We select our winner, top-five, top-10, longshot and first-round leader picks for the first FedEx Cup event of the season at the formidable course in Long Island
Winner: Henrik Stenson – {ODDS:103545296:12/1}
Stenson has been one of the most consistent players on either tour in the year of his maiden major title.
The Open champion has the steady, accurate game to navigate Bethpage Black, which was ranked the sixth-toughest course in America by Golf Digest.
Stenson leads all players on the European Tour in stroke average and driving accuracy, and is third in greens in regulation.
The 40-year-old would also lead the PGA Tour in greens in regulation percentage had he played enough rounds to qualify for the US rankings.
Stenson is also in stunning form, with two wins in his last five starts and four top-fives in his last seven.
The Swede missed out on a gold medal at the Olympics by two strokes, although he was tied with Justin Rose after 71 holes after producing another excellent performance.
Top-five finish: Brandt Snedeker – {ODDS:103545146:15/2}
Snedeker moved into sixth in the USA’s Ryder Cup spots with a third-place finish at the Wyndham Championship last weekend.
A solid performance at Bethpage Black would cement his place in the top eight and earn a spot in the team.
This is a great course for the 35-year-old, who finished second at the Barclays here in 2012 – the last time Bethpage Black hosted a PGA Tour event – and went on to win the FedEx Cup that year.
Statistically, Snedeker doesn’t excel in any one area. He is an all-rounder, though, ranking in the top 20 in total putting and total shots gained.
That combination of form, course experience and solid all-round play should keep him in contention at least until Sunday.
Top-10 finish: Kevin Na – {ODDS:103545132:5/1}
Na has quietly enjoyed two impressive months since he finished seventh at the US Open.
The world No. 32 has four top-25 finishes in five events since that performance at Oakmont, tying for eighth in the John Deere Classic and 10th in the Wyndham last weekend.
Ranked second among PGA Tour players in par-four scoring average and third in shots gained on approach to the green, Nah is well-suited to this course.
The Korean-American has never finished higher than seventh in a major, and he maybe lacks the star quality to win in such a difficult field here.
But Na has triumphed at a PGA Tour event before and is finding his best form the season nears its conclusion.
Longshot: Jhonattan Vegas – {ODDS:103545515:125/1}
The 7,468-yard, par-71 Bethpage Beck course should benefit the biggest bombers on tour.
For that reason, length off the tee alone is enough to make Vegas one of the more interesting outsiders in the FedEx Cup opener.
The Venezuelan ranks 11th in driving distance, 16th in shots gained off the tee and sixth in greens in regulation percentage this season.
Vegas also has two PGA Tour wins to date, one of which came just a month ago at the Canadian Open over a field which included Dustin Johnson and Jason Day.
The 32-year-old finished a disappointing 50th at the Olympics, but with two top-five finishes in three events can do better than his price suggests.
First-round leader: Dustin Johnson – {ODDS:103545120:16/1}
Johnson has made a habit of setting the pace in PGA Tour events this season.
The US Open champion has been the top first-round scorer in golf in 2016, with an average of 68.82 strikes on Thursdays.
Johnson recorded six consecutive top-10 finishes before he missed the cut at the PGA Championship.
Going out early in the day with Jason Day and Adam Scott, the world No. 2 is likely make a strong start at Bethpage Black.
