Week two of the FedEx Cup playoffs sees the Top 100 qualifiers teeing it up in the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts for a share of US$8 million in prize money.
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The Deutsche Bank Championship has been played at TPC Boston since its debut in 2003. It is a Par 71 course measuring 7216 yards. There are 53 sand bunkers and 2 water hazards. The greens are Bentgrass.
Starting on Friday and finishing on Labor Day it is the only PGA Tour event to conclude on a Monday.
The Top 5 in betting are $5.50 Rory McIlroy, $12.00 Adam Scott, $17.00 Jason Day, $19.00 Matt Kuchar and $19.00 Henrik Stenson.
To play well at TPC Boston you need to rank well in a few different categories.
- Length- If you look at the past winners and runners up of this tournament many of them have been long off the tee. There are several dogleg holes on the course and these can be carried by the big hitters. This will be a distinct advantage.
- Putting- The greens at TPC Boston are large and many have several tiers so putting could be challenging this week. Many past winners have ranked highly in putting stats on their way to victory.
- Scrambling & GIR- Past winners have all ranked highly in both of these areas.
- Par 5’s- If you want to finish high up the leader board you need to take advantage of the three Par 5 holes. Looking at past winners they have all played them well.
Three players come to mind this week.
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Matt Kuchar $19.00
Check out the Kuch’s record in the last five years at TPC Boston. He was 4th last year, 35th in 2012, 25th in 2011, 11th in 2010 and 15th in 2009. You get the feeling he enjoys the course.
This year Matt has played in 20 tournaments and produced 10 Top 10 finishes which also include a win at the RBC Heritage back in April. His last three starts have him in great form leading into this weeks tournament. T4th at the Canadian Open, T12th in the WGC Bridgestone and T5th last week in The Barclays. This shows that his back problems are well and truly behind him.
The World No.8 is ready to produce the goods this week as his game is set up perfectly for the TPC Boston course. Kuchar is currently ranked 8th in strokes gained putting, 46th in greens in regulation and 12th in scrambling.
Coming off a T5th and heading into a tournament where he was T4th last time will have Kuchar brimming with confidence. When it comes to getting the job done with a steady head there aren’t many people better than Matt Kuchar that you would want on your side.
Kevin Na $81.00
When you are hot you are hot and there is no other player on tour this year that has climbed the ranks more than Kevin Na. He started the year ranked number 207 in the world. Heading into this weeks tournament he is ranked 33rd. That puts him above players like Ian Poulter, Brandt Snedeker, Lee Westwood, Ryan Moore and Graham DeLaet.
To get to this new high ranking Na has put together a season of high consistent results. From 20 starts this year he has had 12 Top 25’s and 5 Top 10’s. A few standouts have been 2nd Memorial Tournament, 2nd Valspar Championship and T4th AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.
He heads into this weeks tournament off the back of a T9th at The Barclays and is primed to continue the great season he is having. Stats wise he is ranked 20th in strokes gained putting, 2nd in scrambling, 36th in Par 5 birdie or better conversion and 21st in sand saves.
It is remarkable that a player in such great form, who has the required stats and is ranked so highly in the world golf rankings can be 80/1 this week. Na makes for an excellent selection this week.
John Senden $101.00
The Aussies are coming out of the woodwork this season with the likes of Adam Scott, Jason Day, Steven Bowditch, Matt Jones and Geoff Ogilvy all winning on the tour. John Senden joined the ranks when he took out the Valspar Championship back in March. More recently Stuart Appleby through his hat in the ring with a T2nd last week at The Barclays on the weekend.
After winning the Valspar where he beat players like Donald, Rose, Haas, Dufner, Furyk and Kuchar he jumped from number 121 in the world to 60. John has had 20 starts this season for 6 Top 25 finishes with a few highlights being T5th Crowne Plaza Invitational, T11th Byron Nelson and T8th The Masters.
Heading into this week’s tournament Senden is coming off a T22nd in The Barclays. In the last four years at TPC Boston John has finished 12th in 2012, 21st in 2011, 8th in 2010 and 11th in 2009. He seems to have a real liking for the course. This is a surprise considering his lack of length off the tee.
On the plus side he fits all the other trends with rankings of 13th in Par 5 birdie and better conversion, 30th in greens in regulation, 9th in strokes gained putting and 10th in sand saves.
This could be the week where the Aussies continue their amazing record on the tour this year. At 100/1 Senden is well worth an each way ticket. He should als0 be considered in Top 10 markets.
Good luck and good punting.