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PGA Power Rankings: The 2019 Northern Trust

By Chris Aliperto

PGA Power Rankings: PARAMUS, NJ - AUGUST 25: Brooks Koepka waits to play his tee shot on the first hole during the third round of THE NORTHERN TRUST at Ridgewood Country Club on August 25, 2018 in Paramus, New Jersey. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)
PGA Power Rankings: PARAMUS, NJ - AUGUST 25: Brooks Koepka waits to play his tee shot on the first hole during the third round of THE NORTHERN TRUST at Ridgewood Country Club on August 25, 2018 in Paramus, New Jersey. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) /
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PGA Power Rankings
PGA Power Rankings: FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – MAY 19: Xander Schauffele of the United States chips to the third green during the final round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 19, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images) /

PGA Power Rankings: The Northern Trust

10. Xander Schauffele – (11)

Moving along to the top ten in the PGA Power Rankings, we have more of the same theme. Recent form OK but not what you would expect from this particular player.

Schauffele has been basically free-rolling the FedEx Cup all season long with two early victories, and he finished the regular season 4th in the standings, playing just 18 events. Only Rory McIlroy was better when comes to points scored relative to events played.

Schauffele has only played in two events since his T-3 at the U.S. Open, and he T-41 at the Open Championship and followed it with a T-27 last week at Sedgefield. This will be the 25-year-old’s first crack at Liberty National Golf Club.

9. Tommy Fleetwood – (12)

Finally, we get a little change of pace here and get a golfer trending in the right direction heading into the Northern Trust.

Tommy Fleetwood has been consistent all season having not missed a single cut, and his solo second place at the Open Championship a couple of weeks ago was largely overshadowed by the dominance of Shane Lowry.

However, the fact that he followed it up with a T-4 last week at the St. Jude Invitational suggests that he is dialed-in, as back-to-back top-fives is no small feat. Fleetwood finished 19th in the final FedEx Cup standings, despite playing in just 15 events, and not winning a single event. Six top-tens though certainly helped his cause.

8. Webb Simpson – (13)

Speaking of dialed-in, Simpson came close once again at his personal favorite tournament and the site of his first career tour win, the Wyndham Championship. Simpson moved up four spots in the OWGR to number 13 with his second straight solo runner-up finish, and he now has three second-place finishes in his last five events.

Webb also moved up four spots in the FedEx Cup standings, to end the regular season in 9th place and inside the coveted Wyndham Rewards Top 10. Unlike most of the others before him, Simpson does have some experience here at Liberty National, and he played pretty solid as well, finishing T-15 in 2013, and T-8 in 2009.

7. Justin Thomas – (9)

The new PGA Power Rankings trend of progressing solid recent form continues here once again. Justin Thomas finally seems to have shaken the rust after his wrist injury, as he has played well for three straight weeks now.

He finished the regular season with a spot in the TOUR Championship pretty much wrapped up as he sits in 17th place, but he seems poised to make a run at the top ten after notching his third straight finish inside the top-15 last week at the St. Jude Invitational.

The then 23-year-old was part of the 2017 Presidents Cup squad that played here at Liberty National, and he went 3-1-1 for the tournament.

6. Patrick Cantlay – (10)

After some expected slight regression following his incredible streak of four straight top tens capped by a win at the Memorial, Cantlay bounced back from a T-41 at the Open Championship last week at the St. Jude Invitational with a T-12 finish.

Like others before him this week, Cantlay also went the route of playing limited events this FedEx Cup season playing in just 18, but his win and a total of eight top-tens was good enough for a 6th place finish in the final standings. This will be the 27-year-olds first look at Liberty National.

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