The Northern Trust: PGA Tour Odds and Prediction

Payton Matthews
Last Updated: August 5, 2019

The Northern Trust Dates, Location and History

The PGA Tour’s FedExCup playoffs have been shortened from four events to three this year. They begin this week, August 7-11, at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, with the Northern Trust. The Top 125 in points qualified for the playoffs, although not all those guys will play this week. Then, the Top 70 in points after this tournament move on to the second playoff event, the BMW Championship outside Chicago. The 2018-19 season then concludes at the Tour Championship, where the Top 30 in points qualify and all 30 would have a mathematical shot at winning the FedExCup grand prize of $15 million.

Some fairly big names missed out on the playoffs this year, including former Masters and British Open champion Zach Johnson and two former top-ranked players in the world in Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald. Canada’s Adam Svensson was the only golfer on the PGA Tour this year with two rounds of 61, but he finished 167^th in points. The current No. 125 is Pat Perez, while Richy Werenski was the unlucky No. 126, finishing two points behind Perez.

Liberty National Golf Club is a par 71 measuring around 7,370 yards. The site the course was built on used to be an industrial wasteland. It has terrific views of downtown New York City. This event used to be called the Barclays. It was last held at Liberty National in 2013 when Aussie Adam Scott won at 11-under 273.

The Northern Trust Betting Favourites

World No. 1 Brooks Koepka is the points leader and +600 favourite this week. The likely repeat PGA Tour Player of the Year comes off a win two weeks ago at the WGC-St. Jude Invitational. He didn’t play this tournament in 2013 and was T8 last year.

Rory McIlroy is +1100 with Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm both +1600. McIlroy had the 54-hole lead two weeks ago in Memphis but faded to fourth in the final round. He was 19^th here six years ago. DJ comes off a T20 in Memphis and missed the cut at the 2013 Northern Trust. He has won this tournament twice but not at this course.

Tiger Woods is playing for the first time since the British Open and is +2500 to win. We didn’t think he’d play well at the Open Championship due to rust and don’t think he will this week, either. Tiger is 28^th in points so he has already qualified for next week regardless of result here. He was a runner-up here in 2013.

The current player at No. 71 in points is Bubba Watson (+10000).

Canadian Golfer Odds

No Canadian has won this event, which began in 1967 as the Westchester Classic and was won by Jack Nicklaus. Graham DeLaet was one of four runners-up to Scott in 2013.

Corey Conners is 31^st in points and +25000 this week. Adam Hadwin is 46^th and +12500, Roger Sloan 91^st and +25000, Mackenzie Hughes 96^th and +20000, and Nick Taylor 117^th and +20000. None of those guys played this tournament six years ago when it was last held at Liberty National. Hadwin was T11 last year at Ridgewood in New Jersey.