After a grueling season, the FedEx Cup Playoffs have arrived, and the top 125 players on the PGA Tour will tee off Thursday in the 2021 Northern Trust. Dustin Johnson is aiming to defend his Northern Trust and FedEx Cup titles, while Jon Rahm wants to cap a season that included his first major win but two costly positive COVID tests. 

Caesars Sportsbook lists Rahm as the 10-1 favorite in its latest 2021 Northern Trust golf odds, with Jordan Spieth a distant 16-1. Johnson and Collin Morikawa are next at 18-1, followed by Xander Schauffele (20-1) and Rory McIlroy (22-1). Before you lock in any bets on the 2021 Northern Trust or make any PGA Tour predictions, you have to see what proven golf insider Sal Johnson has to say.

Media legend and esteemed golf insider Sal Johnson has broken down the field and has revealed his top 2021 Northern Trust picks below. With his track record on picks, you'll really want to see who he is backing, because he knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour.

Before last year's Northern Trust at TPC Boston, the golf expert tabbed Johnson among his contenders despite his up-and-down season. "His stats still don't show the true nature of his game," Johnson told SportsLine at the time. "He hits it long, and on paper he should do well this week."

He certainly did that, shooting 30 under par to win by an astonishing 11 strokes over Harris English. He was the third PGA Tour player to break 30 under, falling a shot short of Ernie Els' record at Kapalua in 2003.

The golf expert also was one of the few to say Kevin Kisner had a legitimate chance before his win at the Wyndham last week. Johnson cited Kisner's top-five finishes at the Rocket Mortgage and Travelers, "on courses that have the same traits as Sedgefield." He shot 15 under and won a six-man playoff for his first stroke-play win in more than four years.

Johnson also has been on fire this season! Before the Olympics, he listed Schauffele, Morikawa, McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama among his top five golfers, and three of them made the playoff for bronze, while Schauffele won the gold medal for Team USA. Anyone who has followed Johnson's advice has cashed in HUGE!  

Now Johnson, the first producer of "Inside the PGA Tour," a longtime ABC Sports golf producer who worked with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, and founder of the world's top golf stats database, has released his highly confident 2021 Northern Trust picks, and they will surprise you. (For golf updates and news, click here)  

Shockingly, the golf expert is fading Dustin Johnson, the defending tournament and FedEx champion! The 37-year-old's highest finish at Liberty National is T-15, and he isn't having close to the season that was expected of him. He has three top-10 finishes but also three missed cuts since April, including the Masters, and his inconsistency has Sal Johnson looking another direction.    

Instead, Johnson is backing a MASSIVE long shot who comes in at well over 50-1! This veteran shot three rounds in the 60s last week and is often able to turn it on when he really needs to. He could pull off a stunning run in the FedEx Cup opener, and you'll want to be along for the ride. Anyone who backs this underdog could cash in HUGE!

Who wins the 2021 Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club? Where do Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka finish? And which MONSTER long shot is a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine now to see Sal Johnson's top predictions and analysis for 2021 Northern Trust golf, all from the insider who knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour!