Tour Championship Preview: Betting Tips & How To Watch
Last updated:
Tour Championship Preview: Who to back and how to watch the FedEx Cup Finale
East Lake plays host to the final stop of the PGA Tour season for the Tour Championship this week, with the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings all competing for the season-long prize.
Last year Xander Schauffele became the first person since Phil Mickelson to win the Tour Championship and not claim the FedEx Cup, an honour that instead went to PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas.
The top five players in the standings (Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas) all have the best chance, guaranteeing the FedEx Cup title if they were also to win the Tour Championship. For the rest of the 25 players in the field, it’s becomes a little more complicated.
If you want to take a closer look at how each of the 30 players competing could win the FedEx Cup, we’ve broken it down for you here.
Among the players starting this week is Tiger Woods, who is making his return to East Lake for the first time since 2013. He’ll have an eye on maintaining his record here, which includes a win and four runner-up finishes in just eight starts.
Meanwhile, newly crowned World No.1 Justin Rose makes his first start at the top of the World rankings, but Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas could all potentially steal that mantle by the end of the week if he doesn’t claim the Tour Championship title.
So who should you back this week?
Tour Championship: How to watch
Wednesday 19th September
On The Range: Live PGA Tour, Sky Sports Golf (20:00)
Thursday 20th September
Sky Sports Main Event (18:30), Sky Sports Golf (18:30)
Friday 21st September
Sky Sports Golf (18:30)
Saturday 22nd September
Sky Sports Golf (17:30), Sky Sports Main Event (20:00)
Sunday 23rd September
Sky Sports Golf (17:30), Sky Sports Main Event (19:00)
Tour Championship: Tee Times (BST)
4:40 p.m.: Marc Leishman, Patton Kizzire
4:50 p.m.: Hideki Mastuyama, Gary Woodland
5pm : Kyle Stanley, Paul Casey
5:10 p.m: Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm
5:20 p.m.: Aaron Wise, Kevin Na
5:30 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, Tiger Woods
5:40 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
5:50 p.m.: Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay
6 p.m.: Francesco Molinari, Phil Mickelson
6:10 p.m.: Webb Simpson, Jason Day
6:20 p.m.: Billy Horschel, Cameron Smith
6:30 p.m.: Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson
6:40 p.m.: Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley
6:50 p.m.: Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson
7 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose
Tour Championship: Betting Tips
Justin Rose: 8/1
The newly crowned World No.1 has finished with back-to-back runner-up finishes at both the Dell Technologies and the BMW Chammpionship, so it’s no surprise he’s the joint favourite to win the Tour Championship, and therefore FedEx Cup this week. He finished T10 here last year, which is one of five top 10s at East Lake that include 2nd places in both 2015 and 2012.
Ranks: 2nd for Scoring Average and Birdie Average, 5th SG: Tee to Green, 6th SG: Around the green and 11th SG: Putting
Dustin Johnson: 8/1
DJ slipped to World No.3 after a T24 finish at the BMW Championship, but with two victories and five other top 10s in previous nine starts, we’d expect him to rebound well this week. He finished T17 at East Lake last year but carded four top 10s in a row from 2012.
Ranks: 1st for Scoring Average, Birdie Average, SG: Off the Tee and SG: Tee to Green. 2nd for Putting Average and 5th SG: Approach The Green
Rory McIlroy: 9/1
McIlroy was 5th at the BMW Championship, which was his third top 10 in his last five starts – so he’s definitely one to watch this week. He claimed the Tour Championship title in 2016 the last time he teed up at East Lake, and has a runner up, T10 and T16 in his other three appearances here.
Ranks: 6th for Scoring Average, 7th SG: Off the Tee, 10th Tee to Green and 16th SG: Around the Green
Justin Thomas: 11/1
In two appearances at East Lake JT has gone T6-T2, and he’ll be motivated by his chance to successfully defend the FedEx Cup and regain the World No.1 spot. He ended a run of a victory and two top 10s with a T24 and T12 at the Dell Technologies and BMW Championship, but this is a course that clearly suits him.
Ranks: 3rd for Scoring Average, SG: Tee to Green and SG: Approach the Green, 4th Putting Average and 5th Birdie Average
Tiger Woods: 12/1
A T6 at the BMW Championship was Tiger’s sixth top 10 of the year, and having switched to a new driver shaft he seems confident heading in to this week. He also has a strong record here, which includes a victory and four runner-up finishes in eight starts at East Lake – having claimed the FedEx Cup in both 2009 and 2007.
Ranks: 1st SG: Approach The Green, 7th SG: Tee to Green, 9th Scoring Average and 11th SG: Around The Green.
Brooks Koepka: 14/1
With three top 10s and a worse finish of T19 (the BMW Championship) in his last five starts, Koepka is a player with his sights set on becoming World No.1 – and could well do it with a win this week. Finished T6 here last year and T18 on his debut in 2015.
Ranks: 4th Scoring Average, 6th for both Birdie Average, SG: Off the Tee , 7th for Overall Putting Average, and 12th SG: Tee to Green
Tony Finau: 18/1
Undisputadable in-form horse, Finau looks close to a win. Three top 10s in a row include a T8 at the BMW Championship and back to back 2nd and 4th finished to DeChambeau the previous two weeks, adding up to six top 10s in his last nine starts. He finished T7 on his debut here last year, and could take home both the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup with a win.
Ranks: 10th Scoring Average, 11th Birdie Average, 14th SG: Tee To Green, 11th Putting Average and 12th GIR
Francesco Molinari 20/1
Three victories already this year for the Open Champion means he certainly has what it takes to beat the best in the World, but it is his Tour Championship debut this week. He finished T8 last week, which is just one of seven top 10s in his last 10 starts, he’s definitely on the right form to win.
Ranks: 2nd SG: Tee to Green, 6th SG: Approach the Green, 7th SG: Off the Tee and 14th for Scoring Average
Bryson DeChambeau: 20/1
No.1 in the FedEx Cup standings after winning both The Northern Trust and the Dell Technologies, DeChambeau could win the FedEx Cup if he also wins the Tour Championship this week. He followed up back-to-back wins with a T19 at the BMW and admitted he was fatigued, but has had a week off to rest. The only doubt might be that this is his first time teeing up at East Lake.
Ranks: 7th SG: Tee to Green and Birdie Average, 12th SG: Approach The Green, 13th Scoring Average and 15th SG: Off the Tee
Webb Simpson: 25/1
The Players Champion finished T6 at last week’s BMW Championship, which was one of two top 10s in his last four starts – the other a runner-up finish at the Wyndham Championship. Two top fives in five appearances here; T13 in 2017.
Ranks: 1st Scrambling, 4th Par-4 Scoring Average, 5th Scoring Average and 7th SG: Putting
Billy Horschel: 28/1
Horschel comes in to the Tour Championship follow two 3rd places either side of a WD at the Dell Technologies. Horschel has only played at East Lake twice, finishing T7 on his debut in 2013 and winning the title in 2014 – when he also claimed the FedEx Cup.
Ranks: 5th for GIR and 19th for SG: Off the tee
Cameron Smith: 50/1
A bit of a long shot as Smith heads to East Lake for the first time following a T65 at the BMW Championship, but he did have back to back 3rd places at both the Dell Technologies and The Northern Trust.
Ranks: 19th Putting Average
