Fowler seeks rebound and Deutsche Bank defence

The PGA Tour travels to Massachusetts this week for the Deutsche Bank Championship – the second tournament of the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. Rickie Fowler defends the title at TPC Boston.

After a poor final round in The Barclays last week, Rickie Fowler aims to bounce back at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He needed to finish in third or better at Bethpage to secure his place in the U.S. Ryder Cup team for Hazeltine. He had that objective in his grasp, but he faded into a tie for seventh and will now rely on a pick from captain Davis Love III.

Rickie Fowler swing sequence:

After his victory at The Barclays last week, Patrick Reed leads the FedEx Cup standings. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth 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 then playing in the Tour Championship for a chance to win the FedEx Cup and the $10 million first prize.

Chez Reavie currently sits in 70th place and Marc Leishman, Webb Simpson, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker are among those who will be looking to push their way in to make it to the BMW.

Played over Labor Day weekend, the Deutsche Bank Championship 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 and Henrik Stenson have all been victorious in this event. The Swede came close again last year but he found water from the tee on the par-3 16th and the resulting double bogey opened the door for Rickie Fowler to walk through and claim victory.

Stenson may not play this time out as he awaits results from an MRI scan on his knee. Danny Willett is also missing from the top-100 as he defends the Omega European Masters this week.

The course at 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 looks set fair but a reasonable breeze might require the players to think a little and will suit those most skilled at controlling ball flight.

Venue: TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts Date: Sep 1-4 Course stats: par 71, 7,297 yards Purse: $8,500,000 Winner: $1,530,000 Defending Champion: Rickie Fowler (-15)

TV Coverage: Friday 2 – Sky Sports 4 from 7.30pm Saturday 3 – Sky Sports 4 from 7.30pm Sunday 4 – Sky Sports 4 from 6pm Monday 5 – Sky Sports 4 from 4.30pm

Player watch:

Jason Day – The Australian has a solid record in this event and he finished tied fourth last week at Bethpage without producing his best golf. He led the field in putting at The Barclays and if he can tighten his normally super-solid long game up, he’ll be tough to beat.

Emiliano Grillo – The young Argentinian has been a revelation on the 2016 PGA Tour. He was tied second in The Barclays last week and looks set to win the Rookie of the Year award.

Charley Hoffman – He won this event in 2010 and led after 36 holes last year before finishing third. He’s been showing good form with top-25 finishes in his last two starts.

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.