Bryson DeChambeau has had a very good season on the PGA Golf Tour: one victory, five Top 10 finishes, and $3.1 million in prize money.
But, with start of the 2019 FedEx Cup playoffs, the Clovis East High School grad has a chance to go from good to great.
Moreover, Dechambeau will tee it up Thursday as the defending champion in The Northern Trust, one of two FedEx Cup tournaments he won last year.
DeChambeau Expects a Rowdy Crowd
Granted, the tournament is at a different course, Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, New Jersey. But it remains in the tri-state area of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
DeChambeau told Forbes contributing writer Michael LoRe that he relishes playing in front of the fans there that sometimes bend golf’s traditional rules.
“I think it will be a little bit more rowdy and I kind of like that sometimes,” DeChambeau said. “It’s fun. It’s fun to banter back and forth with the crowd sometimes. You say something, they will say something back and they are like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ They appreciate you more, so it’s kind of cool.”
Dechambeau enters the tournament No. 18 in FedEx points but ranked No. 8 in the world. That lofty world ranking reflects another victory he chalked up in 2019 — the European Tour’s Omega Dubai DesertClassic.
Will DeChambeau Challenge Koepka?
The 25-year-old is hoping to turn around frustrating performances in back-to-back tournaments. He missed the cut at the British Open and then tied for 48th in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
But his season-long excellence in driving (302.4 yards average) and putting (13th best on the tour) could take him a long way in the three-tournament FedEx Cup.
Brooks Koepeka, who has dominated golf’s majors in recent years, is the betting favorite to take the FedEx Cup. Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Tiger Woods will command much attention from the television cameras as well.
But should DeChambeau win the FedEx title, he’ll remind fans that the guy who wears the Ben Hogan-style ascot cap has world-class skills, too. And stamp himself as a legitimate challenger to Koepka’s crown as the king of golf.
Watney Qualifies for FedEx Cup, Too
Five-time tour winner Nick Watney, a former Fresno State standout, is one 2019’s ironmen. He entered 25 tournaments and posted three Top 10s, earning nearly $1 million and finishing 99th in the regular season.
The top 125 players begin the playoffs, but the field narrows to 70 for the BMW Championship and to 30 for the Tour Championship. Thus Whitney will need a strong showing this week to advance.
New Format This Year
To learn what’s new and different about this year’s FedEx Cup, click on this link at Golfnews.com.
