The final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is set to begin on Thursday with the Tour Championship in Atlanta. There is a major difference in 2025 compared to previous seasons. This year, the 30 golfers who qualified for the event start from scratch, and there is no longer a starting strokes model. Here are the three golfers we like the most this week.
Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler of Ridgewood, New Jersey, is the defending champion. Scheffler was the beneficiary of the starting stroke model, as he entered last year’s event at -10, and a two-stroke lead on Xander Schauffele. I am not a fan of the starting stroke model whatsoever, and the Tour Championship may actually now be worth watching. Scheffler won a week ago at the BMW Championship in Baltimore, and is the favourite to win in Atlanta at +150. According to ESPN, the +160 are the smallest odds since 2009 when Tiger Woods was even to win the 2009 Tour Championship. Yes, Woods was the victor that season.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy (+850) might be a little bit more refreshed after deciding not to participate in the FedEx St. Jude Championship two weeks ago. One reason why the Masters champion needs to be considered is that he has won the Tour Championship three times before–in 2016, 2019, and 2022. It is interesting that McIlroy has won the tournament in three-year increments, which enhances his chances of winning in 2025.
Tommy Fleetwood
We talked last week about the fact that Fleetwood could be the best golfer all-time to never win a golf tournament. His odds this week are +1400, and those odds are accurate when you consider the fact that he has been mighty close in winning the last three years.
