Dustin Johnson’s FedEx Run (2020) Started With Dismantling Of TPC Boston

Thank goodness the TPC Boston is out of the FedEx playoffs, thank goodness that birdie-infested, shoot-next-to-nothing layout is NOT the site for this week’s Northern Trust, the first leg of the playoffs.

Last year Dustin Johnson treated TPC Boston like some pitch-and-putt muni — he basically dismantled the place, shooting a whopping 30-under par to start his run to the 2020 FedEx Cup title.

Things started innocently enough for D.J. at yet another nondescript golf course owned by the PGA Tour.  Johnson opened with 67 but on that fateful Friday, sniffed 58 or 59 on his way to a second round 60.  He wasn’t even low man that day.  Big Scottie Scheffler shot 59 — touch track that TPC Boston.  Or not.  D.J. followed up with rounds of 64-63 for that 30-under number.

Let’s face it, if the playoffs are supposed to be a challenge, why are you playing a course that’s something akin to a local muni when it comes to degree of difficulty?

Which is why they changed sites, thank goodness, and visit Liberty National this week for the first leg of this big Tour money-grab.

Points are quadrupled from regular events on Tour, which means Collin Morikawa, the season-ending points leader, could see someone else end up on top heading to the Tour Championship in three short weeks.

World’s No. 1, Jon Rahm, is back FINALLY after an unprecedented four weeks off.  He’s still miffed over the positive COVID test that kept him out of the Olympics.  “I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance to have four weeks off in the middle of the summer and have some time to enjoy with my family,” he said. “We’re gone so often that I know I’m going to miss a lot of things, and I’m going to take advantage of times I get to be home, and that’s what I did.”

There are 125 players in this week’s field and the cutdown starts immediately.  Only 70 will make it to Caves Valley next week, another new site which is in Owings Mill, Md.  From there, only 30 make it to all-so-familiar East Lake where the best playoff performer in these two events will start on the first tee at 10-under par.  Great work if you can get it.

One would hope that these two playoff venues — Liberty National and Caves Valley — will prove championship worth.  No 30-under par winners, not even 20-under, hopefully.

Korn Ferry Tour Finals Begin At Boise Open:

So you lost your PGA Tour card — what’s next?

If you finished 126 or lower, you get to enter the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs.

First stop is this week at the Boise Open and Hillcrest Country Club.  After that, it’s on to Columbus, Ohio, for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship at the Scarlet Course on the campus of Ohio State University.  Things wind up with the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Newburgh, Indiana, outside Evansville at Victoria National Golf Club.

There’s one name that sticks out in the Korn Ferry finals and that’s world No. 51, Robert MacIntyre, the lefty from Scotland.  MacIntyre, like most on the European Tour, WANTS that PGA Tour card, as do most of the Euros.

The top 25 from the regular season points list on the KF have already earned Tour cards for the 2022 season, what they can do in the playoffs is better their position on that list, especially the guys in the high teens and low 20s.  Guys in the top 10 on that list will get into most of the events on the PGA Tour.