Dell Technologies Championship Preview, TV Times

Justin Thomas defends hit title at TPC Boston in Massachussets

Justin Thomas defends Dell Technologies Championship
Justin Thomas defends Dell Technologies Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The PGA Tour travels to Massachusetts this week for the Dell Technologies Championship – the second tournament of the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. Justin Thomas defends the title at TPC Boston.

Dell Technologies Championship Preview, TV Times

After his victory at The Northern Trust last week, Bryson DeChambeau leads the FedEx Cup standings. Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka are hot on his heels.

The top 70 on the points list after this tournament will go through to the BMW Championship with the top 30 playing in the Tour Championship for a chance to win the FedEx Cup and the $10 million first prize.

It looks likely that 98 of the 100 eligible players will tee it up at TPC Boston – Rickie Fowler is still injured and Francesco Molinari is taking a week off.

After his week off from the Northern Trust, Rory McIlroy is back for this event. He’s twice a winner and the all-time leading money winner in the tournament.

Tiger Woods plays in the event for the first time since 2013.

Any player ranked from 58 (Hideki Matsuyama) to 100 (Jason Dufner) on the FedEx Cup standings could be eliminated from the playoffs this week, or of course, they could progress with a good result.

Played over Labor Day weekend, this tournament finishes on Monday. Labor Day is a holiday celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.

This tournament began life back in 2003 when Adam Scott took the title. Since then, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, Henrik Stenson and Rickie Fowler have all been victorious in this event. Last year, Justin Thomas was the champion.

Adam Scott won in 2003

Adam Scott won in 2003

The TPC Boston opened for play in June 2002. The original design was by Arnold Palmer but Gil Hanse and Brad Faxon completed a reworking of the layout in 2007.

The weather forecast looks fine for the early part of the tournament but there could be some disruption by Monday.

Venue: TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts Date: Aug 31 – Sep 3 Course stats: par 71, 7,342 yards Purse: $9,000,000 Defending champion: Justin Thomas (-17)

How to watch the Dell Technologies Championship

TV Coverage: Friday 31 – Sky Sports Golf from 7.30pm, featured groups on Sky Sports Golf from 1.30pm Saturday 1 – Sky Sports Golf from 8pm, featured groups on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm Sunday 2 – Sky Sports Golf from 6pm, Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm Monday 3 – Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event from 6pm

Not a Sky Sports customer and want to watch the Dell Technologies Championship?

BUY NOW: Now TV Sky Sports Pass – £7.99 for a day, £12.99 for a week or £33.99 for a month

Players to watch:

Who outside the current top-five on the FedEx Cup standings might make a push at TPC Boston?

Adam Scott – He’s been looking like a proper return to form lately. He was tied fifth last week and he has six top-10 finishes in this event.

Billy Horschel – The American is playing steadily with four top-20 finishes in his last six starts, including a tie for third last week. He was tied second in this event in 2014.

Phil Mickelson – Needs a good result to secure a Ryder Cup captain’s pick. He was tied sixth at TPC Boston last year and is a former champion.

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 was moved, lifted and reduced in size. Tricky run-off areas were created around the playing surface, placing a premium on the short-game. Expect some excitement if a player needs to get up and down for the title.

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?