The FedEx Cup playoffs move north to Boston for this week s Deutsche Bank Championship with 99 players remaining in the race for the FedEx Cup glory. There were of course to be 100 players but the withdrawal of Sergio Garcia last Friday from this week s event has cost the tournament the number two player in Fed Ex Cup standings. Garcia withdrew citing the fact that he would be required to play six weeks in succession before a one week break before the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup and in his mind that would prove just too much. The tournament is being played at the Arnold Palmer designed / Gil Hanse redesigned TPC of Boston the Arnold Palmer layout the home for the event since first played in 2003. Defending champion is Webb Simpson who defeated Chez Reavie is a playoff. Charley Hoffman, Steve Stricker and Vijay Singh are other recent winners. Vijay Singh became the world number one when he defeated Tiger Woods and Adam Scott in this event in 2004 and also finished runner-up the following year. Woods did win in 2006 and has been twice runner-up and despite his at times indifferent form of late he has won three times this season and could again shine in Boston. Rory McIlroy has played this event just once finishing 37th in 2010 but importantly his first round that year was 64 so he took an instant liking to the layout. He was neither good nor bad last week at Bethpage and gets another chance to confirm his status as the game s leading player this week. Luke Donald has played this event very well in recent years finishing 3rd and runner-up in the past two. Donald has been playing well enough to be a factor again this week, his 10th place finish at Bethpage impressive enough. Lee Westwood seemed to lose his way for a few weeks but a 5th place finish last week gave an indication that things were getting better. This will be the Englishman s first appearance in the event. Adam Scott had a horror weekend at Bethpage but he has a great record at TPC Boston and it would be no surprise to see him contending on a golf course where he has won and recorded four top tens in seven starts. Vijay Singh might be the surprise given his great record on the golf course and his comparatively good form of late. Two wins and a runner-up finish over the TPC Boston is proof positive that he likes the place. There is of course a tournament within a tournament this week also. As Captain Davis Love sits down to assess his final four wildcard selections for the USA Ryder Cup side the likes of Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker are no doubt to the forefront of his thinking. Stricker and Furyk might well be already in his side but the others have one last chance this week to prove to Love they are worthy of the job. Both Furyk and Stricker have played this event well, Stricker winning in 2009, but the last week s winner Nick Watney, Johnson, Mahan and Snedeker are likely to need a good showing this week. The USA side will be finalised on Tuesday. Australians in the event other then Adam Scott are Jason Day, who has been inside the top three in his last two times to the event, Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden, Marc Leishman, Greg Chalmers and Aaron Baddeley.
Author: Bruce Young / iseekgolf.com