This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
East Lake Golf Club (7,385 yards, par 70)
$9.0M Purse
$1,620,000 and 2000 FedExCup points to the winner
Tournament Preview
ATLANTA, GA - After 45 point-earning events, just one event and 30 players remain for the FedExCup finale. East Lake is famously known as Bobby Jones childhood stomping grounds and hosted the 1963 Ryder Cup, but it wasn't until a 1993 restoration in honor of the icon that the course returned to fame. The winner of the coveted FedExCup brings home a cool $10 million bonus and a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, not to mention an additional $1.62 million if they also win the Tour Championship. The PGA Tour performs a points reset prior to this event in order to give all 30 players a mathematical chance to win the FedExCup, though leader Bryson DeChambeau has a much higher probability than No. 30 Patton Kizzire. Most likely to win are DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson, and Justin Thomas, who can guarantee the crown with a win. Only Tiger Woods has won the FedEx Cup twice, but Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, and Rory McIlroy have a shot to match that feat with a win and some help this week.
Recent Past Champions
2017 – Xander Schauffele
2016 – Rory McIlroy
2015 – Jordan Spieth
2014 – Billy Horschel
2013 – Henrik Stenson
2012 – Brandt Snedeker
2011 – Bill Haas
2010 – Jim Furyk
2009 – Phil Mickelson
2008 – Camilo Villegas
Key Stats to Victory
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Average Finish in FedExCup Playoffs
Champion's Profile
As the annual stop for the Tour Championship since 2004, East Lake has produced elite champions, many of whom are elite ball strikers. In a field of the best 30 players from the 2017-18 wraparound season, the winner is almost certain to be the best putter amongst this group of elite ball strikers. Hot hands like Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Tony Finau, and Keegan Bradley should keep their playoff momentum going but the plethora of star-studded talent will make them earn the crown.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Dustin Johnson, $11500 – Johnson led the PGA Tour this season in top-10 finishes, scoring average, and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, but he needs a win this week to truly call it a great year. He's comfortable at East Lake with three top-6s in eight career starts, so there's no reason to fade him this week.
Justin Rose, $11200 – Rose's last five starts at East Lake has resulted in top-10s, including two runners-up. With only DeChambeau ahead of him, another runner-up or victory will likely win him the FedExCup. Could this be the year Rose finally closes the deal at East Lake and the FedExCup in the same year?
Rory McIlroy, $10900 – McIlroy owns a win and a runner-up in just four career starts at East Lake, and he's in good form too after a top-5 at the BMW two weeks ago. Rory is nearly a lock to finish in the top half of the field, but even a win would require help for him to have a shot at the FedExCup. In any case, he's a great value at $10900.
Longer Shots Worth a Risk
Rickie Fowler, $9700 – Fowler returned from an oblique injury at the BMW to post a T8 finish, good enough to get him into the Tour Championship this week. Now that he's here, he may as well try to top his best career finish of eighth at this event.
Xander Schauffele, $8900 – Xander is defending this week after winning as a rookie last season in his first time at East Lake. It's obvious he likes the place, and few other options exist under $9000.
Billy Horschel, $7900 – Fresh off a third at the BMW where he played phenomenal golf all week, Horschel returns to East Lake for the first time since winning the FedExCup crown in 2014. In two career starts, he's got a win and a T7, so sky is the limit for the Florida alum. Just three players have salaries lower than him this week, making him a no-brainer.
Strategy Tips for this week (based on 60k standard salary cap)
All 30 players get four rounds, but to make it big in a tournament you'll need to pick the champion and at least two others from the top-5. Knowing this you're almost obligated to side with one top gun in either Johnson, Koepka, or Rose and round out your lineup from there. In an event like this, anything more than one outside-the-box choice in your lineup is a good way to lose, so keep it mainstream for your best chance to win.
