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The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs have had numerous tweaks down the years. And there’s a new one in place this time too. Instead of the usual field of 125 players contesting the opening event, just 70 have made it through. This intense end to the season continues with the BMW Championship and then the season-ending Tour Championship. Over that three-week dash to the line at East Lake, the fields are whittle down from 70 to 50 for the BMW and then again to the usual 30 for the Tour Championship. This first event used to take place in the New York/New Jersey region for much of its existence but last year moved down south to TPC Southwind in Tennessee. It’s been a regular stop on the PGA Tour so course form is plentiful. TPC Southwind rewards long game excellence and approach shots are hit from Zoysia fairways to Bermuda greens. Last year Will Zalatoris took victory over Sepp Straka in a playoff, the American and the Austrian both having shot 15-under. Going into the Playoffs, the top 10 in points gained are 1/ Jon Rahm, 2/ Scottie Scheffler, 3/ Rory McIlroy, 4/ Max Homa, 5/ Wyndham Clark, 6/ Brian Harman, 7/ Viktor Hovland, 8/ Keegan Bradley, 9/ Rickie Fowler, 10/ Tony Finau. Zalatoris is unable to defend following an injury-plagued season but Straka does return and sits in a very healthy 15th place. This column has tipped the last two winners of the St Jude - 45/1 Abraham Ancer and 25/1 Zalatoris - so hopefully that run can continue. Angles to consider 1/ Par 4 Scoring It makes sense to keep the winning formula from 2021 and 2022 so let’s start with Par 4 Scoring. There are two extra Par 4s on his layout and Ancer ranked third on those 12 holes when he won and Zalatoris second. Both were high up in the season-long Par 4 Scoring charts coming into the event so that table has to be worth looking at closely again. 2/ Strokes Gained: Tee To Green Last year, Zalatoris ranked 1st for SG: Tee To Green to further strengthen a well-grooved trend. Ancer was 4th for TTG when hoisting the trophy in 2021 while 2020 champion Justin Thomas topped that category. JT had minus SG: Putting figures so clearly long game counts for more. 3/ Course form Daniel Berger and Dustin Johnson are both two-time winners at TPC Southwind in recent years to highlight the importance of past success on this layout. Zalatoris had posted tied eighth on his course debut the year before winning so again this trend played out well. Selections The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected. Jason Day The Aussie is a winner this season and also finished runner-up in the Open Championship at Hoylake on his last start. Day was sixth on his penultimate appearance here in 2020 and opened with a 65 last year. He ranks 3rd for Par 4 Scoring this season and 20th for SG: Tee To Green so ticks all the boxes. Tom Kim The Korean played some excellent golf this side of the Atlantic when posting sixth in the Scottish Open and tied second at Hoylake. The latter was achieved despite an ankle injury which stopped him defending at last week’s Wyndham Championship. “The ankle has gotten a lot better,” he said a few days ago and if all is well, his numbers are good. Kim is 8th for Par 4 Scoring, 18th Tee To Green and finished tied 13th on his course debut in 2022. Tony Finau Finau sits 6th in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green and 16th in Par 4s. He was also fifth at this course last year after promising something good the year before when 13th at halfway following rounds of 69-65. Current form would have been a worry but he appeared to turn a corner when seventh at the 3M Open last time (9th for the week in SG: Tee To Green). Tips 0-3; -6.00pts 1pt e.w. Jason Day at 30/1 (Boylesports 1/5 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9) 52nd 1pt e.w. Tom Kim at 33/1 (Boylesports 1/5 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8) 30th 1pt e.w. Tony Finau at 28/1 (Boylesports 1/5 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8) 64th
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