Preview: Deutsche Bank Championship

This week sees the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs as the PGA Tour travels to Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship. After his playoff victory last week Vijay Singh leads the way in the race for the $10 million first prize.

Phil Mickelson
Fergus Bisset
By Fergus Bisset
published

Lowdown:

The PGA Tour travels to the TPC Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship and the second leg of the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. After a thrilling victory at the Barclays last week, Vijay Singh leads the points list from Sergio Garcia. World number two Phil Mickelson lies in fifth place and has some work to do if he’s to claim the $10 million first prize. Following this week the top 70 on the FedEx Cup points list will be eligible for next week’s BMW Championship. The Deutsche Bank is one of the youngest tournaments on the PGA Tour beginning its life in 2003. Since then it’s produced some notable champions. Adam Scott won the inaugural event and Messrs Singh, Woods and Mickelson have all tasted victory at TPC Boston since then. Played over Labor Day weekend the tournament finishes on Monday. Labor Day is a holiday celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. The TPC Boston opened for play in June 2002, it’s a private members’ course designed by Arnold Palmer course design.

Venue: TPC Boston, Massachusetts Date: August 29- September 1 Course stats: 7,207 yards, par 71 Purse: $7,000,000 Winner: $1,260,000 Defending champion: Phil Mickelson (-16)

TV coverage: Friday 29 – Live on Setanta Golf from 8pm Saturday 30 – Live on Setanta Golf from 8pm Sunday 31 – Live on Setanta Golf from 8pm Monday 1 - Live on Setanta Golf from 7pm

Player watch: Scott Verplank – He’s finished in the top 20 in three of his last five starts and will be desperate to make an impact this week. Not only to climb into the top-70 on the FedEx Cup points list but also to grab Paul Azinger’s attention and secure a Ryder Cup wild card pick. Phil Mickelson – He won here last year and needs a repeat performance if he’s going to topple Vijay at the top of the points list. Sergio Garcia – The Spaniard is enjoying a rich vein of form and narrowly lost out in a playoff last week. He’ll be keen to put the year’s disappointments behind him and finish the season with a flourish.

Key hole: 18th. It’s a par five of just 528 yards. The longer hitters will carry the fairway bunkers and leave themselves a fairway wood or long iron to the green. The very longest hitters will carry the bunker on the right off the tee and be left with just a mid-iron in. Skills required: Power. The longer hitters always dominate at TPC Boston. Mickelson, Woods and Singh have all won in the last five years.

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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