August 25, 2011 at 7:15 AM tee off
The top 125 players on the PGA tour money list qualified for this event, and the field will be decreased to 100 players for the Deutsche Bank Championship next week. This course has very little history. The last major event that was held at the New Jersey course was in 1987. The Plainfield Country Club was designed by Donald Ross, who is also famous for having designed Aronimink, East Lake, and Sedgefield Country Club. This course is one of the shortest in the PGA tour circuit.
Here’s a look at six golfers who offer good value in this week’s event:
Adam Scott (16/1)
Adam Scott had a pretty decent 2011 compared to many of the big names that tanked this season. The Aussie has been playing well and his confidence is running high. His change to a long putter has made a difference on the greens and the WGC win and 7th place finish at the PGA Championship bode well for him. His strong showing at Firestone was just a preview, not a teaser, of the golfer Adam Scott is, and at 16/1 odds, the payout could be pretty impressive given his strong chance of winning the event.
Nick Watney (22/1)
Nick Watney has thrived on Donald Ross designed courses. He’s won on two Ross courses, and also finished tied for 4th in last year’s Tour Championship, on Ross’ East Lake course. He is also 3rd in Scoring Average and 5th in all around rannking and his play with the wedge has been exceptional. While 22/1 doesn’t sound that favorable, the large field skews the odds slightly, considering Watney and Scott are both at heavy odds despite being favorites in the event
Bo Van Pelt (50/1)
Van Pelt strikes the ball among the best and on a short course like Plainfield that could work to his advantage, odd as it sounds. He has seven top-15 finishes in 2011 and finished 11th at Aronimink. He has struggled on Sundays, however, and ranks 111th in Final Round scoring average which is unacceptable for a contending golfer, obviously, so if he wants to have a serious shot at winning events or even finishing in the top 10, he is going to have to show up on Sundays..
KJ Choi (66/1)
KJ Choi has cooled off considerably since his May win at the Players Championship, but his only top 5 finish came on a Ross designed course at Aronimink. His Fed Ex Cup Performances have been good over the last three seasons, two of which were top 10 placings. His short game is impressive and from 150 yards and in, Choi is among the best.
Scott Verplank (66/1)
Verplank has not been golfing well recently, but did well in the PGA Championship. He finished fourth in it and it should be a nice prelude to the Fed Ex cup. Since the Fed Ex cup was introduced in 2007, he has had a solid record at it, and he has finished high in a number of events throughout the last decade of his career. Though getting older, now 47, Verplank still has a lot of good golf left in him and at 66/1 odds, he offers some nice value for this tournament.
Vijay Singh (80/1)
Singh won the Fed Ex cup in 2008 and since then he has fallen off, but at 80/1 odds, you could do much worse for a former champion. He tied for 4th at the Wyndham Championship and he says he is excited and looking forward to the upcoming events. Singh has performed well on Ross courses as well, including top 10 finishes at East Lake and a top 10 at AT&T National, so the Plainfield course should be to his liking.
Here’s a look at all the field with 100/1 odds or better.
Luke Donald
12/1
Adam Scott
16/1
Steve Stricker
16/1
Jason Day
20/1
Nick Watney
22/1
Matt Kuchar
25/1
Phil Mickelson
25/1
Webb Simpson
25/1
Dustin Johnson
28/1
David Toms
33/1
Jim Furyk
33/1
Rickie Fowler
33/1
Charles Howell III
40/1
Gary Woodland
40/1
Hunter Mahan
40/1
Keegan Bradley
40/1
Sergio Garcia
40/1
Zach Johnson
40/1
Bubba Watson
50/1
Robert Karlsson
50/1
Andres Romero
66/1
Bill Haas
66/1
Bo Van Pelt
66/1
Ernie Els
66/1
Fredrik Jacobson
66/1
Geoff Ogilvy
66/1
Justin Rose
66/1
K.J. Choi
66/1
Martin Laird
66/1
Retief Goosen
66/1
Aaron Baddeley
80/1
Anthony Kim
80/1
Brendon De Jonge
80/1
Camilo Villegas
80/1
Carl Pettersson
80/1
Davis Love III
80/1
Graeme McDowell
80/1
Ian Poulter
80/1
John Senden
80/1
Lucas Glover
80/1
Robert Allenby
80/1
Ryan Moore
80/1
Scott Verplank
80/1
Spencer Levin
80/1
Trevor Immelman
80/1
Vijay Singh
80/1
Y-E Yang
80/1
Ben Crane
100/1
Brandt Snedeker
100/1
Chez Reavie
100/1
Heath Slocum
100/1
Jason Dufner
100/1
Jerry Kelly
100/1
Mark Wilson
100/1
Padraig Harrington
100/1
Ryan Palmer
100/1
Sean O’Hair
100/1
Stewart Cink
100/1
Tommy Gainey
100/1
