The Tour Championship is a 30-person field played at East Lake near Atlanta. It\u2019s one of the longest courses on Tour. Accuracy off the tee and on approach are key metrics when handicapping this event. <\/p>\n
Of course, Scheffler is on a Terminator-esque run right now and is +150 to win at FanDuel. We aren\u2019t going down without a fight and we\u2019re not backing what feels like the inevitable: another photo opp of Bennett Scheffler playing with a trophy on the 18th green.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are our picks, with explanations below the graphic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tour Championship betting picks \/ Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n
Iain MacMillan: J.J. Spaun +2700 (FanDuel)<\/p>\n
Despite being the U.S. Open Champion and a hair away from winning at both the Players Championship and the FedEx St. Jude Championship, oddsmakers and bettors still don\u2019t believe in J.J. Spaun. He enters this week ranking fourth in the field in strokes-gained tee to green over the past three months, yet is eighth on the odds list to win it all. I\u2019m not going to doubt Spaun any longer.<\/p>\n
Brian Kirschner: Sam Burns +3000 (Fanduel)<\/p>\n
I was on Sam Burns last week and I really see no reason to hop off. We have seen him play well back to back weeks already this year and he is highly motivated by the Ryder Cup. Burns is another Bermuda specialist and had a great ball striking week at the BMW, gaining 6.5 strokes OTT and on Approach. He has a T9 and T12 here in the past two years and I think is very live to win this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John Schwarb: Rory McIlroy +850 (DraftKings)<\/p>\n
Admittedly, this is more of a storyline play, but isn\u2019t it time for Rory McIlroy to reestablish himself in the midst of Scottie Scheffler\u2019s world domination? Especially with a Ryder Cup next month? McIlroy is a four-time \u201cwinner\u201d at East Lake, including one before the starting-strokes era, so there\u2019s no reservations about him at this course. The first round, playing alongside Scheffler, might tell us something.<\/p>\n
Cody Williams: Viktor Hovland +3000 (FanDuel)<\/p>\n
Hovland may have turned a corner last week with a T7 at the BMW. His approach play is second in the field at East Lake over the last 24 rounds. His driver showed noted improvements and he\u2019s now been a positive putter in four straight weeks. Now he returns to a place where he\u2019s been stellar when in form, including his win (at 19-under on the shadow leaderboard) in 2023. He\u2019s been trending in this right direction for some time, and this is a great week with his feel at the Tour Championship to pay it off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brian Giuffra: Ludvig Aberg +1800 (DraftKings)\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was on Aberg last week and he finished T7 at the BMW. I won\u2019t back off him now at a course that suits his game. He\u2019s been driving the ball phenomenally over his last four rounds and his approach game has been solid too (he\u2019s gained nearly two strokes per round per tournament in those two metrics). He didn\u2019t putt well at the Tour Championship last year, but has had success on bermuda greens at other events, including TPC Southwind and Bay Hill. I see him performing well here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Iain MacMillan: Harry Hall +5500 (FanDuel)<\/p>\n
Harry Hall has been one of the best European golfers on the PGA Tour over the past few months, yet is seemingly not in contention to be on the Ryder Cup team. If he wins this week, Team Europe will have no choice but to bring him along. He\u2019s fifth in the field in true total strokes gained over the past three months and is coming off a strong sixth place finish last week.<\/p>\n
Brian Kirschner: Ben Griffin +4000 (FanDuel)\u00a0<\/p>\n
I don’t necessarily understand why Ben Griffin is 40\/1 in this event. He has been one of the best players on the entire PGA Tour this season, has finished T11, T9 and T12 in his last three starts with elite approach and putting. Add in that he is a bermuda specialist and I think this is a no-brainer wager. Ben is still fighting for a final spot on the Ryder Cup team and a win or top 5 should absolutely solidify it.<\/p>\n
John Schwarb: Justin Rose +5500 (FanDuel)<\/p>\n
How long has it been since Justin Rose made it to East Lake? It was 2019 and the PGA Tour debuted what it thought was a novel idea to stagger the field based on points with the leader starting at 10 under. Six years later that format is mercifully gone, but the Englishman is back, riding high after winning the first playoff event in Memphis. The odds say he\u2019s around the 22nd-best player this week, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s true.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cody Williams: Hideki Matsuyama +4000 (FanDuel)<\/p>\n
Hideki doesn\u2019t have a stellar recent history at East Lake, but his play overall recently shows someone who, in theory, should thrive this week. He\u2019s third in SG: Approach and eighth in SG: Tee-to-green over the last 24 rounds and second in Par 4 scoring average as well over that span. For good measure, he\u2019s also third in Proximity from 200+ yards, which is a key range at East Lake. The short game is reliable nowadays, but if the driver cooperates, he\u2019ll be in the mix.<\/p>\n
Brian Giuffra: Viktor Hovland +3000 (FanDuel)\u00a0<\/p>\n
When handicapping this event, I was surprised to see Hovland with such high odds. He has outstanding course history at East Lake (fourth in total shots gained among those playing this week) and comes into the event in excellent form, having gained over 2 strokes per round on approach at the BMW. He\u2019s been accurate off the tee his last four events and gained strokes putting in all four too. Now he returns to a spot where he gained over a stroke per round putting last year. He\u2019s not a true longshot based on name and odds, but with only 30 players in the field, I went with the guy with the longest odds who I could see winning.<\/p>\n
Iain MacMillan: Ben Griffin +2200 (DraftKings)<\/p>\n
Ben Griffin is third in the field in true strokes gained in the first round of events over the past three months, behind only Scottie Scheffler and Robert MacIntyre. He\u2019s also coming into this week off a strong ball striking performance where he gained the most shots on the field with his irons (+1.58 per round) as he has in any other event this season. He\u2019s primed to come out firing on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Brian Kirschner: Hideki Matsuyama +2200 (DraftKings)<\/p>\n
Deki played really well last week\u2026. For 2 rounds. He started 69-64 and was hitting the ball great. Unfortunately, a Saturday 76 turned in his chances to win or contend. It is clear that good golf is in there for him and I think that he can fire a low one in round 1 with his recent excellent approach form.<\/p>\n
John Schwarb: Tommy Fleetwood +1600 (DraftKings)<\/p>\n
The golf world is still waiting for Tour win No. 1 for Tommy Fleetwood, and I don\u2019t expect the wait to end here. But he\u2019s still playing high-level golf, including a T4 at the BMW where he opened with 65 (only bettered by Bob MacIntyre\u2019s 62), and there\u2019s no reason why he can\u2019t jump out quick at East Lake. Then after that, all bets are off.<\/p>\n
Cody Williams:\u00a0 Ludvig \u00c5berg +1600 (DraftKings)<\/p>\n
Ludvig continues to play stellar golf overall, buoyed most heavily by his ball-striking but also a putter that has shown signs of getting hot. However, it\u2019s felt like there have been rounds that have just let him down, which hamstring him a bit in terms of getting into contention to win. The upside is clearly there, though, for him to blitz the field in Round 1 and take the lead, even if he doesn\u2019t hold onto it.<\/p>\n
Brian Giuffra: Patrick Cantlay +2200 (Bet365)\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot of conjecture about Cantlay being on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. I think he shuts the door on omission with a strong performance on a course he has great history on. This is one of the longest courses on Tour and Cantlay is driving it far right now. He needs to hit more fairways, and in a one-round sample I could see him doing that. If he\u2019s accurate in those two departments in the first round, I see him going low. A motivated Cantlay is a dangerous Cantlay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Iain MacMillan: Justin Thomas Top 5 +300 (DraftKings)<\/p>\n
Justin Thomas may not be in fantastic form, but he\u2019s continuously delivered at East Lake, finish ninth or better here every season that he\u2019s teed it up at the Tour Championship. He should be able to lean on experience and confidence this week at a course he\u2019s had a ton of success at over the years.<\/p>\n
Brian Kirschner:\u00a0Harry Hall Finishing Position OVER 16.5 -125 (DraftKings)\u00a0<\/p>\n
I am going to continue the Harry Hall heater run and hope he can beat half the field at East Lake this week. He has been playing some excellent golf and I think his putter can propel him to a top 17 finish this week.<\/p>\n
John Schwarb: Cameron Young Top 5 +450 (FanDuel)<\/p>\n
Next Wednesday, Keegan Bradley is announcing his Ryder Cup captain\u2019s picks and Cameron Young figures to be in the mix after finally winning at the Wyndham\u2014but nothing is guaranteed. Fairly or not, his fate could ride on his performance at East Lake and I say he brings it this week, straight into a trip to Bethpage.<\/p>\n
Cody Williams: Viktor Hovland Top European +750 (FanDuel)<\/p>\n
Obviously, I\u2019m high on Hovland this week, but I simply want to get more action on the board that covers bases a bit better. Yes, guys like Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood have a shot this week, among others, but the form and fit for Vik are too good to ignore, so we\u2019ll take guys like Scottie and Morikawa out of the equation and just ride Hovland as the top Euro for the week.<\/p>\n
Brian Giuffra: Viktor Hovland Winner W\/O Scheffler +2000 (DraftKings)\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve given winning bets in this market by taking my outright to finish Top 20, but Aberg is -550 to finish in the Top 20 with such a small field. Instead, I\u2019ll go bold and back my longshot in the winner without Scheffler market. Scheffler is unreal and him capping off this year with a win at East Lake seems somewhat a foregone conclusion. In this situation, if Vik shines, I still get a payout.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.<\/p>\n
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The final event of the 2025 PGA Tour season is here and the SI Golf betting panel is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83689,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-83688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}