Preview and Predictions for the 2016 Barclays
Cue the Jim Mora video; the FedEx Cup playoffs have arrived. A particularly congested summer, owing to the return of Olympic golf and the PGA Tour's regular season—which saw four first-time major winners—are behind us.
Professional golf's best lace up their spikes motivated, depending on your level of cynicism, by the pursuit of the FedEx Cup or the corresponding $10 million annuity. Regardless, we'll be treated to a roster of the best in the game taking on one of the country's premier public venues this week, and there's nothing to be unhappy about on that from.
A look at the leaderboard from the 2012 edition of The Barclays, when the tournament was last contested at Bethpage and Nick Watney hoisted the trophy at 10 under par, suggests length off the tee and precise iron play will be key factors in determining the winner this week.
Who will the winner be? What else do you need to know?
Click through for the full picture.
Tournament Information
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Defending Champion: Jason Day
Where: Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York, 7,468 yards, par 71
What
Total Purse: $8,500,000
Winning Share: $1,530,000
FedEx Points to Winner: 1,000
When
Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m. (GC), 2-6 p.m. (CBS).
Biggest Storylines
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Well, as this is the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the fact that the playoffs have started is a notable storyline this week. And with the playoffs comes the fun of player positioning (Who will move inside the top 100 and make it into the Deutsche Bank Championship field?) and endless scenarios move to the forefront of broadcast window banter.
At the top of the points standings, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson are only 34 points apart. Adam Scott is 600 points behind them in third place, followed by Russell Knox at No. 4 and Jordan Spieth at No. 5.
Returning to action this week following brief layoffs are four of the top five golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day.
Bethpage Black itself, which in 2002 famously became the first truly public course to host the U.S. Open, will get plenty of attention. With an abundance of shots of the course's famed "warning" sign, expect no shortage of discussion of the Farmingdale, New York, course's attributes. And as there will be an opportunity to insert the absent-in-2016 Tiger Woods into the conversation, his 2002 triumph will receive a bit of air time, no doubt.
Favorites
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Jason Day: Golf's top performer this season, Jason Day came within a stroke of winning the PGA Championship in his last start. He's the defending champion, but as the tournament was held at a different venue last year, it really doesn't mean anything. Three-time winner this season with nine top-10 finishes in 16 starts. Leader in total strokes gained.
Rory McIlroy: Reportedly practicing with a new putter this week ahead of sponsor Nike's exit from the equipment business, backers will be encouraged by the suggestion that Rory McIlroy could find a flatstick that allows him to complement in his excellent tee-to-green play. Forgetting everything else, his pedigree demands his inclusion among the favorites.
Henrik Stenson: Silver medal winner in Rio, Henrik Stenson's form in recent starts has been stellar. He followed his barnstorming victory at The Open Championship with a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship, and he does have experience at Bethpage Black. Stenson didn't play well at the venue in 2012 when it hosted The Barclays, but he did finish ninth at the 2009 U.S. Open.
Also among the favorites: Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose
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Dark Horses
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Kevin Na: The pace of his play gets more attention than the strength of his game, it seems, and Kevin Na is perennially an under-the-radar player. He missed the cut at Bethpage in 2012, which will deter potential backers, but Na's game is solid right now. He's finished inside the top 25 in his last four tournaments, two of which were majors. He tied for 10th at last week's Wyndham Championship.
Emiliano Grillo: With a week off after his top-10 showing in the Olympics (after it looked like he might not have any clubs to play with), Emiliano Grillo looks to continue his strong form at a course he's never played as a professional. Grillo has top-15 finishes in three of his last four PGA Tour starts, including The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. He's due for a breakout performance and is comfortable on the big stage.
Prediction
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Winner: Dustin Johnson
DJ hasn't been in the field of a PGA Tour event since his unexpected missed cut at the PGA Championship. The out-of-nowhere opening-round 77 left him out in the cold and ended a stretch of six top-10 finishes and two wins.
Wipe the 77 from memory, and Dustin Johnson enters The Barclays in the top form of any player in the field (and rested too). And he tied for third the last time the tournament was contested at Bethpage (2012), so the bomber has an aptitude for the Tillinghast-designed course.
Statistically, Johnson is second on tour in strokes gained off the tee and second in total strokes gained. He leads the tour in driving distance and is second in birdie average and scoring average.
Any way you slice it, DJ is the man to beat at Bethpage.
Stats via PGATour.com
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