The 2015 FedEx Cup Playoffs has gone down to the wire. After the first three tournaments, new World No. 1 Jason Day has overtaken Jordan Spieth at the top of the FedEx Cup standings, and is now in the driver’s seat to take home $10 million top prize.
The two are all set for a winner-take-all showdown in the playoff finale in the Tour Championship. Will either of the two breakout stars end the season in victory, or can one of the other 30 best players this season steal their thunder in East Lake?
Read on below for a complete breakdown of the top favorites, sleepers and long shot in the field. Also, don’t forget to check out three more high-value sleepers in our PGA Tour Championship sleeper picks.
Favorites – Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth
[sc:Golf240banner ]2015 has quickly turned into Jason Day’s year. The Aussie has been on an incredible winning spree, with his most recent win at the BMW Championship now his fourth in the last six tournaments. Prior to that incredible run, he also finished ninth in the US Open and fourth in the British Open.
The newly-minted World No. 1 is the big +300 favorite to make it five wins in seven in Atlanta, and he certainly has the game to do so.
Day’s prodigious driving (314.5 yards from the tee, third on tour) and putting (fifth in strokes gained: putting) ability will be put to good use at the East Lake course, which favors strong driving and aggressiveness. Day finished tied for fourth in this event last season.
While Day has looked unstoppable of late, oddsmakers have installed Rory McIlroy at +550 as the golfer with the best chance to end Day’s run of dominance.
McIlroy, who has had an injury-shortened season, has been mostly overshadowed by his tournament co-favorites, but he’s been very solid nonetheless. He’s finished in the top 10 in seven of the 11 events he’s entered, including a stellar fourth-place in the BMW Championship.
The Northern Irishman came so close to winning at East Lake last season, but a poor fourth round dropped him to a tie for second. With his putting looking much improved at Conway Farms, look for McIlroy to be challenging up the leaderboard over the weekend.
Rounding out the field of top favorites is Jordan Spieth. The 22-year-old was the toast of the golf world early on in the season after he won back-to-back majors in the Masters and US Open. But after his valiant runner-up finish to Day at the PGA Championship, Spieth suddenly failed to make the cut in the first two FedEx Cup tournaments.
He also faded in the last two rounds at the BMW Championship following a strong start as he finished a rather underwhelming 13th. But while Spieth has not looked all too hot in recent weeks, he should be very motivated to win this tournament and overtake Day in the FedEx Cup points standings.
Spieth finished tied for second in his very first tournament at East Lake in 2013, and he provides decent value at +650 to finally get the win this time around.
Create a betting account now and get some terrific value with some excellent golfers in this year’s PGA Tour Championship.
Sleepers – Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson
It’s been another season full of “good, but not good enough” for Dustin Johnson. The American finished in the top seven in three of the four majors, including a heartbreaking runner-up finish at the US Open. But he has just one win in 20 tournaments this season to show for his efforts.
He did finish a very respectable seventh at the BMW Championship, and should be right in the hunt again in Atlanta. Johnson, who’s priced at +1,400 to win, finished fifth at East Lake just two years ago.
Similarly, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson finished tied for fifth in the Tour Championship in 2012, and will be riding some decent form heading into the tournament. In Watson’s last seven non-major events, he’s finished first, 13th, second, second, third, 29th and 10th. That’s definitely good enough to consider Watson at +1,600 to win.
Long Shot – Scott Piercy
At +10,000, Scott Piercy is a major long shot to be a significant player at East Lake. He’s made the cut in just 17 of his 27 tournaments this season, finishing in the top 10 in only five of them.
However, he does have three top three finishes, the most recent of which was his surprising third-place finish at the BMW Championship. The American also has prior experience play at East Lake, as he finished T15 back in 2012.
Writer’s Prediction
Spieth storms (+650) back from his mini-slump to upstage Day as the American wins the PGA Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.
