Looking for 2018 The Northern Trust picks, either for betting or fantasy golf games like DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo, Golf Channel or the PGA Tour?
We have your 2018 The Northern Trust rankings and expert picks, as we do each week of the PGA Tour season.
The PGA Tour playoffs begin this week at The Northern Trust at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. Hunter Mahan won here four years ago, so that's not gonna help us much, but we do have 125 of the PGA Tour's best gathered here for the opening leg of a four-tournament run.
Think of these events as mini-majors, given the purse and the field. Lean toward top players, except perhaps at the (final) Deutsche Bank Championship, when TPC Boston will host for a final time before being contracted from the schedule.
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2018 The Northern Trust rankings: Top 10 picks
1. Dustin Johnson -- Tillinghast typically demands strong driving to score. However, less-than-driver and shorter players thrived in 2014. DJ should be able to blast away.
2. Brooks Koepka -- Honestly, Brooks should be first. The only problem is Koepka doesn't seem particularly motivated to win run-of-the-mill (by comparison) PGA Tour events. He has a total game.
3. Tiger Woods -- Alright, maybe we're buying too much into the hype at this point in the game. However, Woods can hit 3-wood or the Stinger and be OK throughout the week. His putting has been solid.
4. Justin Thomas -- JT continues to get little relative love for his consistent play. He made a good run at the PGA Championship, and he's been in the top eight in three of his last four starts.
5. Jason Day -- Back in 2014, the field leaders gained a lot of strokes on the greens. That's Jason Day, who also drove the ball well at the PGA Championship.
6. Justin Rose -- Rose pretty much always gets into some kind of playoff run despite never winning in the playoffs themselves. I like that run to continue this year...but maybe a win.
7. Webb Simpson -- It's kind of hard to ignore Webb's 2018. If you have, shame on you. He puts up high finishes on the reg, and he's doing it amid the giants bombing it 40 yards or more past him. That shouldn't be a problem this week.
8. Jordan Spieth -- Spieth is on the way back. The putting has showed signs of recovery, and his iron play has been solid throughout. Just has to avoid the big number.
9. Francesco Molinari -- You'd figure, at some point, Molinari would tire. He's had a super summer, including The Open win. He finished strong at the PGA.
10. Jon Rahm -- In concept, Rahm should be a stud on a Tillinghast course (remember this for the PGA next May). That may not mean a ton at Ridgewood, but it can't hurt. He's on fire of late.
My primary DraftKings lineup
- Jordan Spieth - $9,600
- Webb Simpson - $9,200
- Tony Finau - $8,500
- Paul Casey - $8,300
- Russell Knox - $7,200
- Brian Gay - $7,100
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