The FedEx Cup Playoffs begins with The Northern Trust from TPC Boston this week.

The top 125 players in the world will battle for a chance to advance to the BMW Championship, where only the top 70 players gain exemption.

From there, the top 30 will head to East Lake for the playoff finale at the Tour Championship.

Awaiting the winner of the FedEx Cup is the hefty $15 million prize.

At last week’s Wyndham Championship, Jim Herman won outright as a +50000 long shot while major winners like Shane Lowry and Zach Johnson also managed to do enough to sneak into the postseason.

This event will be played at TPC Boston, which used to host the Dell Technologies Championship but took a year off on the calendar in 2019.

Last year’s champion at the Northern Trust was Patrick Reed at Liberty National Golf Club.

The winner at this venue in 2018 was none other than Bryson DeChambeau, who also won this tournament that year.

He enters this week as the slight favourite at +1200 over the likes of Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.

There are four Canadians in the field – with each of them sporting long odds to lift the trophy.

Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes are all listed at +20000 odds to win outright, while Nick Taylor is +25000.

Here is our first look at the field for The Northern Trust.

Betting Odds To Win The Northern Trust – Top-20

Bryson DeChambeau +1200
Justin Thomas +1400
Rory McIlroy +1400
Jon Rahm +1400
Dustin Johnson +2000
Xander Schauffele +2000
Collin Morikawa +2200
Jason Day +2200
Patrick Reed +2800
Webb Simpson +2800
Patrick Cantlay +2800
Daniel Berger +2800
Brooks Koepka +3300
Hideki Matsuyama +3300
Tony Finau +3300
Tiger Woods +4000
Adam Scott +4000
Justin Rose +5000
Rickie Fowler +5000
Tommy Fleetwood +5000

Backing Bryson is a risky play

Coming off a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship, the 2018 winner at TPC Boston Bryson DeChambeau is the betting favourite.

That performance at the PGA saw him gain strokes on the field tee-to-green for the first time in his last three events – he lost 1.8 at Memorial and 7.8 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

Somewhat surprisingly, he's lost shots to the field around the greens in five of his last eight events.

While he’s been dynamite in his last 10 tournaments, including eight top-8 finishes, he has just one win in that span – the Rocket Mortgage Classic against a weak field.

Against his elite contemporaries, I’d be a bit more hesitant to immediately go all in on Bryson at such a low price after he’s recorded just one PGA Tour victory over the last two years.

What we can be assured of is another thrilling episode of the life and times of the “Mad Scientist,” whether it’s rulings on fire ants, lost golf balls, cameramen in his way or his driver head breaking.

I’d be much more comfortable throwing money down on Bryson for a top-5 bet at +250 than going all-in this week given the holes in his game of late.


Reed comes up clutch in big events

Since winning his first two PGA Tour events at lesser tournaments – the Wyndham Championship and Humana Challenge – all Patrick Reed has done in his six subsequent victories is win against top shelf competition and tournaments.

He's added a major, two WGC's, the Tournament of Champions and two playoff events to his trophy haul – both of which were past editions of this very tournament, although at different golf courses.

Simply put, Reed has saved his best golf for when it matters the most, which has led him to kick off the FedEx Cup playoffs with victories in both 2016 and 2019.

In his last four events, he's produced three solid results - T-9th, T-10th, T-13th.

At this venue for the Dell Technologies Championship, Reed racked up three fantastic finishes in a row from 2015-17 with T-4, T-5, T-6 showings.

He's gained strokes off the tee in eight of his last 10 tournaments, which will be paramount to his success at TPC Boston where you must go low to win.

At +2800 odds to win outright, you're getting Reed at a very reasonable price.

It's hard to find better value for a big game hunter than the mercurial star.

Past Five Winners at The Northern Trust
2019: Patrick Reed -16
2018: Bryson DeChambeau -18
2017: Dustin Johnson -13
2016: Patrick Reed -9
2015: Jason Day -19

Past Five Winners at TPC Boston (Dell Technologies Championship)
2018: Bryson DeChambeau -16
2017: Justin Thomas -17
2016: Rory McIlroy -15
2015: Rickie Fowler -15
2014: Chris Kirk -15

FORE YOUR INFORMATION

Value Picks

Adam Scott +4000

It may be hard to get a read on Adam Scott simply because with the exception of the PGA Championship, he hasn’t golfed anywhere in the world since March.

He dusted off the clubs at Harding Park and put together a very respectable T-22nd result.

The winner of the Northern Trust in 2013 is no stranger to tasting success after long layoffs.

Late last year, Scott won the Australian PGA Championship, took two months off and then resurfaced to win the demanding Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

Scott has also had great success around this track, having taken the inaugural Deutsche Bank Championship in 2003.

He's posted five other top-10's, including T-2, 4th, T-5, T-7 and T-8 showings.

At +4000 odds, Scott has very intriguing value for one of the most talented ball strikers on the planet.

Abraham Ancer +6600

Abraham Ancer very nearly broke through for his first victory on the PGA Tour at last year's Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club.

He also came pretty close at this track back in 2018 when Ancer held the 54-hole lead at the Dell Technologies Championship, before a disappointing Sunday dropped him down to tie for seventh.

Ancer has made 17 straight cuts around the world, resulting in five top-10 finishes including a pair of runner-up results at the RBC Heritage and the American Express.

He isn't a big name in the world of golf, but his big game speaks for itself, and he could be on the cusp of tasting ultimate success.

At +6600, you're getting ridiculously juicy value on a guy who's due to join the winner's circle.

If you're shy about putting too much faith on him at that number, Ancer is still listed at +1000 for a top-five result, which seems like a very possible outcome for The Northern Trust this week,

*All Betting Information appears as listed by Bodog on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020.