Preview and Predictions for the 2015 Barclays

The FedEx Cup playoffs have arrived. And while both the concept and the format have their detractors, it’s tough to complain about watching the best golfers in the world tee it up for three of the next four weeks.

One of the two playoff events that alternates venues (the BMW Championship the other), The Barclays gets underway from Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey, this week with a field of the top 120 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings (five qualifiers, including Rory McIlroy, are sitting this one out).

With point values increased, players begin the process of jockeying for positioning. The ultimate goal: making into the top 30 for the Tour Championship and a shot at taking home the FedEx Cup (and the corresponding $10 million-plus paycheck).

Read on for a full preview of The Barclays.

Where to Watch

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Defending Champion: Hunter Mahan 

Where

Plainfield Country Club; Edison, New Jersey 

What

Total Purse: $8,250,000

Winning Share: $1,485,000 

FedEx Points to Winner: 2,000

When

Thursday and Friday: 2-6 p.m. ET, Golf Channel

Saturday: 1-2:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel; 3-6 p.m. ET, CBS

Sunday: Noon-1:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel; 2-6 p.m. ET, CBS

Biggest Storylines

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Rory McIlroy isn't in the field this week. At ninth in the FedEx Cup standings, the Ulsterman can afford to take the week off and dial in his game as he continues to get back to fighting form following an ankle injury. 

As a result, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth will be watched the most this week. Day, who won the PGA Championship in his most recent start, returns to action and seeks to maintain his torrid place. Likewise, Spieth, the newly minted world No. 1 and the best golfer on tour this season, puts a peg in the ground for the first time since the PGA. 

Here's an indication of just how good Spieth has been: Even with a win, only Jason Day or Bubba Watson could dislodge him from the top spot in the standings.

And of course, positioning will be a critical this week for players who are looking to crack the top 100 to earn a spot in next week's Deutsche Bank Championship and will be a storyline all week long. 

The Favorites

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Jordan Spieth

If you haven’t been following golf this season, here’s a recap of Spieth’s season: It’s been really, really good (four wins, two major victories). 

He won the Masters and U.S. Open. In his last four starts, he finished first at the John Deere Classic, fourth at the Open Championship, 10th at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and second at the PGA Championship.

Spieth broke Tiger Woods’ record of lowest cumulative score to par in the four majors this season, which is an indication of the quality of his play in golf’s most difficult and significant tournaments. Expect the trend of Spieth showing up in a big way in big events to continue throughout the playoffs.

Not surprisingly, he has been statistically exceptional this season. He’s second on tour in strokes gained from tee to green, sixth in strokes gained from putting and first the tour in total strokes gained. He’s second in birdie average and leads the tour in scoring average.

Justin Rose

With seven top 10s, including a win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and two runner-ups, Justin Rose is once again having a consistent season. This is the fourth consecutive season that he has notched at least seven top 10s and his fifth accomplishing the feat overall.

He has top-10 finishes in his four most recent starts, including a sixth-place finish at the Open Championship and a fourth-place finish at the PGA Championship. 

Rose is eighth on tour in greens in regulation and fifth on tour in strokes gained from tee to green. He's fifth on tour in total strokes gained and third in birdie average.  

He finished sixth at Plainfield the last time The Barclays was contested there. 

The Dark Horses

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Jason Bohn

Jason Bohn has been a stalwart this season with 10 top-15 finishes in 24 starts. He tied for 37th at the PGA Championship in his most recent start. Prior to that, Bohn tied for fourth at the Quicken Loans National and 12th at the John Deere Classic, so his recent form is good.

Bohn is 15th on tour in birdies and second in proximity to the hole. Short approaches will be key this week, and he is 14th in approaches from 50 to 125 yards. He’s second on tour in three-putt avoidance and fourth in par-four scoring (always important at a par-70 layout).

David Lingmerth

David Lingmerth tied for 12th at the PGA Championship, tied for sixth at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and finished third at the Quicken Loans National prior to that.

He is 28th in total driving, which evaluates a player’s driving distance and accuracy. He’s 34th in approaches from 50 to 125 yards. The Swede is 14th in three-putt avoidance.

Prediction

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Winner: Jason Day

While back-to-back victories are improbable on the PGA Tour, Jason Day, with confidence soaring, is returning to a venue where he finished 13th in 2011. Furthermore, he will be rested after a week off following the win.

Day hasn’t finished worse than 12th in his last four starts, a stretch that included wins at the PGA Championship and RBC Canadian Open. 

The Australian is 22nd on tour in greens in regulation percentage and 11th in strokes gained from tee to green. He’s ninth in strokes gained from putting and fourth in total strokes gained. Additionally, Day leads the tour in birdies.

With large greens, putting from distance and three-putt avoidance will be important, as will total driving and shorter approach shots. Day is second in putting from beyond 25 feet and 29th in three-putt avoidance. He’s 35th in ball striking.

It's tough to pick a winner in such a strong field, but given the way Day performed against at a difficult track amid a strong field at the PGA Championship, we're going with the chalk this week.  

Stats via PGATour.com