Preview

Course Info

Opened in 2002, TPC Boston was originally an Arnold Palmer designed course but was re-designed in 2007 by Gil Hanse and Brad Faxon.

Originally known as the The Westchester Classic and played at Westchester CC, the tournament has taken on a rotational existence since 2008.  TPC Boston hosts for the first time but we can draw upon previous results here as the course held the Deutsche Bank Championship/Dell Technologies Championship between 2003-2018.

The course is a par 71.  The 4th hole is a drivable par 4 and plays as the easiest hole on the course.  The long 12th plays as the hardest hole on the course.   The front nine is considerably easier than the back nine.

The course record is 61, shot by Vijay Singh in 2006 and Mike Weir in 2018.

"This golf course warrants a lot of ball-striking and great putting." Bryson DeChambeau, 2018.

"It's a kind of a little bit like home, the bunkering, the shape of the holes definitely reminds me of home a little bit. And like you said, that's probably why the Aussies play so well here." Cameron Smith, 2018.

"If you have control of your ball, leave it in the right places around the greens, you could really, really get it going out here, especially on that front nine. The back nine has some holes that you have to be a little bit more cautious." Justin Thomas, 2018

"I've played a bit more in the sort of New England area in the past few years, playing Travelers down the road. I like it. It's my sort of golf course. It's sort of tree-lined. It's familiar to me. It's bent greens, it's everything that I feel like I do well. So, I love coming here." Rory McIroy, 2018

Significant Info To Be Aware Of

Continue to exercise an abundance of caution (credit: Chase Koepka and the PGA Tour) in relation to Covid-19 related withdrawals.  

Don't get this tournament confused with the Northern Trust Open, which is now known as the Genesis Invitational. 

Trends

Past success is a great indicator of future success at TPC Boston.  There are several examples of players who play particularly well here year after year.  Rory McIlroy and Vijay Singh are multiple course champions, Henrik Stenson has a win and a runner up finish, as does Adam Scott.

The highest winning score at TPC Boston between 2003-2018 was -14 and the lowest was -22.  We only saw one playoff over those years and only four victories were by a single shot.  

When TPC Boston was used for the Dell Technologies Championship, course experience was undoubtedly an advantage.  Only Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson have won on their debut here and Scott's win was in 2003 when every player was a course debutant.

Stats Analysis

There have been several routes to glory at TPC Boston so it is hard to place too much weight on stats.  The last three course winners have ranked 1st, 3rd and 10th for Driving Distance but prior to that we saw shorter hitting champions such as Chris Kirk, Steve Stricker and Rickie Fowler.

Bryson DeChambeau was the only winner to rank worse than 10th for Strokes Gained: Approach between 2016-2018.  It should be noted that he actually ranked negatively for SG: Approach in three of his four rounds. Only a ridiculously good 3rd round, where he gained 5 strokes on the field, salvaged his ranking in this category.  Solid approach play is preferred but not essential.

We are looking for a solid all-round player who finds his putting touch.  Each of the past three course winners have ranked in the top 8 for Strokes Gained: Putting, so a player who is confident on the greens is preferred.

In Play

If betting in-play during rounds one and two, be aware that there could be a significant advantage backing players who tee off on the 10th and have played 10 thru 16 in a reasonable score.  Holes 17, 18, 1, 2, 3 and 4 represent five of the seven easiest holes on the course.  The front 9 in general plays much easier and anyone who gets through 10-16 unscathed can be expected to kick on from there.

TPC Boston was initially a front runner's course with the first three course champions leading after 54 holes.  However, third round leaders have failed to convert 11 of the previous 13 times here since.  Abraham Ancer was the latest to falter in 2018, shooting a disappointing final round 73. 

Six To Watch

Webb Simpson - 30/1 @ William Hill
Webb is a past champion at TPC Boston, having won in 2011.  He had his caddie and coach Paul Tesori back on the bag last week as he posted a 3rd place finish at the Wyndham Championship.  He's a player to follow when he's posted a high finish the week before, the last time he posted a 3rd place finish he won the following week.

Patrick Reed - 30/1 @ William Hill
Patrick defends this week, albeit at TPC Boston.  That won't worry him though as he has three top 6 finishes on this course already to his name.  He comes into this week off the back of a 13th place finish at the US PGA and a 9th a Wyndham.  When interviewed this week he spoke in positive terms about his game, stating,
"Biggest thing is I think the game is really coming into form. Last week I felt like I hit the ball pretty solid. Felt like I putted pretty well. Would have liked to make a couple more putts last week, but the good thing is, I feel like I'm hitting my lines."

Adam Scott - 45/1 @ William Hill
TPC Boston holds special memories for Adam as he recorded his first ever PGA Tour win here in 2003.  He's went on to record five further top 10's here in the years since and he's as comfortable here as anyone in the field.  He's only played once since the Coronavirus shutdown and that was at the US PGA where he posted a very credible 22nd place.  He'll benefit from that competitive outing and a win here wouldn't be a surprise.

Russell Henley - 140/1  @ Bet365
Russell is trending nicely with recent finishes of 51-37-9.  His performance at Wyndham last week was particularly eye catching as all aspects of his game were in good shape.  He has a 2nd place finish at TPC Boston in his locker already and a small improvement in his play could see him contend this week.  It's easy to forget Russell is a three-time winner on tour and although he's frustrating to follow, he's capable of winning again. 

Jason Kokrak - 225/1  @ Bet365
Jason finished 15th last week at the Wyndham Championship, ranking 7th for Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.  Even more encouraging was his ranking of 4th for Strokes Gained: Around the Green, an area he is traditionally weak in.  He has an 8th place finish on this course in 2016 so he's a value play at these odds.

Ryan Armour - 300/1  @ Bet365
Ryan finished 25th at the Wyndham Championship but could have been much better had it not been for a terrible opening round of 73.  His stats for the subsequent rounds were much better and he's a player to watch when striking it nicely.  He played at TPC Boston in 2018, recording a 35th place finish.  He can improve upon that this week at big odds.

In-play

In-Play Blog

The Northern Trust in-play blog was not stored on our previous website, and we are unable to re-produce it.