After two playoff events, the Top 30 in the FedExCup standings now move on to Atlanta, Georgia for the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
Coming off a win at the BMW Championship, World No. 5 Justin Thomas will be the beneficiary of the new FedExCup Starting Strokes format and tee off with a starting score of 10-under par.
JT will enter the finale with a two-stroke lead over No. 2 Patrick Cantlay (-8); three clear of Brooks Koepka (-7); and so on. Those who finished from 26-30 in the final standings will start at even-par.
When you give a scorer like Thomas, who has never finished worse than T7 in his three starts at East Lake, anywhere from six to 10 strokes over five-sixths of the field, what’s not to like? Hence, JT is the clear favorite this week at +250. (i.e. Bet $100 to make $250)
Patrick Cantlay, who will be paired with Thomas in the opening round, will start at 8-under, and is listed at +450 by the bookmakers. World No. 1 Brooks Koepka (-7) and 2016 FedExCup champ Rory McIlroy (-5) are offered at +500 and +800, respectively. The four-time major winners are the only other players on the board with odds under 10-1.
Long shot? Charles Howell III will start out at even-par (10 shots back) but will pay $35,000 on a $100 bet if he pulls off the miracle. Interested? Na, me neither.
The Skinny
Tournament: TOUR Championship
Dates:Â Aug 22-25, 2019
Where: Atlanta, GA
Course:Â East Lake Golf Club
Distance: Par 70, 7346 yards
Architect: Tom Bendelow (1908), Donald Ross (1913)
Redesign: Rees Jones (1994)
Format: 72-holes, stroke-play/starting-strokes, no cut
Purse: $60 million
Winning Share: $15 million
2018 Champion:Â Tiger Woods
