Golfers to Bet - TOUR Championship
By Sportsbook.ag
Only 30 golfers will be teeing off when the world’s best compete in the TOUR Championship on Thursday.
This is the final tournament of the year and Dustin Johnson currently finds himself at the top of the FedExCup standings. If Johnson were to win on Sunday then he’d be crowned the 2016 champion.
Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Paul Casey are other guys that could win the FedExCup with a victory on Sunday.
Spieth is the guy that came in and won this thing last year, shooting a nine-under to defeat Danny Lee, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson by four strokes apiece.
Phil Mickelson is the only golfer in the field that has won this event twice, as he came away victorious in 2000 and 2009.
Tiger Woods has the best score ever shot in this tournament, as he put up a 23-under when he won in 2007.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the best values to win on this 7,154-yard course this weekend:
Golfers to Watch
Jordan Spieth (9/1) - Jordan Spieth would need some help in order to come away from this season as the FedExCup champion, but look for him to make things very interesting in this one. Spieth has played this course as well as anybody in recent years, winning in 2015 and losing by only three strokes in 2013. He is very familiar with the lay of the land here and will be hoping that muscle memory kicks in when he tees off on Thursday. Spieth knows that he has underperformed this season, but the fact that he is still in contention speaks volumes as to how good of a golfer he is. He has all of the talent in the world and putting a few units on him at 9/1 could pay off huge. Spieth badly wants to be a FedExCup champion and it’s unlikely that he’ll disappear in this one.
Jason Day (15/2) - Jason Day can earn himself a FedExCup championship with a win on Sunday and there is just no way that he fails to put up a fight in this tournament. Day is the most consistent golfer on the TOUR, which can be proven by his top spot in the OWGR. He did, however, withdraw from the BMW Championship due to a back injury. That is really the only reason to doubt Day coming into this tournament, but he represents a great value if he is to be healthy when this thing gets started on Thursday. Day has finished inside the top-five in two of the past three events he has completed and will be out to be named a champion on Sunday. Monitor this situation closely, as Day is worth a few units at 15/2 if he plays on Thursday.
Phil Mickelson (30/1) - As previously mentioned, Mickelson is the only golfer in this field to have won this tournament twice in his career. And while he might be a bit older than the other competitors in this event, Mickelson has played some very good golf this season. If it weren’t for an otherworldly performance from Henrik Stenson then Mickelson would have been the winner at The Open. He also has five other top-five finishes on the season. At 30/1, backing a golfer that has so much success at this course is something that could really pay off. Mickelson will be hungry to prove that he can still win a big tournament as well.
Kevin Kisner (80/1) - When looking for a dark horse to win this tournament, Kevin Kisner is somebody that really sticks out. Kisner finished 17th in the OWGR in 2015, but he is only 32nd this season. This has been a bit of a disappointing season for the golfer, but he can really change some things with a big win over the weekend. Kisner is a very talented golfer and he is capable of going out and tearing up any course he plays on. That hasn’t been the case this season, but he should bounce back next year and this is a great chance for him to pick up some momentum heading into the offseason. Putting a half-unit on him at 80/1 could be a great decision, as he knows he can make a splash by stealing this event.
TOUR Championship Preview
By Matt Fargo
Covers.com
After 11 months and 50 events, we have reached the final stop on tour with The TOUR Championship. This week will decide the FedEx Cup Champion and the $10 million bonus that comes with it. A win by any of the players currently ranked in the top five are guaranteed the FedEx Championship while players outside the top five can still get it with a win and some help but the chances are slim as you go down the list. Additionally, the tournament winner will receive $1.53 million in itself.
The TOUR Championship takes place at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the 16th time including the last 13. At 7,385 yards, East Lake is the second-longest par 70 the touring pros see all year but bombing the ball won't necessarily get it done. Accuracy off the tee is a must as is putting. New greens were put in after the first year East Lake hosted the final stage of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and are significantly tougher. Additionally, the old bentgrass greens were replaced with Miniverdde Bermuda grass nine years ago.
This is a course where each hole needs to be thought out and played backwards in order to get the best shots into the green. That makes greens in regulation very important to set up birdie opportunities from the best situations. 2015 champion Billy Horschel led the field in greens hit while finishing sixth in strokes gained: putting. Last year, Jordan Spieth finished T9 in greens hit and T7 in fairways hit. After finishing on a par three in all past editions, the nines have been switched and the finishing hole is now a 600-yard par five.
The five players that control their own destiny are Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Paul Casey. After that it gets confusing. How confusing? No. 30 Charl Schwartzel can win the FedEx if he wins here, No. 1 must finish 29th or worse, No. 2 must finish in a 3-way tie for 6th or worse, No. 3 must finish T4 or worse, No. 4 must finish T3 or worse, No. 5 must finish in a 3-way tie for second or worse and No. 6 must finish T2 or worse.
Because of the short field this week, the odds at the top come with little to no value. Dustin Johnson is the favorite at +485 followed by Rory McIlroy at +565, Jordan Spieth at +770, Jason Day at +940 and Adam Scott at +975. There is a decent dropoff after that to +1,600 Paul Casey and +1,800 Patrick Reed and then after that, the remaining 23 players are listed at +3,000 or higher. The lower the seed, the tougher it will be win the FedEx Cup on top of the TOUR Championship but the last six winners at East Lake have captured both prizes.