Days Between
PGA Champion Jason Day ran away from the field in the first FedExCup Playoff event to win for the sixth time on TOUR. The Aussie closed the weekend 63-62 to easily win by a whopping six shots. Henrik Stenson took second by two shots over Bubba Watson to round out the podium at The Barclays held at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J.
Why This Performance Doesn’t Surprise:
Er, he won the PGA Championship in his last start just two weeks ago. He's proven now, most importantly to gamers, that he can close the deal even when he's not 100% as evidenced by his WD before the pro-am on Wednesday.
Day's last 20 rounds on TOUR are 74-under-par and all 20 of those rounds are par or better.
He's now won three of his last four starts on TOUR. The only other was T12 at WGC-BI. He was T4 at The Open Championship where his par on the final hole saw him miss the playoff before winning the RBC Canadian the following week.
He shook off the disappointment of another 54-hole lead at the Open to win at the RBC. He went one step further this week to back up his win at his first major with his first FedExCup Playoff win. Like the Jefferson's, he's movin' on up!
Course historians will note that he was T13 at Plainfield in 2011 with nothing over 68.
Why This Performance Surprises:
Gamers, like myself, had trepidations entering the week on how Day would perform after securing his Holy Grail, a major, his last time out. This life-changing event effects first-timers in multiple ways but what we LEARNED this week is Jason Day is a different cat. He WD from the pro-am on Wednesday with a back issue that had bothered him in the past. Combined with a whirlwind week of media requests the week prior, this was the perfect storm to fade him.
Wrongo.
Day joins Martin Kaymer, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods as the only players since 1997 to win the next event after winning their first major championship. The rest of those fellas have gone on to win multiple majors and I can't see Day not following suit if his body holds up.
After winning only two times since 2010 Day has won FOUR times dating back to February at Torrey Pines.
How Day Won This Week:
Simple. He entered. After the back problems forced his WD on Wednesday from the pro-am, Day fought through struggles on Thursday with 68 and was in the thick of things. The heat and humidity kept him loose and then he got loose to close 63-62 to win comfortably.
If bomb-and-gouge was the angle this week there aren't many better equipped to put on such a show. He was only T46 in fairways but led the field hitting 60 of 72 GIR.
He only carded four bogeys for the week and only one in his last 40 holes. His bogey total was the lowest on the week.
His putting numbers were ridiculous hitting that many GIR as he finished first in strokes-gained and third in putts per GIR. We know he can putt but he didn't miss ANYTHING on the weekend!
His 21 birdies were good for T2 and he threw in an eagle for good measure.
This performance was similar to the one gamers saw at Whistling Straits: pure dominance.
Moving Forward:
If Day has proven to win and contend when not 100%, which he has in the last month, I see absolutely no reason why gamers should shy away in the future. He's proven that he belongs in ANY discussion with Spieth and McIlroy for who can be the best on the planet. With Col Swatton on the bag and being his mentor, the only change I see moving forward is not allowing him to get things off his motor coach on his off days! HIRE SOMEBODY BRAH! He has evolved into the player that gamers thought he would in the early days of the 2010s and his last month on TOUR backs that fully. Gamers who now pick third in annual/weekly competitions have nothing to fret as the trio of Day/Spieth/McIlroy should make for entertaining viewing for years to come, injury demons be damned!
With This Win:
Day racks up 2,000 FedExCup points, $1.485 million and a spot in Atlanta for The TOUR Championship.
Déjà vu All Over Again?
Only 17 players in 43 events this season have closed the 54-hole leads. Day's romp makes it 18 in 44.
After a rain-soaked Plainfield yielded 19-under in 54 holes in 2011, 19-under claimed the top spot again in perfect conditions. The course was in optimum shape with the rough up and the greens running at whatever speed the tournament committee saw fit. At barely 7,000 yards Plainfield showed its teeth through blind shots, risk-reward opportunities and lightning-quick, undulating greens. The race for the second flight was almost more interesting than the Aussie's dominance!
Only seven players this time put four rounds in the 60s and barley half the field finished under par (T44).
The course record, 61, was given a scare on Saturday by Carlos Ortiz (62) and Jason Day on Sunday.
Day's total "tied" the tournament record set in just 54-holes in 2011 by Dustin Johnson. The Barclays returns to this Ross gem again in 2019 so bookmark this page for future reference!
Young Guns Versus Prime Time Versus Old Guys:
I annually keep track of the age of the winners on TOUR because I’m an ageist. GET OFF MY VIAGRA.
Under 30 -- Young Bucks
age in ( ) at time of victory
Sangmoon Bae (28) Frys.com
Ben Martin (27) Shriners
Robert Streb (27) McGladrey
Nick Taylor (26) Sanderson Farms
Patrick Reed (24) HTOC
Brooks Koepka (25) Waste Management
Jason Day (27) Farmers, RBC Canadian, PGA Championship, The Barclays
Jordan Spieth (22) Valspar, Masters, U.S. Open, JDC
Rory McIlroy (26) WGC-Match Play, Wells Fargo
Rickie Fowler (26) THE PLAYERS
David Lingmerth (27) Memorial
Danny Lee (24) Greenbrier
Troy Merritt (29) QLN
Shane Lowry (28) WGC-BI
Prime Time Guys -- 30-39
Ryan Moore (31) CIMB Classic
Charley Hoffman (37) OHL Mayakoba
Bubba Watson WGC-HSBC Champions
Jimmy Walker (36) Sony Open, Valero
Bill Haas (32) Humana
Brandt Snedeker (34) AT&T Pebble Beach
James Hahn (33) Northern Trust
Dustin Johnson (30) WGC-Cadillac Championship
Matt Every (31) Arnold Palmer
J.B. Holmes (32) Shell Houston
Justin Rose (34) Zurich
Chris Kirk (30) Colonial
Steven Bowditch (31) AT&T Byron Nelson
Fabian Gomez (36) FedEx St. Jude
Scott Piercy (36) Barbasol
Zach Johnson (39) The Open Championship
Crusty Veterans -- 40-up
Padraig Harrington (43) Honda
Alex Cejka (44) Puerto Rico Open
Jim Furyk (44) RBC Heritage
Davis Love III (51) Wyndham
Hindsight
What I learned from the finishers in the top 10 this week.
Henrik Stenson: Another Ross course, another top finish. Stenson didn't have his best stuff off the tee (T36 fairways) but was third in GIR with over 80%. He finished the week second strokes-gained: total and made enough putts to circle 21 birdies. He proved in 2013 that he has the stuff to make plenty of people nervous come the final weekend in Atlanta. He sits fourth in the FEC points race after his second flight "victory" at 13-under. He comfortably moves on to the DBC next week where he tied the tournament record (22-under) in 2013. Be warned.
Bubba Watson: His run of second-second-T21-third is only trumped by the winner this week over the last four events so Watson is obviously dialed in. He admitted after the third round that guys are only concerned about making it to Atlanta for the chance at the big money but he held it together to take third alone after closing with 69. Watson also lamented that this wasn't a course that fits his eye earlier in the week. He's so dialed-in right now not even Bubba can stop Bubba! He led the field in SGTTG even though he was 70th of 72 in fairways. #BombandGouge
Zac Blair: If the #UtahMafia was an angle this week, Tony Finau would have been the obvious choice. If the "Zac(h) angle was in play, Johnson would have also superseded Blair but it was the BYU grad who closed 67-66 to tie The Open champion at T4. Blair's last top 25 was 12 events ago when he posted T16 at the TPC Four Seasons at the Byron Nelson. He had one top 35 entering the week and only one previous top 10 on the season. His week was almost perfect as he led the field in fairways, was third in SGP and was fourth in GIR. He jumps from No. 106 to No. 45 and will be a part of the BMW in three weeks. Remember, there is a BYE week between the DBC and Conway Farms this year!
Zach Johnson: I argued that a "thinking-man's set up with complex greens" was right up his alley this week and the champion golfer didn't disappoint. He predominantly plays out of the fairway and this week wasn't any different as he was T3 in driving accuracy. It didn't hurt that he turned those accurate drives into GIR as he finished second there. Sure, the putter didn't light up but that goes to show just how amazing Day's week was as he hit every green and holed almost every big putt. After a quiet WGC-BI (T33) and MC at the PGA Championship, ZJ bounced back with his second top four in four starts and is guaranteed a spot in Atlanta for the finale.
Daniel Summerhays: Another member of the #UtahMafia, Summerhays came steaming home on Sunday to the tune of 31 with three birdies and an eagle on his final eight holes. His fantastic finish vaulted him from No. 66 to No. 40 on the current standings. After T8-T11 in July, Summerhays limped into the Playoffs after MC-T43 in August. His putter made sure that he got back on track as he led the field in PPGIR and was sixth in SGP. Blair, Johnson and Summerhays reinforced Plainfield as a great track as none of them bombed and gouged anything this week! T6.
Ryan Palmer: Wow. That's the only word I could come up with to describe his performance one week after his father tragically passed away in a car accident. Gamers will note that he's had past successes at TPC Boston and this week could spur him onto to another performance in his father's honor. Playing with a heavy heart is tough enough but on this course against a field like this, wow. His T6 was his first top 25 in seven starts since T22 in Memphis before the U.S. Open.
Sangmoon Bae: With military service looming in the not-so-far future in his native Korea, Bae is looking to get all the golf in he can before he's called into duty. Bae, like Day, has also won at the TPC Four Seasons so I'm still searching for a connector. Blair also had his best finish of the year since playing there so maybe I should dig deeper. His excellent 63 when paired with Day on Saturday got him a rematch in the final group on Sunday but the Korean lost by a whopping 10 shots (62-72) yet still finished T6. He led the field with 24 birdies but had too much baggage on Sunday to keep up the chase. Since Bae's T8 at Riviera his T6 this week was his first T30 or better, a span of NINETEEN events. Blimey.
Jason Bohn: Wish I would have managed him better in Yahoo! but Bohn fulfilled my expectation of a top finish again this week with 65 on Sunday for T9. This makes nine weekends of his last 10 on TOUR and six T13s or better in that stretch. His career year continues and gamers who have been on board are reaping the benefits!
Dustin Johnson: The only surprise about his top 10 finish, T8, this week is where it ended up. The winner in 2011 on 19-under also began the weekend under tough circumstances as he WD after seven holes in the Wednesday pro-am with a chest cold. After 70-70 to open he rallied for 67-65 on the weekend to claim his almost pre-destined top 10. Like most gamers burning their final start of the year on him, I was happy him RALLY on the weekend instead of crumble like we saw at Firestone and Whistling Straits. Whew.
Chalk Dust
A quick recap of what happened to the Chalk from my preview column:
It was an interesting week to say the least for some of the top recent performers and pedigree players on TOUR.
Jordan Spieth: He might have played himself out of the top spot next week as Day and McIlroy have both raked at TPC Boston. I learned two things this week from Spieth: he doesn't like this course (his words, not mine) as it doesn't fit his eye and he was using brand-new irons for the first time in competition. I have no negative thoughts moving forward but the only other course he says doesn't fit his eye is TPC Four Seasons in his hometown of Dallas. There's THAT angle again...MC.
Justin Rose: Similar to Day, I completely mismanaged Rose in Yahoo! this week as I left 63-65 on the bench and picked up his final round 70. Sigh. Gamers will love that Rose decided to grind it out on Friday and Saturday but the "what could have been" lingers after his opening round of 77. Again, nothing to see here moving forward and T16 after that 77 feels almost like a victory in most leagues.
Jason Day: Win, see above.
Brooks Koepka: T6 last week on a Donald Ross setup, MC this week to finish outside of the top 18 for the first time in 10 events (T52, Memorial). He struggled across the board and never had it into red figures. Interesting that he didn't blink at WGCs or majors but an old-school layout had him confused. Remember, he was T4 at Pinerhurst last summer. It happens to the best of them!
Brandt Snedeker: 71-72, MC. After chucking in 75 to free fall last week at Sedgefield, a course he's trashed over the years, he couldn't break par on a course where he shot 61 in 2011. Did someone tell him he was my OAD this week? FESS UP. I DEMAND IT. Ouch.
Dustin Johnson: T9, see above.
Matt Kuchar: His history of playing classic Jersey golf courses went up in smoke this week as he found only one round under par with 66 on Saturday. Another player who thrives on shorter courses, Kuchar didn't fire this week as his most trusted club, the putter, went #MattyIce. He was 65th in SGP and T32 PPGIR. What's more bizarre is he was coming off T7 at the PGA and was 17-under here in 2011. Vomit.
Jim Furyk: Another Ross course, another top 15 finish as old reliable sauntered in at T11. He put all four rounds in the 60s with an overall solid week. All systems go as he currently sits No. 11 in the points race. He shot 59 at Conway Farms the last time they hosted the BMW and his record at East Lake is excellent. Burn 'em all!
Robert Streb: His T39 was his worst finish on TOUR since his T42 at Chambers Bay six events ago. He was in the fight until 70-73 on the weekend knocked him out of contention. He struggled throughout his bag but still was T20 entering the final round and I like that he was grinding away. Remember, he was knocked out on the final day at Wyndham in 2013 (fell to No. 126, missed Playoffs) and was knocked out AFTER MAKING EAGLE to close last year at the DBC (No. 71 when only top 70 advanced) so I'm hoping the GOLF GODS remember this down the road. He dropped three places this week to No. 9 so OADers can still use him down the road. I'm one of them...
Paul Casey: His 66 on Thursday had gamers tuned in but his 76 on Friday saw him make the weekend on the number. He entered the week off T3 at Ross's Sedgefield but he must have left his putter at the clubhouse as he was 69th in SGP and 60th in PPGIR. That's been his Achilles Heel and this week wasn't any different. T39.
Charl Schwartzel: After hitting 39 of his last 41 GIR last week, gamers were hoping that his putter (or one of six putters that he Tweeted) would find some life this week so he could advance to Boston. Nope. He lost almost three shots to the field in two rounds and missed the weekend, and the DBC, by two shots. We'll re-evaluate the South African this fall when he returns to action over here.
Henrik Stenson: Solo second, see above.
Zach Johnson: T6, see above.
Bill Haas: He tried to par the place to death, which is normal, but two triples derailed any plans of moving up the leader board. His birdie-birdie finish moved him into T53 but nothing to help any gamers out this week.
David Lingmerth: He made three birdies and 13 bogeys. Woof. Woof. In his fantastic summer run since his victory at Memorial he's been known to toss in a clunker (T64, Travelers, T74, Open Championship) and this MC qualifies. He's also followed those clunkers up with T6 and solo third so he remains fully engaged on my radar. He's No. 26 and has PLENTY to play for in the final two events before Atlanta.
Danny Lee: He struggled on the greens this week which is unlike him but the Korean still sits No. 10 in the FEC points race. With the Presidents Cup birth still in play the motivation is there for him, and gamers, to keep focus.
Rickie Fowler: 68-75 MC will be viewed as a disappointment after T30 or better in his last six starts worldwide after MC-MC to begin June. Every time I want to get excited...
Bubba Watson: Solo third, see above.
Jason Bohn: T9, see above.
The New Bubble
Only the top 100 get into the field at the DBC next week.
No. 95: Adam Hadwin; 73-72, MC. OUT
No. 96: Charl Schwartzel; 72-72, MC. OUT
No. 97: John Huh: 78-71, MC. OUT
No. 98: Jason Gore: T30, up to No. 79. IN
No. 99: Francesco Molinari: DNS. OUT
No. 100: Hudson Swafford; T50, up to No. 93. IN
No. 101: Johnson Wagner; T45, up to No. 92. IN
No. 102: Nick Taylor; T53, up to No. 101. OUT
No. 103: Jason Dufner; T30, up to No. 82. IN
No. 104: Graham DeLaet; 76-72, MC. OUT
No. 105: Jon Curran; 74-73, MC. OUT
Coming TUESDAY:
I’ll publish my weekly preview, Range Rover, around lunchtime, children permitting. I’ll focus on history, current form, course characteristics, winning qualities and those who I think will and will not.
Coming TUESDAY Afternoon:
Playing the Tips will be up and running this and every Tuesday late afternoon and will list all of the Rotoworld experts picks in the GolfChannel.com game, the Yahoo! Fantasy Golf game, DFS plus the European Tour! Oh, and my One-and-Done feature. Look for it every Tuesday until the Presidents Cup.
Coming Wednesday:
And the analysis doesn't end here. Rotoworld's Rob Bolton and I will be co-hosting a one-hour live chat Wednesday at 12 ET. We will be breaking down the field at the DBC plus answering your questions.
Simply return to the golf home page to join in on the chatter. Don’t forget to follow Rob (http://twitter.com/RobBoltonGolf) and Glass (http://twitter.com/mikeglasscott) on Twitter.
