Contrasting performance of the world’s top 5 golf at Northern Trust

The OWGR top 5 order from the top currently includes Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas. But these two team players had to leave the Northern Trust soon.

At the end of 36 holes on August 20, the elimination line was determined at -1, while Johnson reached even par, and Morikawa at +2. In contrast, Rahm holds the top of the table with a score of -12, after two rounds of 63 and 67 strokes on par71 respectively. Thomas and Schauffele finished T3 (-10).

Yesterday, Schauffele jumped 31 steps with 62 strokes – breaking the record for a Liberty National hosting field. On the same day, former world number one Jordan Spieth also set a similar record, scoring two eagles to jump 62 places to T10 (-8), next to Brooks Koepka who is ranked eighth in OWGR.

Johnson broke his forte driver in the opening match, borrowed a colleague’s spare for the next game but still did not improve the situation. Morikawa attended the tournament with back pain from the Olympic opening round in late July.

At Tokyo 2020, Morikawa finished T4 after losing the playoff (side hole) for bronze with six other players, while Schauffele won the gold.

“My back is fine after the Olympics. It healed during the week of the PGA Tour in Memphis, but suddenly had a pinched nerve in the middle of last week despite not playing tournaments or training. Earlier this week, I felt fine but on Northern Trust has relapsed. It still hurts now,” Morikawa said Golf Channel on 8/20.

Northern Trust opened a series of three playoffs to close the FedEx Cup (FEC) results of the PGA Tour 2020-2021. The full-season race has a $60 million prize fund, of which $15 million goes to FedEx Cup owners. Last year, Johnson took both titles.

The FEC before the Northern Trust this period recorded Morikawa first, Spieth second, Rahm finished top five, Thomas ninth, Schauffele 13th, Koepka 15th and Johnson 17th.

Quoc Huy