Only 30 players remain in the FedExCup Playoffs, and even though Tiger Woods is not going to be part of if, there won’t be a lack of stars at the 2019 TOUR Championship. We now take a look at the favorites to win it all at East Lake along with a couple of sleepers and a pair of long shots.
Thomas has got to be a favorite, as he’s currently in the most advantageous spot heading into East Lake. He’ll start there with a -10 starting stroke after winning the BMW Championship last week. He’s on a groove, having finished with a T12 or better in each of his last four starts. On the season, he has six top 10s and 13 top 25s in 19 events. He’s in position to join Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win the FedExCup twice. Thomas was the 2017 champion of the Tour Championship.
Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay put a lot of pressure on Thomas at the BMW Championship. Cantlay was solo second, firing a 65 in the fourth and last round. Cantlay has never been an outstanding golfer at East Lake, but it’s hard to doubt the Californian given how hot he’s lately. Prior to the BMW Championship, Cantlay had a pair of T12s at the World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and at the NORTHERN TRUST.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka is not one to be counted out. He’s trailing Thomas by just three shots heading into the TOUR Championship, and he’s always a threat to catch up. Koepka was only a T26 last year at East Lake, but 2018 Koepka is different from the 2019 version of the golfer, who’s won three times this season and finished inside the top 10 eight times. He finished with a T24 at the BMW Championship last weekend.
HIGH-VALUE SLEEPERS
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele is only 25 years old, but he’s no stranger to TOUR Championship success. In fact, he’s won it the first time he participated in the event, taking home the top prize back in 2017. Can he overcome the odds and win it again this year despite being six shots behind Thomas at the moment? Let’s just say that he won at East Lake in his rookie year in 2017 and finished with a T7 in 2018. There’s something at the course that brings out Schauffele’s A-game.
Webb Simpson
Simpson has yet to win this season, but he’s come very close a number of times. He’s got three runner-up finishes this season, including the two he got in back-to-back fashion at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and at the Wyndham Championship. Simpson also seems to like playing at East Lake, where he’s had three finishes inside the top 3.
LONG SHOTS
Lucas Glover
The South Carolina native squeaked into the top 30 cut to make it to East Lake with a solid performance at the BMW Championship. The winner of the 2009 US Open fired 69 in each round of the tournament and rose from 41st to 29th, the biggest rise among all players.
Jason Kokrak
Kokrak was like a house on fire to start the BMW Championship, firing a 65 to tie Justin Thomas, but he fumbled in the second and third rounds with a 73 and 70 respectively before finishing with a 69 in the fourth and final round to nab a T19. Not bad. Kokrak’s highlight of the season thus far was a T2 at the Valspar Championship way back in March. He has five top 10s in 20 starts on the season.
