in the number of remaining Scottie, Rory, and Collin picks left among us, presumably with the playoffs in mind. At this point in the season, it’s actually Ludvig Åberg who is our most popular pick. J.T. and Bryson are more predictably tied for our 2nd most popular pick.
Unsurprisingly, no one managed to pick J.J. Spaun for the U.S. Open and even after that impressive victory, I doubt many are going to pick him going forward. Goes to show that even the hardest possible tests of golf don’t guarantee a household name winner. That being said I still have a shortlist in mind for the final major of the season at Royal Portrush — which last hosted in 2019 where Shane Lowry ran away in the third round to win by 6.
Dwindling Opportunities
The Traveler’s Championship was the last Signature event which makes the final major of the year and the subsequent playoff events your remaining opportunities for big leaderboard swings. Unfortunately for most of us, Captain Keegan’s upset — which denied Tommy Fleetwood his first PGA tour victory for the umpteenth time — also extends the cushion for our One & Done leader as we head into the final stretches of the season.
Speaking of which, let’s deep dive into the recently updated format of the FedEx playoffs.
Imagine the NBA finals changing to 5 game set mid-season or MLB altering wild-card qualifications mere months ahead of October. That’s the kind of ridiculous June update put forth by the PGA Tour. Firstly, we can say goodbye to “starting strokes” and consider yourself lucky if you don’t know what those are.
Last year, Scheffler was given a two-shot advantage over the field because he had led in points through the BMW. He started at -10 with the rest of the field having various starting positions down to even par. This year, everyone will start at even par regardless of FedEx points.
