The FedEx Cup playoff begins this week as the PGA Tour heads to Paramus, New Jersey and the Ridgewood Country Club for The Northern Trust. The top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings are locked in and the majority of them will compete in the first of a four-tournament playoff this week. We broke down the field for this week’s event to identify the best betting options on the board, including the favorites and some sneaky good sleeper picks. Here is a look at the eight best bets to win The Northern Trust.
Event Details
Event: The Northern Trust
Category: PGA
Date: August 23rd-26th, 2018
Location: Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, New Jersey
Past Five Winners
2017: Dustin Johnson -13 (Playoff)
2016: Patrick Reed -9
2015: Jason Day -19
2014: Hunter Mahan -14
2013: Adam Scott -11
Related: PGA Tour Betting Guide
Best Bets to win the Northern Trust
Dustin Johnson +800
As if there wasn’t enough working in favor of backing the world’s hottest golfer heading into this week’s event, D.J. will be the defending champion when he tees off in The Northern Trust this week. Johnson hasn’t played at Ridgewood since he placed in the top-10 here back in 2010. Considering how his game has improved since then, it’s safe to say he could best that result this time around. D.J. has been a machine all season and nobody will be caught off guard if he dominates on his way to another win this week.
Justin Thomas +1200
Thomas followed up his victory at Firestone with another top-six finish at Bellerive last week, even though his putting game was clearly off. What will be the result if he bounces back and performs better on the greens in New Jersey this week? Thomas is No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings for a reason and he has as good a shot to win as any other golfer.
Brooks Koepka +1200
Koepka absolutely dominated at Bellerive where he fired a second-round 63, followed by a 66 in back-to-back rounds to win the PGA Championship. After putting on a clinic in St. Louis, Koepka should have no problem carrying over his current form, dating back to a fifth-place finish at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to open the month. While he hasn’t been nearly as dominant in non-majors, he’s coming in confident.
Jason Day +1400
Day is among the contenders in the field with top-10 finishes at Ridgewood on their resume. He should be able to add another one to his credentials this week. Day sits fourth in birdies-or-better percentage after hitting GIR and is the pacesetter for strokes gained. With a scoring average of 68.375 in his last eight rounds at Ridgewood, Day is someone to consider at a very attractive price. You may want to bet him to place in the Top 10 rather than win as he only has two wins in 16 events this year.
Tiger Woods +1600
This will be Tiger’s first appearance in the event since 2013 and his first trip to Ridgewood since 2010, when he finished T-12th. He is ranked second in birdies-or-better percentage this season, which is key on this course. At +1600 odds, he might be worth taking a chance on as a betting option to win The Northern Trust.
Justin Rose +1800
Rose is in excellent form as he takes aim at his first ever FedEx Cup event win this week. The major championship winner has a gold medal and two World Golf Championships so perhaps he is overdue to win a FedEx Cup event. Rose placed T-15th at this course in 2010 and T-30th at this course in 2014.
Matt Kuchar +4500
Kuchar is among the interesting sleeper plays that have registered top-10 finishes at Ridgewood in the past. He could turn around a championship result if everything goes right this week. Kuchar has alternated between top-15 finishes and missed cuts in each of his last four starts, so which will it be at The Northern Trust?
Kevin Na +8000
Na is available at even better odds than Kuchar. Like Kuchar, he has a top-10 finish at Ridgewood on his resume. Unlike Kuchar, Na has been a lot more consistent of late including top-31 finishes in three of his last four starts – including a win at The Greenbrier. Fresh off a 19th at the PGA Championship, Na is a decent sleeper and maybe someone you want to bet to place in the Top 10.
