The FedExCup has whittled down its final 30 golfers based on season-long FedExCup rankings ahead of its final playoff event at the PGA Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Part of the unique format, which changed from the top 125 qualifiers to the top 70 this year, brings staggered scoring into play for the third and final FedExCup playoff event.
After Viktor Hovland’s red-hot -9-under-par round on Sunday that propelled him over Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick at the BMW Championship, he’ll start Thursday’s first round at East Lake at -8-under-par since he jumped into No. 2 in the FedExCup rankings. Scheffler remains atop the FedExCup for the second consecutive year, where he managed a T2 finish one stroke behind Rory McIlroy. Other notable golfers with a significant head start include McIlroy at -7-under-par, Jon Rahm at -6-under-par, and Lucas Glover, who has won two of the past three events outright, teeing off at -5-under-par.
Before we get into our picks for the Tour Championship, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you claim $1000s in first-bet bonuses so that you can bet on these 2023 Tour Championship selections with more confidence this week.
The betting odds reflect this staggered scoring format, which is why Scheffler’s two-stroke lead has his outright odds so short at +150 on FanDuel Sportsbook. Recent FedExCup winners include McIlroy, with two victories since 2019, along with Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, and Tiger Woods.
Let’s find out when opening tee times will occur at the 2023 PGA Tour Championship and how to watch it. We’ll take a look at outright betting odds, then dive into a course overview of East Lake Golf Club before revealing the top players to bet outright to wrap up the 2023 PGA season with plenty of cash in our pockets.
Tour Championship Betting Odds
Tour Championship Betting Preview
Previous Winners
- 2022 - Rory McIlroy (-21)
- 2021 - Patrick Cantlay (-21)
- 2020 - Dustin Johnson (-21)
- 2019 - Rory McIlroy (-18)
- 2018 - Tiger Woods (-11)
Relevant Betting Stats
- Total Driving
- Strokes Gained Approaching the Green
- Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green
- Scrambling
- Greens in Regulation percentage
- Sand Save percentage
- Strokes Gained Putting
Course Layout
East Lake Golf Club features a stock par 70 that runs roughly 7,400 yards in length. While there aren’t nearly as many narrow, doglegged fairways that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in previous playoff events, there are plenty of water hazards, trees, and sand bunkers to wreak havoc. Golfers won’t get a par 5 until the sixth hole, which is relatively short at 520 yards, while the second par 5 is saved for the 18th hole, stretching nearly 600 yards.
The most iconic hole at East Lake has to be the par 3 on the 15th hole, which requires a 222-yard tee shot over a massive body of water to create an intimidating island shot with an iron. Three of the four par 3s are over 200 yards in length, so finding greens in regulation and maintaining close hole proximity will be key to climbing the leaderboard. It’s once again a course built for ball striking, with smaller greens than average, flanked by plenty of sand bunkers. Of course, getting into a rhythm with the putter can make the difference here with strong approach shots, as we just witnessed Hovland’s irons setting him up for consistent birdie attempts inside of 12 feet at Olympia Fields.
Predict the top five finishers at this week's Tour Championship for a chance to win this Golf Monthly x OddsChecker free-to-play golf contest.
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TOP PLAYERS TO BET IN THE OUTRIGHT MARKET: TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER
Rory McIlroy (+330) (Bet $100 to collect $430) FanDuel has the best Rory McIlroy odds
After a disappointing Sunday at the BMW Championship, Rory McIlroy still has a chance to win his third FedExCup in five years, starting at -7-under-par, three strokes behind Scottie Scheffler. It was a similar situation entering East Lake last year, but the Northern Ireland star went on a run to usurp Scheffler for an outright win. McIlroy is dialed in right now, recording nine consecutive T9 finishes or better since the PGA Championship in May. His strokes gained metrics are all ranked inside the top eight, minus putting, so at +330 odds, this is a good value to acquire on McIlroy attempting a three-peat at the biggest event of the PGA Tour season.
Jon Rahm (+850) (Bet $100 to collect $950) Go to FanDuel for the best Jon Rahm odds
Jon Rahm has not performed as well as he did earlier in the season, but he still benefits greatly from his body of work, starting at -6-under-par on Thursday. We all have witnessed Rahm’s ability to get hot from anywhere on the golf course, so it will only take one round to get him into a position to take the outright lead. He started -10-under-par at East Lake in the first two rounds before nosediving with a +2 score in the final two rounds, settling with a T15 finish last year. Rahm at +850 is solid, as he’s usually the first or second outright betting option. Let’s wager a unit on the Spaniard to piece it together to claim his first FedExCup title.
Xander Schauffele (+3500) (Bet $100 to collect $3,600) For the best Xander Schauffele odds go to FanDuel
Now we’re digging into some good value in the 35/1 range with Xander Schauffele. Well known for his ball striking and putting prowess, Schauffele has been relatively quiet in recent events, climbing into a T8 finish at the BMW Championship after a +1 round to start. The Californian ranks sixth in total strokes gained, including fifth on approach, 14th tee-to-green, and fourth putting. He’s got all of the traits to climb the leaderboard from his -3-under-par starting position, but it will require four rounds of consistency. I like sprinkling half a unit on Schauffele’s outright odds at 35/1 based on his fit with East Lake, where he went -12-under-par, including 11-under in the first two rounds last season.
Brian Harman (+6000) (Bet $100 to collect $6,100) Head over to FanDuel to get the best Brian Harman odds
We hit on Brian Harman’s outright win at The Open Championship at a ridiculous 120/1 odds, so 60/1 is nothing to be scared of. Harman is a pure ball striker, ranked 12th in driving accuracy percentage, 24th in strokes gained putting, and seventh in the edge of fairway distance. 23rd-ranked hole proximity is huge, as it sets the Georgia native up with makeable birdie putts. Harman is third in sand save percentage, which is another key piece to winning at East Lake, where he went -7-under-par after starting at -1-under-par in 2022. This year, Harman bumps his starting spot up to -4-under-par, giving him a significant edge to run the tables yet again. Let’s bet on Harman with half a unit at 60/1 odds.
Rickie Fowler (+9000) (Bet $100 to collect $9,100) FanDuel has the best Rickie Fowler odds
Rickie Fowler hasn’t competed in the Tour Championship since 2019, where he had a mediocre outing, failing to get under par in any of the four rounds. It’s been a much improved 2023 campaign for Fowler, who ended his four-year winning drought with an impressive clutch performance late at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Fowler ranks 10th in strokes gained tee-to-green, eighth approaching the green, and 25th around the green. He’s also a top-40 putter and a top-30 driver and finds greens in regulation at over a 68.3 percent conversion rate. 90/1 is ridiculously mispriced for a player of Fowler’s talent, especially starting at -3-under-par. Let’s invest a quarter unit on the Californian to pull off the outright win at the 2023 Tour Championship.
