Tour Championship: SB Nation’s Taking part in By picks FedEx Cup winners

ATLANTA — The ultimate match of the PGA Tour common season is right here. The highest 30 gamers within the FedEx Cup standings have arrived at East Lake Golf Membership and can battle for the FedEx Cup.

The Tour Championship is not like every other tour occasion. It has a singular format predicated on the place gamers sit within the standings.

Whoever enters the week ranked first begins the match at 10-under par. Scottie Scheffler holds that title this 12 months, as he did final 12 months too.

Scheffler will go off within the last group Thursday with Viktor Hovland, who’s ranked second. Hovland will begin the championship at 8-under.

Beginning scores then dwindle down the leaderboard, relying on the place gamers are ranked, which is completely articulated on this graphic:

So with this in thoughts, allow us to now reveal who Taking part in By has chosen to win the FedEx Cup in Atlanta:

Kendall Capps – Editor

Despite the fact that he’s beginning seven strokes again of Scheffler, I’m going with Xander Schauffele to win the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.

Solely Tiger Woods has statistically ever performed East Lake higher than Schauffele. He owns this course. He received the 2017 Tour Championship, however that was earlier than the tour adopted the present format.

His common rating at East Lake: 66.63, greater than three strokes underneath par. He has by no means recorded an over-par spherical throughout the Tour Championship however has shot an even-par 70 thrice.

Schauffele’s beautiful scores have led him to complete within the prime seven prior to now six years, a outstanding feat. Plus, his present kind is stable too. He has 11 prime 20s over his final 14 tournaments.

By the top of Friday’s spherical, I feel he could have knocked Scheffler’s result in lower than 4 pictures and has a baller Sunday to steal the FedEx Cup.

Photograph by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR through Getty Photos

Jack Milko – Workers Author

I’m going with Scottie Scheffler to win the FedEx Cup. He has the two-stroke benefit over Hovland and can cap off a historic season.

Scheffler has hit the ball higher than anybody from tee-to-green in historical past not named Tiger Woods in 2006, per Justin Ray of The Athletic.

The previous Texas Longhorn has gained 2.74 strokes for the reason that starting of the 12 months. That’s an unbelievable quantity contemplating he and Rory McIlroy are the one two gamers to achieve greater than 1.6 strokes from tee to inexperienced this season.

Plus, Scheffler has revenge on his thoughts.

Final 12 months, he entered the Tour Championship ranked first within the standings and started the match at 10-under, however he misplaced to McIlroy as he struggled down the stretch on Sunday.

His rounds final 12 months at East Lake: 5-under 65, 4-under 66, 4-under 66, 4-over 73.

Scheffler discovered from his errors final 12 months, as he will get the job achieved this time round.

Photograph by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos

Savannah Richardson – Workers Author

I’m going with the new hand: Viktor Hovland.

His record-breaking spherical at Olympia Fields put the remainder of the PGA Tour on discover. His 7-under 28 on the again 9 was otherworldly, and after watching Hovland play just a few holes throughout Tuesday’s observe spherical, I can see why he simply received the BMW Championship.

He’s stripping it.

Hovland has discovered learn how to win this season too.

He defeated Denny McCarthy in a playoff on the Memorial Match in June and stormed from behind to take down Scheffler—the primary ranked participant on the earth—final weekend in Chicago. The younger Norwegian can clearly win in a number of methods, as he’ll race by Scheffler once more this weekend at East Lake.

Hovland’s confidence is sky-high too. He would possibly even have the most effective type of any participant at subsequent month’s Ryder Cup, which might spell bother for the People.

Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Photos

Luke Robitaille – Producer

He could also be six strokes again of Scheffler, however I’m going with Max Homa to take dwelling the FedEx Cup.

Homa had one dangerous gap on the BMW Championship final weekend: the par-4 seventh. He made a triple-bogey seven, which fully derailed his confidence. He may need been there on the finish if he had executed a greater third shot from past the inexperienced.

Alas, Homa has had a terrific season. He ranks fifth in strokes gained: placing, which can turn out to be useful on the undulating East Lake greens.

A number of gamers have talked concerning the quickness of the placing surfaces this week, and Homa will certainly take full benefit.

Plus, he tied for fifth eventually 12 months’s Tour Championship, which included an 8-under 62 throughout the second spherical. That’s the lowest second-round rating in match historical past, per the PGA Tour’s official media information.

Homa has recorded three straight top-tens too, so he’s destined to lastly break by means of. He does so this week, successful the most important match of his profession so far.

Photograph by Dylan Buell/Getty Photos

Who do you assume wins the FedEx Cup? Tell us within the feedback beneath!

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Make sure to try @_PlayingThrough too.