Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth were protagonists, last week, in New York, of the first of the four Playoffs that close the American golf season. Two real duelists who fought on foil until the last hole. Today they try again, in Norton, Massachusetts, on the Tpc Boston, for the second test. The goal of the two champions is to be once again in contention for victory, but it won't be easy, because there are so many variables and the field is always stellar. And then, by its nature, golf is unpredictable. Young Jordan, who won his third major this year, reminded us on Sunday: you can dominate a tournament by three rounds and then lose your mind to a trivial par 3 with a pond in front of it.
It's the harsh law of golf, nothing is ever written down to the last minute. Johnson took advantage of this, led his colleague to a playoff and finally won. In any case, in Norton, the two champions play together at least the first two rounds, because the departures were made in Fedex ranking order. With them there is also a third wheel of the caliber of Justin Thomas.
The field is reduced to 100 players, down from 125 last week. Francesco Molinari lost altitude, going from number 31 to 36, because he didn't pass the cut in NY. He is still in an excellent position though and hopefully he will make his talent count and will be able to reach at least the third round. It is expected that the young Spaniard Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day will put on a show. Sergio Garcia, Masters Champion 2017, also returns for the occasion. Rory McIlroy defends the title who unfortunately, this year, has not never meshed. Perhaps he is to blame for too many changes in his private and professional life: he got married, changed his caddy and coach. A destabilizing mix even for the most balanced of players.
The track is a par 71 of 6500 meters, designed by Palmer in 2002. The prize money is 8,750 million dollars, 1,575 million of which will go to the first place, together with 2000 Fedex points. It starts on a Friday and ends on a Monday, unlike other tournaments, because September 4th is Labor Day in America.
