This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
I questioned a few weeks ago just what we were witnessing with the rapid ascension of Jason Day's game, and after yet another easy win at the BMW Championship this past week, the answer is clear -- we are witnessing the most dominating stretch of golf in more than a decade. I'm not much for hyperbole, I'll rarely make comparisons across eras, but I've simply run out of ways to describe how well Jason Day is playing.
Earlier this year, the same could have been said about Jordan Spieth, but even when Spieth was winning, he wasn't dominating the field on a weekly basis; see, the U.S. Open, where he needed plenty of assistance from Dustin Johnson. Day, on the other hand, is making a habit out of getting out to a lead and simply demoralizing the competition. Perhaps the best example of how well Day is playing was the matter-of-fact attitude held by nearly all that follow this game that Day had this thing wrapped up after Friday's second round.
The last time the golfing world felt that way about anyone was Tiger Woods in the early 2000s. Day is still a long way from dominating at that level, but for this short period, no one has played better in a long while.
This week: The Tour Championship - East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta
Last Year: Billy Horschel shot a final-round 68 on his way to a three-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Jason
I questioned a few weeks ago just what we were witnessing with the rapid ascension of Jason Day's game, and after yet another easy win at the BMW Championship this past week, the answer is clear -- we are witnessing the most dominating stretch of golf in more than a decade. I'm not much for hyperbole, I'll rarely make comparisons across eras, but I've simply run out of ways to describe how well Jason Day is playing.
Earlier this year, the same could have been said about Jordan Spieth, but even when Spieth was winning, he wasn't dominating the field on a weekly basis; see, the U.S. Open, where he needed plenty of assistance from Dustin Johnson. Day, on the other hand, is making a habit out of getting out to a lead and simply demoralizing the competition. Perhaps the best example of how well Day is playing was the matter-of-fact attitude held by nearly all that follow this game that Day had this thing wrapped up after Friday's second round.
The last time the golfing world felt that way about anyone was Tiger Woods in the early 2000s. Day is still a long way from dominating at that level, but for this short period, no one has played better in a long while.
This week: The Tour Championship - East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta
Last Year: Billy Horschel shot a final-round 68 on his way to a three-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Jason Day
My only worry heading into last week was his putter. Well, that's not a concern anymore. Once again, if the putter is working, he'll win. He's playing that much better than anyone. Day's best finish here was a T6 in 2011.
Rickie Fowler
There's something about momentum this time of the year that seems to translate better than in other parts of the season. Witness Billy Horschel, who looked like the best player on the planet during the FedEx playoffs last year. Fowler looks like he's locked, and if Day slips up, expect Fowler to take advantage.
Henrik Stenson
Stenson wasn't much of a factor last week at the BMW Championship, but he did manage to creep back into the top 10 yet again. Stenson is only a couple weeks removed from a near-win, and the week off didn't seem to hurt him much. Expect Stenson to be a factor this week.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy is quietly starting to get his game back together, but will he find his best game in time to win the Tour Championship? That's the main question, but another question is, if he has his "A" game, will it be enough to beat Day?
Justin Rose
Rose hasn't been much of a factor during the playoffs yet, but that should change this week as he heads back to a place where he's had plenty of success. Rose finished runner-up here in 2013 and finished T6 last year at this event.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Harris English
Thirty golfers in the field this week and every one of them played well this year, so finding five guys to put on this list isn't going to be easy. That said, English barely cracked the top 30, and that's due to his inability to finish off a week with a solid round.
Bubba Watson
Bubba is always hard to peg, but his previous results at East Lake lead me to believe that he won't be much of a factor this week. In four starts at East Lake, Watson has only one top-10 and has finished in the bottom half of the field in three of those starts.
Matt Kuchar
Kuchar's track record here is much like Watson's. Four starts and only one top-10. Unlike Watson, though, Kuchar has failed to crack the top 20 in three of his four starts at East Lake.
Brandt Snedeker
Snedeker won this event in 2012, but his track record here on the whole has been spotty. His place on this list, though, is based more on his play since the playoffs started. In three playoff starts, Snedeker has missed one cut and failed to crack the top 40 in the other two starts.
Jim Furyk
Furyk, who pulled out of the BMW Championship last week with a wrist injury, withdrew from the Tour Championship on Tuesday. Even if he played, he obviously would not have been a good pick.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Daniel Summerhays (T41) - $31,350; Season - $5,439,697
This week: Scott Piercy - I'll be honest, I'm a little surprised I still have Piercy available as he's had a very strong year, but I'm not going to complain at this point. Piercy finished strong last week at the BMW and hopefully he carries some of that momentum into this week.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 5,736
Rank: 4,447
This Week:
Group A: Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson
Group B: Jason Day, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama
Group C: Scott Piercy, Charley Hoffman
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: NA; Streak - 3
This week: NA
