The Northern Trust: Power rankings for the FedEx Cup Playoff opener

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PARAMUS, NJ – AUGUST 29: Dustin Johnson watches his tee shot on the 16th hole during the final round of The Barclays at the Ridgewood Country Club on August 29, 2010 in Paramus, New Jersey. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

The defending Northern Trust champion is gunning for his third tournament title at three different courses.

Dustin Johnson won in 2011 at Plainfield and again in 2017 at Glen Oaks.

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He played well in his trip to Ridgewood, too, collecting a T9 in 2010 in his first start after his fiasco at Whistling Straits. He missed the entire FedEx Cup Playoffs in 2014.

In 2010, DJ fired a 64 at Ridgewood in round three.

Moving to the present, let me remind you that Johnson is world No. 1 for a reason.

He’s thrice a winner in 2018 and has just one missed cut since this time last year.

Johnson is first in strokes gained tee to green, which becomes obvious if you’ve ever seen him swing a club.

Once maligned as a player whose talent declined the closer he got to the green, Johnson is now a top 50 in all strokes gained categories.

Johnson is 16th in SG putting and 45th around the green. He’s also eighth on approaches.

After a disappointing T27 his last time out at the PGA Championship, Johnson should bounce back this week. He finished T17 or better in his nine of his 10 prior starts.

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