Deutsche Bank Championship Preview

published 26 August 2014

The PGA Tour travels to Massachusetts this week for the Deutsche Bank Championship and the second leg of the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. Henrik Stenson defends the title at TPC Boston.

Lowdown: The PGA Tour travels to Massachusetts this week for the Deutsche Bank Championship and the second leg of the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. Henrik Stenson defends the title at TPC Boston.

The TPC Boston opened for play in June 2002, it’s a private members’ course designed by Arnold Palmer course design. It tends to play as one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour schedule so expect to see low scoring this week.

The weather for the start of the tournament looks reasonable but there’s a threat of thunderstorms over the weekend. Don’t be surprised if there are a couple of delays to the play.

Venue: TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts Date: Aug 29 – Sep 1 Course stats: par 71, 7,216yards Purse: $8,000,000 Winner: $1,440,000 Defending Champion: Henrik Stenson (-22)

TV Coverage: Friday 29 – Sky Sports 4 from 8pm Saturday 30 – Sky Sports 4 from 8pm Sunday 31 – Sky Sports 4 from 6pm Monday 1 – Sky Sports 4 from 4.30pm

Player Watch: Keegan Bradley – He’s on home territory here and will receive great support. He’s finished in the top-20 on his last two starts in this event and has been showing good form in recent weeks

Graham DeLaet – He missed the cut last week thanks to a terrible first round of 78, but he bounced back with a 67 and he had played well in the PGA Championship two weeks earlier. He was third in this event last year.

Key hole: 18th. Traditionally one of the most straightforward holes on the course, this par 5 was altered slightly for 2012. It’s still reachable in two for most of the players (only measuring 530 yards,) but the green has been moved, lifted and reduced in size. Tricky run-off areas have been created around the playing surface, placing a premium on the short-game here. Expect some excitement if a player needs to get up and down for the title.

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Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

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?