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THE NORTHERN TRUST 2019: Power ranking the top ten at Liberty National

By Brandon Raper

RIDGEWOOD, NJ - AUGUST 23: FedEx Cup signage is displayed on the 15th hole during the first round of The Northern Trust on August 23, 2018 at the Ridgewood Championship Course in Ridgewood, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
RIDGEWOOD, NJ - AUGUST 23: FedEx Cup signage is displayed on the 15th hole during the first round of The Northern Trust on August 23, 2018 at the Ridgewood Championship Course in Ridgewood, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) /
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Justin Rose THE NORTHERN TRUST FedEx Cup Power Ranking
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – JULY 28: Justin Rose of England watches his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the World Golf Championship-FedEx St Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind on July 28, 2019 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /

Remember Justin Rose? He was the guy who won the FedEx Cup season championship last year, and he spent most of late 2018 and early 2019 battling for the title of world No. 1 with Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. I mean, he’s kind of good like that.

What he isn’t, especially to most American fans, is flashy. He’s a businessman on the course, and more often than not, he takes care of the task at hand. He’s entering these Playoffs on a run of four straight top-20 finishes, and although he’s dropped from third in the world to fourth, you sleep on him at your own risk.

Rose isn’t a masher, but he’s plenty long off the tee. He’s having a down year on approach, ranked 161st in greens in regulation. So how does he keep up? He’s legitimately deadly on and around the greens.

Rose is 15th in sand saves in 2019, and 24th in overall scrambling. Get a putter in his hands and things get even better, ranking fifth in strokes gained putting, second in one-putt percentage and fourth in three-putt avoidance. All that is a recipe for turning a whole bunch of bogeys (or worse) into pars. That keeps Rose in just about every tournament he plays, and that will make him a dangerous competitor any time he tees it up.

J-Rose also has some positive history to build on at Liberty National, where he finished tied for second in 2013, shooting 68-68-70-68 on his way to a 10-under week. I wouldn’t be surprised to watch him put together a similar clinic this time around.

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