The Tour Championship: 30 Golfers in Pursuit of Glory and $40 Million
Atlanta is gearing up for this week’s Tour Championship, an event that promises high emotions and a $40 million purse at stake at East Lake Golf Club. The competition kicks off with a level playing field, where the 30 participating golfers will start at par on Thursday.
Even the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, who has dominated in half of his last five participations, including last week’s BMW Championship, will not have an initial advantage. Unlike last year, where Scheffler started with a two-stroke lead, this time all competitors start on equal footing.
Any of the 30 have the opportunity to win the FedEx Cup this year, which is very different from previous years. I think that means a clean slate for everyone, and it’s a great opportunity for one of the players who may not have been a big part of the season to raise their hand and have the chance to win the grand prize at the end of the year.
Rory McIlroy
Here’s a look at the 30 golfers competing in the Tour Championship:
Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler, in his excellent current form, is the favorite. With five wins this season, he will seek to become the first FedEx Cup champion to win consecutive titles and one of the three golfers with multiple FedEx titles (alongside Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy). DataGolf.com gives Scheffler a 31.4% chance of winning again this week.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy, who returned to the circuit after almost a month and tied for 12th place at the BMW Championship, is the only three-time winner at East Lake (2016, 2019 and 2022). With nine top 10 finishes in his last 11 participations, he could be the only one capable of keeping up with Scheffler.
Ludvig Åberg
After an irregular season, Åberg, former Texas Tech star, improved just in time for the FedEx Cup playoffs and the upcoming Ryder Cup. He finished ninth and seventh in the first two playoff events, respectively. In his debut at the Tour Championship in 2024, Åberg finished in 16th place.
Tommy Fleetwood
The English golfer was on the verge of securing his first PGA Tour victory in Memphis, Tennessee, but couldn’t close the deal in the final round. He tied for third at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and fourth at the BMW Championship. No first-time winner has triumphed at the Tour Championship since its inception in 1987.
Viktor Hovland
Just two years ago, Hovland dominated the Tour Championship. Although he has only won once since then, at this year’s Valspar Championship, he continues to adjust his swing. He tied for seventh at the BMW Championship and was third in the field in approach, which could indicate that he is returning to his best form.
Russell Henley
Henley, former University of Georgia star, shot a 62 under par in the final round of last season’s Tour Championship, the lowest score of the week. This allowed him to tie for fourth place, his second top-five finish in the tournament. His accuracy and tee shots could make him a contender again.
Harris English
English, another native of Georgia, returns to the Tour Championship for the first time since 2021. After undergoing surgery in 2022, he is enjoying the best season of his career, including a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship and The Open.
Sam Burns
Burns tied for fourth at the BMW Championship. Burns is 16th in the Ryder Cup standings, so he will need another good performance this week.
Collin Morikawa
Morikawa, who has had a forgettable season with only two top 10s since March, is eighth in the Ryder Cup standings.
Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay, with a Ryder Cup record of 5-2-1, is one of the favorites to be chosen by Keegan Bradley. The 2021 FedEx Cup champion finished 17th in last year’s Tour Championship.Cantlay and Burns hope to be selected for the US Ryder Cup team.
Justin Thomas
JT hasn’t finished in the top 20 in his last four starts, but returning to East Lake could help him turn things around. The 2017 FedEx Cup champion finished in the top seven in each of his first seven appearances at East Lake; he tied for 14th after the renovation last year.
Robert MacIntyre
The Scotland native was a Ryder Cup rookie in 2023, but has become one of Europe’s most prominent golfers in the last two years. He won twice on the circuit last season and was runner-up at the US Open and last week’s BMW Championship, where he led after each of the first three rounds.
Harry Hall
The English golfer, who played at UNLV in college, has been one of the world’s top players in the last four months, finishing in the top 28 in each of his last 11 starts. He moved from 45th to 26th in the FedEx Cup standings after finishing sixth at the BMW. Hall, who is second on the circuit in strokes gained: putting (.910), is making a final push for the European Ryder Cup team.
Sepp Straka
Straka missed last week’s BMW Championship for undisclosed personal reasons. He is seventh in points, just behind Shane Lowry of Ireland, in the European points standings for the Ryder Cup. Straka cannot earn points this week, so he will likely have to rely on one of captain Luke Donald’s picks, which seems like a certainty.
J.J. Spaun
The US Open winner has already qualified for a spot on the US Ryder Cup team, so he doesn’t have much pressure in his first participation at East Lake. Spaun is sixth on the circuit in strokes gained: approach (.758) and seventh in strokes gained: total (1.185). His previous best result in the FedEx Cup Playoffs was 34th in 2022.
Cameron Young
After securing his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship, Young followed up, finishing fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and 11th at the BMW Championship. He is among the circuit leaders in driving distance and ranks in the top 10 in putting, which could make him an attractive Ryder Cup pick for Bradley.
Ben Griffin
After tying for ninth and 12th place in the first two playoff events, Griffin is making it harder and harder for Bradley to ignore him. Griffin, a two-time winner on the circuit this season, is ninth in Ryder Cup points. It’s his Tour Championship debut.
Maverick McNealy
Another American golfer trying to get Bradley’s attention, McNealy tied for 28th and was solo third in the first two playoff events, respectively. He has certainly made a strong case to be part of the Ryder Cup team with seven top 10s and 10 top 25s in 23 circuit appearances. It’s his first appearance at the Tour Championship.
Justin Rose
Rose, the 2018 FedEx Cup champion, began the playoffs in 25th place in the standings, but climbed to fourth after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship and tying for 30th at the BMW. He secured his seventh Ryder Cup appearance by qualifying on points.
Brian Harman
Harman tied for 22nd and 19th in the first two playoff events, and could need another good result to strengthen his case to be part of the Ryder Cup team. The former Open Championship winner is 12th in points, so he’s clearly on the bubble. His match play prowess and clutch putting are factors in his favor.
Akshay Bhatia
After an inconsistent campaign in 2025, Bhatia has played better in the playoffs, tying for sixth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and 26th at the BMW. He finished 26th at 3-under par in his first Tour Championship last year.
Corey Conners
Conners is one of the best iron players in the world, but his game has been very inconsistent lately. He tied for 50th in Memphis and was solo 39th in Baltimore. He didn’t finish in the top 20 in four previous appearances at the Tour Championship.
Keegan Bradley
Bradley, Ryder Cup captain, is in 11th place in the points standings, and with other golfers like Young and Griffin playing well, Bradley’s decision on whether or not to pick himself with a captain’s pick is becoming increasingly difficult. He finished 21st at 2 under par at East Lake last year.
Sungjae Im
Im, normally consistent, has had an up-and-down season, including eight missed cuts and three top 10s in 26 starts. The South Korean golfer is more than capable of putting things together at East Lake, where he was runner-up in 2022 and finished seventh last season.
Hideki Matsuyama
Surprisingly, the 2021 Masters champion hasn’t had a top 10 since winning The Sentry at the start of the circuit season on January 5th. He ranks 126th in strokes gained: off the tee (-.171) and is hitting only 57.3% of the fairways. Matsuyama has four top 10s at the Tour Championship, including ninth at 9-under in 2024.
Shane Lowry
Even if Lowry plays well at East Lake this week, he risks losing his position in the European Ryder Cup standings. Lowry is sixth in points, which would earn him an automatic spot on the team. However, he will not receive points for the Tour Championship this week.
Dane Rasmus Højgaard is only 14 points behind Lowry. If Højgaard finishes tied for 29th or better at this week’s Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour, he will surpass Straka and Lowry for the final automatic spot. Still, it seems certain that Lowry will get one of Donald’s six captain’s picks if he doesn’t qualify on points.
Chris Gotterup
After his hot streak across the pond in July, in which he earned his second PGA Tour victory at the Scottish Open and finished solo third at The Open, Gotterup has cooled off in the playoffs. He likely needs to do something special this week to get back into the Ryder Cup mix.
Nick Taylor
It’s only the second time that two Canadian golfers have reached the 30-man field at the Tour Championship since the FedEx Cup debuted in 2007. Conners and Taylor also made it to East Lake in 2023.
Andrew Novak
Novak enjoyed a great season this year, but things fell apart at the BMW Championship last week. He finished 48th at 20 over par, 35 strokes behind Scheffler.
Jacob Bridgeman
The former Clemson golfer nearly lost his PGA Tour rookie card after finishing 113th in points after the fall FedEx season. With five top 10s and nine top 25s in 26 starts, he climbed to 27th in points to reach East Lake.
