The Northern Trust returns to Liberty National as the battle begins for however much they now give to the winner of the FedEx Cup. Yes, that's right: the end of the AON Risk-Reward Challenge was not the end of the season, folks, and nor was the conclusion of the Comcast top 10. No no no, there is proper, meaningful golf to come over the next three weeks, or at least two of them before we're back at East Lake being silly.
It all begins at a course with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline and Lady Liberty herself, and was therefore a fitting location for Patrick Reed to triumph in 2019. The self-styled Captain America grittily overcame Jon Rahm, Abraham Ancer and Harold Varner in a renewal which demonstrated that conditions can play a big part here, at an exposed layout built on an old refuse site, one very different to TPC Boston where last year Scottie Scheffler fired in a breathless 59 before Dustin Johnson won by a million.
Low-scoring is still on the agenda at what's a tougher course, with Troy Merritt having carded a 62 two years ago and Johnson himself a single shot more. But whatever happens over the first two days or so, during which the reach of Tropical Storm Fred may mean there are soft targets to aim at, Liberty National ought to begin to show teeth over the weekend and demand something from each aspect of a player's game. It is certainly no pushover.
That's behind us and my focus is on two things: the way he played at Southwind, and the way he spoke at Southwind. Both suggest he could do what he's done before and come alive just after major season has come to an end, making a mediocre season suddenly look better than it felt at any point.
That's what happened in 2016, when he'd never threatened in the four majors, was beginning to fall in the world rankings, then won two of the then four Playoff events and with them scooped the FedEx Cup. It's even kind of what happpened in 2019, when the heartache of Portrush was still burning as he won the TOUR Championship against a pre-tournament handicap.
Altogether, McIlroy has won five of these tournaments and he's absolutely primed for another, having been the best ball-striker in the field in the WGC-St Jude Invitational. It wasn't close, either: he gained 12.35 strokes with his tee shots and approaches, and next was Daniel Berger on 10.5, with Hideki Matsuyama another half a shot off that total.
Since winning the PGA in 2017, Thomas has flirted with the lead at Augusta but generally been well below his best at precisely the wrong time, and this season has been a continuation of that trend only with added drama and frustration. It's been about as unsatisfactory as it could've been for someone who still won The PLAYERS.
But as with McIlroy, the key element of Thomas's game returned in his latest start, yet because he continued to putt poorly and did not threaten the top of the leaderboard, the market suggests there are no more reasons to be positive.
There's definitely room for shorter hitters given the success of Slocum, Ancer and others to have threatened, who by the way include Ian Poulter, himself looking towards Whistling Straits. As far as Simpson goes, he's played well on all three visits, with three top-20 finishes, so no wonder he said "Liberty's a course I really love" last week.
The reason for that, he says, is the contoured greens and their shaved run-offs, which Poulter has also likened to the sort of courses both of them prefer, and it was therefore hard not to sit up and take note of Simpson's performance at the Wyndham Championship last week.
Posted at 2100 BST on 16/08/21
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