2015 Northern Trust Open Power Rankings

By Danny Norris | Feb 16, 2015

The west coast swing comes to an end this week as the PGA Tour heads to Los Angeles, California for the Northern Trust Open. The Northern Trust Open takes place at Riviera Country Club which is a unique course where no two holes look alike.

There’s a lot of variation which makes Riviera interesting to watch for the spectators. Riviera is 7,298 yards long and the notable holes to watch for are holes six and ten. Hole six features a bunker in the middle of the green and hole ten is only 315 yards long. It gives golfers a choice as to whether or not they want to go for the green, or play it safe and lay up.

It’s always interesting to see how that plays how, what strategies the golfers use, and which one is successful at the end of the tournament.

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I’m not sure how others do it, but these rankings here at Pro Golf Now will be a combination of recent form and course history. This isn’t predicting how they will or anything like that. just strictly how they are playing now, and how they have played here in the past.

Anyway, with all that said, here are the 2015 Northern Trust Open Power Rankings:

1. Bubba Watson– Bubba Watson takes the number one spot this week. Watson is the defending champion and has been on fire every time he tees it up. Watson finished T-10 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and finished T-2, once again, at the Waste Management Open. So, you put that all together and Watson is the favorite this week.

2. Jimmy Walker– You’d be hard pressed to find someone playing better golf than Jimmy Walker. J-Walk has finished 2nd at the Tournament of Champions, won the Sony Open, T-7 at the Farmers Insurance Open, and T-21st last week. Plus, J-Walk has made the cut the last five years, including two 4th place finishes in 2011 and 2012.

3. Jim Furyk– Jim Furyk teed up for the first time this season at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am last week and finished T-7. If you leave it like that, that sounds great. First time teeing up for the year and finishing in the top ten? Fantastic. But, of course, we have to mention that Furyk couldn’t seal the deal once again with a 54 hole lead. Nevertheless, Furyk still finished 7th and is coming to a course where he has made the cut the last five years.

4. Dustin Johnson– Dustin Johnson has been boom-or-bust here at the Northern Trust Open. Last year, Johnson finished 2nd to Bubba Watson, missed the cut in 2013, finished T-4th in 2012, missed the cut in 2011, and finished T-3rd in 2010. After missing the cut two weeks ago at the Farmers Insurance Open, Johnson bounced back with a T-4 at Pebble Beach last week. Johnson is still knocking off the rust and will look to keep the momentum going.

5. Charl Schwartzel– Over on the European Tour, Charl Schwartzel has played some really good golf. He missed the cut at the Qatar Open, but finished T-9th at Abu Dhabi, and 2nd at the South Africa Open. Schwartzel has found extreme success the last two years here at Riviera finishing T-5 and T-3rd.

6. Brandt Snedeker– Last week’s winners finds a spot in the top ten this week as he has been one of the better golfers over the past month or so. At the Farmers Insurance Open, Snedeker finished T-19 and at the Waste Management Open, Snedeker finished T-10. Snedeker hasn’t played Riviera much, but he’s been solid enough. He hasn’t played here since 2012, but from 2012 to 2010, he made the cut two of of three years with a T-17 and T-20 finishes.

7. Bernd Wiesberger– As I mentioned, I like to mix current form and course history, but sometimes a golfer is so hot that it doesn’t really matter what his course history is. Case in point Bernd Wiesberger. Wiesberger’s worse finish in his last four tournaments has been 6th. 6th! He hasn’t won a tournament, but nobody has been better in that time span. So, he has to make it into the top ten because of that even though he has never teed it up at Riviera.

8. Bill Haas– Bill Haas hasn’t missed a cut here at the Northern Trust Open since 2011. In 2011, Haas finished T-12, in 2012 he won, 2013: T-3, and in 2014: T-23. Plus, Haas won the Humana Challenge last month and has since notched a 76th place finish at the Phoenix Open, and T-19 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

9. Jordan Spieth– Jordan Spieth would be higher had he not had that missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open. Nevertheless, he makes the list thanks in large part to his T-7 finishes at Pebble Beach and the Phoenix Open. Plus, throw in the fact that he finished T-12 last year here at the Northern Trust Open.

10. J.B. Holmes– J.B. Holmes needs to be rewarded for his play of late. With a 2nd place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open and T-10th place finish at Pebble Beach last week; Holmes finds his way onto the power rankings this week. Plus, he has been solid at Riviera over the years, not of late, but from 2012 to 2010 he had finishes of 8th, 12th, and 3rd.

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