Tour Championship Best Bets and Golf Odds:

Wyndham Clark won his third event of the 2026 season and the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs with a three-stroke victory over Patrick Cantlay last weekend at the BMW Championship. Clark, a 30-1 pre-tournament price, bagged a 25-1 winner for this column in the “without Scottie Scheffler” market. Scheffler ended up finishing T-12. 

Clark built a five-stroke lead after 54 holes but ended up giving the lead back, only to birdie the final three holes and finish 17 under to hold off Cantlay and playing partner Rory McIlroy, who finished third. 

This week, the PGA Tour regular season concludes in Atlanta for the Tour Championship as the FedExCup is up for grabs, and all 30 players in the field have an opportunity to win it. 

Not only will the Tour Championship and the FedExCup be decided, but perhaps PGA Tour Player of the Year as well. Scottie Scheffler (+350) has been the most consistent player on tour in 2026 with only two victories, but also has five runners-up, plus five other top-5 finishes and 12 top-10 finishes overall. Despite being the 2024 FedExCup champion, Scheffler has never been the low 72-hole scorer at the Tour Championship. 

Other Player of the Year candidates include Clark (16-1), Players and Cadillac winner Cameron Young (18-1), plus three-time winners in 2026 — Chris Gotterup (18-1) and Matt Fitzpatrick (20-1). 

Then, there’s McIlroy (+850), who is a three-time FedExCup winner and has won here at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta three times at the Tour Championship. 

Several players are looking to finish off their seasons with a victory that has thus far eluded them in 2026, including Xander Schauffele (12-1), Ludvig Åberg (16-1), Patrick Cantlay (16-1), Sam Burns (16-1) and Tommy Fleetwood (20-1). 

Scheffler, Young, Clark, Burns, Russell Henley (30-1) and Collin Morikawa (18-1) all officially clinched their spots on the U.S. Presidents Cup team at the conclusion of last week’s BMW Championship. Several others are looking to make one final impression on team captain Brandt Snedeker, as Gotterup, Gary Woodland (45-1), J.J. Spaun (45-1), Ryan Gerard (50-1), Jacob Bridgeman (55-1), Alex Smalley (65-1) and Akshay Bhatia (80-1) are all in this week’s field. 

The Field

The top 30 golfers in the FedExCup standings will compete for $40 million, with $10 million awarded to the winner.

The starting strokes format that has been played at the Tour Championship from 2019-2024 was eliminated last year. All 30 players in the field will start at even par in a stroke-play tournament. The winner after 72 holes will capture the FedEx Cup and collect a bonus and a five-year PGA Tour exemption.

Here are the 30 players in this week’s Tour Championship field:

The Course

East Lake Golf Club has been the permanent home for the Tour Championship since 2004. Located about five miles east of downtown Atlanta, East Lake, the oldest course in the city, was designed by Donald Ross in 1913 and has received several renovations, most recently by Andrew Green in 2023-2024. 

Since the 2023 Tour Championship concluded, no golf was played here until the 2024 event. The course was completely redone, including the removal of hundreds of trees, all turf was replaced, and every green was redesigned.

The course was lengthened from 7,346 to 7,440 yards for a par-70 as the 14th returned to a par-4 after a one-year experiment. In 2024, No. 14, at 580 yards on the card, played as the easiest hole for the week with a 4.33 scoring average. For this year’s Tour Championship, the hole will play 50 yards shorter at 530 yards for a long par-4.

The greens are now planted with TifEagle Bermuda (replacing Mini-Verde) and sit lower and are larger (6,238 square feet average) and run faster at 12.5-13 on the stimpmeter. In addition to refurbished bunkers and greens, Green recontoured the fairways to create more movement. In dry conditions, they’ll run faster with the switch to Zoysia. East Lake is seen as a bit too straightforward of a layout, so the tees were changed to give the players more options instead of just ripping driver off the tee, plus the addition of more fairway bunkers. Eight holes now have water in play when it was previously six before the latest renovation.

The fairways are on the narrower side, averaging just 30 yards wide, and the Bermuda rough at 3.5 inches is tricky. 

East Lake Golf Club provides a video chronicle of the course renovations.

Comparable courses to East Lake include TPC Southwind (Zoysia fairways), Bellerive (Zoysia fairways), Quail Hollow, PGA National, Augusta National, and Memorial Park. Other Ross designs featured on the PGA Tour in recent years include Pinehurst No. 2, Detroit GC, Sedgefield and Oak Hill. 

Weather

Atlanta has received a fair amount of rain (15 inches) since the beginning of July, so the greens should be soft. The AccuWeather forecast also shows rain in the forecast for part of the first two days. In addition, the greens will be watered anyway with the typical late-August heat, so they should be very receptive. 

Very little wind is in the forecast, so the scoring should be typical here in the high-teens to around 20 under par for the eventual winner. 

Tour Championship Recent History

Tour Championship Winners

2025: Tommy Fleetwood (-18/262); 14-1

2024: Scottie Scheffler -30 (-20/264); 11-10

2023: Viktor Hovland -27 (-19/261); 5-1

2022: Rory McIlroy -21 (-17/263); 12-1

2021: Patrick Cantlay -21 (-11/269); 4-1

2020: Dustin Johnson -21 (-11/269); 2-1

2019: Rory McIlroy -18 (-13/267); 9-1

2018: Tiger Woods (-11/269); 14-1

2017: Xander Schauffele (-12/268); 100-1

2016: Rory McIlroy (-12/268); 13-2*

2015: Jordan Spieth (-9/271); 9-1

2014: Billy Horschel (-11/269); 25-1

2013: Henrik Stenson (-13/267); 16-1

2012: Brandt Snedeker (-10/270); 40-1

2011: Bill Haas (-8/272); 45-1**

2010: Jim Furyk (-8/272); 20-1

2009: Phil Mickelson (-9/271)

2008: Camilo Villegas (-7/273)**

2007: Tiger Woods (-23/257)

Playoff Win over Kevin Chappell and Ryan Moore – *

Playoff Win over Hunter Mahan – **

Playoff Win over Sergio Garcia – ***

72-Hole Low Scorers

2024: Collin Morikawa 12-1 (-22/262)

2023: Viktor Hovland 12-1 and Xander Schauffele 12-1 (-19/261)

2022: Rory McIlroy; 8-1 (-17/263)

2021: Kevin Na; 70-1 and Jon Rahm; 7-1  (-14/266)

2020: Xander Schauffele; 12-1 (-12/268)

2019: Rory McIlroy; 8-1 (-13/267)

Note: East Lake Golf Club played as a par-71 for the 2024 Tour Championship. 

Statistical Analysis

The course is long at over 7400 yards for a par-70, and the fairways were widened a tad after the renovation, but a combination of both distance and accuracy is needed for success here.

Total Driving (Distance Rank + Accuracy Rank) — 2026 PGA Tour season

  1. Alex Fitzpatrick 50 (25 + 25)
  2. Scottie Scheffler 66 (36 + 30)
  3. Xander Schauffele 80 (10 + 70)
  4. Gary Woodland 89 (6 + 83)
  5. Cameron Young 93 (14 + 79)
  6. Ludvig Åberg 97 (16 + 81)
  7. Collin Morikawa 99 (87 + 12)
  8. Matt Fitzpatrick 101 (84 + 17)
  9. Viktor Hovland 102 (76 + 26)
  10. Ryan Gerard 104 (66 + 38)
  11. Min Woo Lee 104 (7 + 97)
  12. Tommy Fleetwood 113 (99 + 14)
  13. Justin Rose 113 (49 + 64)
  14. Patrick Cantlay 121 (68 + 53)
  15. Si Woo Kim 121 (115 + 6)

Distance from the edge of the fairway is the average distance (in feet and inches) from the edge of the fairway when the player hits the fairway. Zoysia fairways typically have a good amount of bounce, so some drives will bounce out of the fairways. This is a good metric to judge a player’s misses. The smaller the number indicates barely missing when the ball finally stops. 

Distance From the Edge of the Fairway (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Russell Henley 17′ 1″ (feet, inches)
  2. Collin Morikawa 17′ 9″
  3. Si Woo Kim 18′ 5″
  4. Matt Fitzpatrick 20′ 2″
  5. Ryan Gerard 21′ 5″
  6. Tommy Fleetwood 21′ 8″
  7. Alex Fitzpatrick 22′ 4″
  8. Jacob Bridgeman 22′ 7″
  9. J.J. Spaun 23′ 2″
  10. Xander Schauffele 23′ 8″
  11. Scottie Scheffler 23′ 8″
  12. Tom Kim 25′ 1″
  13. Cameron Young 25′ 1″
  14. Robert MacIntyre 25′ 3″
  15. Patrick Cantlay 25′ 4″

Good Drives are drives where the player either hits the fairway off the tee OR the player misses the fairway but still hits the green or fringe in regulation.

Good Drive Percentage (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Scottie Scheffler 85.68%
  2. Alex Fitzpatrick 84.64
  3. Russell Henley 84.40
  4. Si Woo Kim 84.39
  5. Tom Kim 84.30
  6. Matt Fitzpatrick 84.06
  7. Collin Morikawa 83.86
  8. Tommy Fleetwood 83.10
  9. J.J Spaun 82.83
  10. Alex Smalley 82.71
  11. Patrick Cantlay 82.58
  12. Ludvig Åberg 82.40
  13.  Ryan Gerard 82.28
  14. Cameron Young 81.88
  15. Xander Schauffele 81.85

Even after the renovations, the course is in front of the players and there are no doglegs off the tee, so distance of the tee still matters here.

Average Driving Distance (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Rory McIlroy 330.0
  2. Gary Woodland 323.2
  3. Min Woo Lee 323.0
  4. Chris Gotterup 322.2
  5. Xander Schauffele 319.7
  6. Cameron Young 318.2
  7. Ludvig Åberg 317.6
  8. Sam Burns 315.2
  9. Ryan Fox 314.8
  10. Alex Fitzpatrick 314.0
  11. Kristoffer Reitan 314.0
  12. Adam Scott 313.1
  13. Wyndham Clark 312.7
  14. Scottie Scheffler 312.5
  15. Justin Rose 310.7

It has been historically easier to gain strokes off the tee than on approach here at East Lake.

Strokes Gained: Approach — Average Per Round (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Collin Morikawa 0.798
  2. Si Woo Kim 0.733
  3. Matt Fitzpatrick 0.697
  4. Tom Kim 0.645
  5. Patrick Cantlay 0.637
  6. Scottie Scheffler 0.605
  7. Alex Fitzpatrick 0.593
  8. Adam Scott 0.573
  9. J.J. Spaun 0.545
  10. Justin Rose 0.517
  11. Hideki Matsuyama 0.491
  12. Wyndham Clark 0.489
  13. Ludvig Åberg 0.471
  14. Viktor Hovland 0.468
  15. Alex Smalley 0.423

Around five holes will require an approach at or over 200 yards.

Approach proximity is the average distance (in feet) the ball comes to rest from the hole when a player hits their approach from a distance greater than 200 yards. 

Average Proximity Approaches from 200> Yards  (Last 50 rounds)

  1. Ludvig Åberg 46′ 6″
  2. Matt Fitzpatrick 48′ 2″
  3. Cameron Young 48′ 9″
  4. Gary Woodland 49′ 5″
  5. Sam Burns 50′ 1″
  6. Adam Scott 50′ 1″
  7. Tommy Fleetwood 50′ 7″
  8. Alex Smalley 50′ 7″
  9. Alex Fitzpatrick 51′ 3″
  10. Hideki Matsuyama 51′ 3″
  11. Wyndham Clark 52′ 0″
  12. Tom Kim 52′ 3″
  13. Justin Rose 52′ 7″
  14. Scottie Scheffler 52′ 7″
  15. Patrick Cantlay 52′ 7″

12 of the 18 holes are par-4s on this par-70 layout.

Par-4s Birdie Or Better % (Last 50 rounds)

  1. Tom Kim 22.2%
  2. Scottie Scheffler 21.8
  3. Si Woo Kim 21.3
  4. Gary Woodland 21.1
  5. Viktor Hovland 20.9
  6. Collin Morikawa 20.8
  7. Sam Burns 20.7
  8. J.J. Spaun 20.7
  9. Ryan Fox 20.7
  10. Hideki Matsuyama 20.5
  11. Wyndham Clark 20.4
  12. Robert MacIntyre 20.3
  13. Alex Smalley 20.0
  14. Rory McIlroy 19.8
  15. Ludvig Åberg 19.7
  16. Russell Henley 19.7

Before the Andrew Green renovations, Rees Jones redesigned the greens and bunkers to more closely resemble Ross’ original design. The greens sit elevated above the surrounding bunkers and feature challenging slopes that test players’ short games.

Strokes Gained: Around The Green — Average Per Round (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Tommy Fleetwood 0.526
  2. Matt Fitzpatrick 0.475
  3. Scottie Scheffler 0.421
  4. Hideki Matsuyama 0.351
  5. Wyndham Clark 0.326
  6. Min Woo Lee 0.254
  7. Cameron Young 0.251
  8. Akshay Bhatia 0.247
  9. Patrick Cantlay 0.243
  10. Si Woo Kim 0.208
  11. Tom Kim 0.199
  12. J.J. Spaun 0.169
  13. Viktor Hovland 0.145
  14. Ludvig Åberg 0.140
  15. Rory McIlroy 0.059

The greens at East Lake are Bermuda and will run faster on the stimpmeter.

Strokes Gained: Putting — Bermuda Greens (Last 50 rounds)

  1. Jacob Bridgeman 0.87
  2. Akshay Bhatia 0.86
  3. Matt Fitzpatrick 0.77
  4. Scottie Scheffler 0.69
  5. Tom Kim 0.62
  6. Russell Henley 0.53
  7. Adam Scott 0.52
  8. Viktor Hovland 0.50
  9. Sam Burns 0.40
  10. Wyndham Clark 0.37
  11. Chris Gotterup 0.34
  12. Xander Schauffele 0.32
  13. Gary Woodland 0.28
  14. Kristoffer Reitan 0.27
  15. Min Woo Lee 0.22

With the tricky Bermuda rough, challenging slopes on the greens, and increased hazards, East Lake, while a fairly “meat and potatoes” course, does present some challenges and potential bogeys are out there.

Bogey Avoidance Percentage (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Scottie Scheffler 10.36% (percentage of time player makes bogey)
  2. Tommy Fleetwood 12.86
  3. Tom Kim 12.92
  4. Matt Fitzpatrick 12.99
  5. Russell Henley 13.02
  6. Patrick Cantlay 13.07
  7. Si Woo Kim 13.09
  8. Xander Schauffele 13.35
  9. Cameron Young 13.38
  10. Sam Burns 13.81
  11. Jacob Bridgeman 13.95
  12. Chris Gotterup 14.02
  13. Alex Smalley 14.03
  14. Wyndham Clark 14.26
  15. Rory McIlroy 14.44

Selections

It turned out that we did not need the “Without Scottie Scheffler” market, with Clark getting it done. After Sunday’s final round last week at the BMW Championship, Scheffler revealed he battled hand, foot and mouth disease during the event. The highly contagious viral illness caused painful blisters on his hands and throat, making it difficult to grip his golf clubs. The World No. 1 stated that he probably should not have played. 

Nevertheless, he still models as the No. 1 player in the field across the board, and we will not change what has been working because playing the “Without Scheffler” market has gone 2-for-2 in the FedExCup Playoffs. So we will try to sweep the playoffs in that same market this week.

Patrick Cantlay (+1325, DraftKings)

Cantlay was the runner-up here last year to Tommy Fleetwood, who cashed for us at 14-1. He has gone second, sixth, seventh and fourth in four of the last five years at East Lake. 

The selection here is not without risk as Cantlay ranks just 95th on tour for Strokes Gained: Putting, his worst season in nine years. 

Nevertheless, all of the other areas of the game seem to be firing of late as he led the field last week in St. Louis for Fairway Proximity, was third for Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and was fourth for Strokes Gained: Approach. 

He led the field here last year in Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green, and Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. 

Three of Cantlay’s eight PGA Tour victories have been in the FedExCup Playoffs, including his last one anywhere four years ago at the 2022 BMW Championship and here at East Lake in 2021 with a Tour Championship (with starting strokes) and FedExCup. 

Collin Morikawa (+1650, DraftKings)

Morikawa was the low-72-hole scorer here two years ago in the first year of the Andrew Green renovation. 

He leads the PGA Tour for Strokes Gained: Approach and is second for Scoring Average. 

While putting continues to be perhaps the weak spot in his game, he has gained strokes with the flat stick in six of his last seven and nine of his last 12 starts dating to mid-February. 

Russell Henley (+2350, DraftKings)

Henley was the co-runner-up here with Cantlay last year, plus finished third here in 2017 and fourth in 2024. In fact, he has never finished worse than 12th for his entire career at East Lake. 

He finished T-12 last week at the BMW largely due to a poor final round in which he uncharacteristically lost nearly five strokes via ball striking and hit only five of 14 fairways. Keep in mind that Henley leads the PGA Tour for Driving Accuracy, so it is fair to look at last Sunday’s final round as an aberration. 

While it is difficult to find a “buy low” spot in just a 30-player field, Henley might fit that bill as he could be under the radar at a place where he historically always plays well. 

Placement markets, props, matchups and/or other bets will be available Wednesday at VSiN.com/picks. 

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