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TSN Senior Reporter

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The second week of the FedEx Cup playoffs takes the tour to Wilmington, Del., to a course that the majority of the PGA Tour players haven’t seen before. The 68 players left will take on a long course but one that is also scoreable. There are some short par 4s (by PGA Tour standards) along with a few monster par 5s and some very sharp doglegs that might prove tricky, but overall, the rough is down due to dry weather and the fairways are wider than most courses. The course features large greens with some strong slopes so lag putting will be a benefit. Lots of money at stake here too so expect a few nerves, even from these millionaire golfers.

To Win

Rory McIlroy +1000

Yup, going way out on a limb and picking the favourite this week. And that comes after he shockingly missed the cut last week in the first FedEx Cup playoff event. Still, it’s hard not to like McIlroy based on the season he’s had. He’s second in Strokes Gained: Total, a mark which has been bolstered by sitting 11th in SG: Putting. He didn’t putt all that well last week but since the Masters, he hasn’t had two consecutive weeks of being negative in SG: Putting, meaning he should be better on the greens this time out.

Matt Fitzpatrick +1400

What’s not to like about this guy’s season? He’s finished inside the top 10 in four of his last five starts and been over par just once in his last 20 rounds, which includes two majors. Also in that stretch, he’s been positive in every Strokes Gained category in every event except when he was on the minus side of his putting at the RBC Canadian Open. He’s first in SG: Tee to Green and first in SG: Total. He also owns the second-best scoring average on the PGA Tour.

Top 10

Collin Morikawa +200

Hey, where have you been Collin? That seems to be a question folks have been asking this summer, but in reality, Morikawa has had a decent if slightly less spectacular season than his last two. He has eight top-10 finishes including one last week. He’s still silky with the irons, sitting third in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green although his Greens in Regulation numbers have slipped this season. Still, he remains one of the best iron players in the game.

Sam Burns +220

Three wins, a second and eight top 10s add up to an impressive season for Burns, who is coming off a tie for 20th last week. As with Morikawa, his ball striking is pure and he’s ninth in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 18th in Greens in Regulation. He also has the ninth-best putting average on tour although it didn’t shine for him on Sunday last week. If that club warms up this week, he could be a threat.

Top 20

Taylor Pendrith +160

The big-hitting Canadian has been showing some good signs since returning from a broken rib that kept him out almost four months. Four of his last five starts have resulted in finishes inside the top 13. Not surprisingly, he ranks 10th in driving distance (important this week with two par 5s over 600 yards this week) but perhaps somewhat surprisingly is that he’s also 10th in Greens in Regulation. That’s a good combo and if his putter performs, he could be in for a big week.

Adam Scott +180

Very quietly, Scott put up a tie for fifth last week, buoyed by the 21 birdies he made, good for a tie for third in that category. He also led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, putting up a mark of 6.427, which is very, very good. I know his is an obvious statement but when Scott putts well, his game is strong as the rest of it is usually pretty consistent. He’s missed just two cuts in 18 starts this season and has six finishes inside the top 25.