Scheffler: Favorite at the Tour Championship, like Tiger Woods in 2009

Scottie Scheffler, Favorite at the Tour Championship

Golfer Scottie Scheffler is shaping up as the top favorite to win this week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta, according to the latest estimates from bookmakers. Scheffler, at +160, presents the shortest odds of his PGA career, although he is competing in a reduced field of 30 players. These odds are the lowest for any player in a PGA Tour event (excluding tee shots) since Tiger Woods had the same odds to win the Tour Championship in 2009. Rory McIlroy, three-time FedEx Cup champion, is second with the lowest odds, but still, five times higher than Scheffler’s. Despite the low odds, bettors are leaning towards Scheffler, who, as of Tuesday, had attracted 33% of the total money wagered on the tournament winner at DraftKings. This figure is almost equal to the sum wagered on the next three contenders: McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Russell Henley. This year’s tournament at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta will be played without the tee shots used in previous years, and the winner will be crowned FedEx Cup champion. Jeff Sherman, a recognized golf betting expert with three decades of experience in Las Vegas, estimated that Scheffler would be around +350 against a full field this week, with the season championship on the line. Scheffler has finished in the top 10 in each of his last 13 PGA Tour starts, the second-longest streak in history, surpassed only by Jack Nicklaus, who achieved 14 consecutive top 10s in 1977. Scheffler has won five times on Tour this season.