Tour Championship: Scheffler Leads, McIlroy and Others Aim for the Title

Tour Championship: 30 Golfers Chase Glory at East Lake

Atlanta is the host of this week’s Tour Championship, an event where a sum of 40 million dollars is at stake at East Lake Golf Club. For this edition, the playing field is reset, with the 30 participating golfers starting at par on Thursday. Even the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, who has triumphed in half of his last five participations, including last week’s BMW Championship, will not have the advantage he had last year. On that occasion, Scheffler started with a two-stroke lead before securing his first FedEx Cup.

“Any of the 30 have the opportunity to win the FedEx Cup this year, which is very different from what we have seen in previous years,” commented Rory McIlroy, Masters winner. “This presents a new opportunity for everyone, and it’s a great opportunity for one of the players who haven’t been very prominent during the season to stand out and have the chance to take 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

With his recent form, Scheffler is the favorite, seeking his sixth victory of the season. He will try to become the first FedEx Cup champion in consecutive years and one of three golfers with multiple FedEx titles, along with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. DataGolf.com gives Scheffler a 31.4% chance of winning this week.

• Rory McIlroy

McIlroy, after his return to the tour after almost a month, tied for 12th place with 3 under par at the BMW Championship. He is the only three-time champion at East Lake, with victories in 2016, 2019 and 2022, and has finished in the top 10 in nine of his last 11 participations. If anyone can keep up with Scheffler at East Lake, that could be McIlroy.

• Ludvig Åberg

After an inconsistent season, Åberg, stepped up in time for the FedEx Cup playoffs and the upcoming Ryder Cup. He achieved ninth and seventh place in the first two FedEx Cup playoff events, respectively. In his debut at the Tour Championship in 2024, Åberg finished in 16th place.

• Tommy Fleetwood

The English golfer came close to 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. It’s worth noting that there hasn’t been a first-time winner at the Tour Championship since its inception in 1987.

• Viktor Hovland

Two years ago, Hovland secured a five-stroke victory at the Tour Championship. Since then, he has only won once, at this year’s Valspar Championship, and continues to adjust his swing. At the BMW Championship, Hovland tied for seventh place and was third in the field in approach, which could indicate a recovery.

• Russell Henley

Henley shot a 62 under par in the final round of last season’s Tour Championship, the lowest score of the week on the renovated course. This allowed him to tie for fourth place, his second top-5 finish in the tournament. His precision and ball striking could make him a contender again.

• Harris English

English returns to the Tour Championship for the first time since 2021. After undergoing surgery to repair a tear in the labrum of his right hip in 2022, English 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 10-under at the BMW Championship, his best finish since losing in a playoff to Ryan Fox at the RBC Canadian Open in early June. Burns is 16th in the Ryder Cup points standings, so he needs another good performance this week. He finished in the top 12 in his last two appearances at East Lake.

• Collin Morikawa

Morikawa has had a disappointing season, with only two top-10 finishes since his second place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March. The two-time major champion is in eighth place in the Ryder Cup standings.

• Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay, with a Ryder Cup record of 5-2-1 and success in the Presidents Cup, is one of the favorites to be chosen by Keegan Bradley. A good performance at East Lake could improve his chances. The 2021 FedEx Cup champion finished in 17th place with 7 under par at last year’s Tour Championship.

• Justin Thomas

JT hasn’t finished in the top 20 in his last four tour appearances, but returning to East Lake could help him turn things around. The 2017 FedEx Cup champion finished in the top seven in his first seven appearances at East Lake; he tied for 14th after last year’s renovation.

• Robert MacIntyre

The Scottish golfer was a rookie in the Ryder Cup in 2023, but has become one of the most prominent European golfers in the last two years. He won twice on the tour last season and was runner-up at the U.S. Open and at last week’s BMW Championship, where he led after the first three rounds.

• Harry Hall

The English golfer, who played college golf at UNLV, has been one of the world’s top players over the last four months, finishing in the top 28 in 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 tour in strokes gained: putting (.910), is making a late push to be part of the European Ryder Cup team.

• Sepp Straka

Straka did not participate in last week’s BMW Championship for undisclosed personal reasons. He is in seventh place 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.

• J.J. Spaun

The U.S. Open winner has already qualified for a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, so he doesn’t have much pressure in his first appearance at East Lake. Spaun ranks sixth on tour 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 continued his streak by finishing fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and 11th at the BMW Championship. He is among the tour leaders in driving distance and ranks in the top 10 in putting, which could make him a tempting Ryder Cup pick for Bradley.

• Ben Griffin

After tying for ninth and 12th place in the first two playoff events, Griffin is making it increasingly difficult for Bradley to ignore him. Griffin, a two-time winner on the tour this season, is ninth in Ryder Cup points. It’s his debut at the Tour Championship.

• Maverick McNealy

McNealy tied for 28th and was solo third in the first two playoff events, respectively. He has certainly made a strong case to be on the Ryder Cup team with seven top 10s and 10 top 25s in 23 tour starts. It’s his first appearance at the Tour Championship.

• Justin Rose

Rose, champion of the 2018 FedEx Cup, began the playoffs in 25th place in the standings, but jumped to fourth place 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 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 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 did not finish in the top 20 in four previous appearances at the Tour Championship.

• Keegan Bradley

Bradley broke a streak of four consecutive top-30 finishes by tying for 17th at the BMW Championship. The Ryder Cup captain is 11th 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 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 tour season on January 5th. He ranks 126th in strokes gained: off the tee (-.171) and is only hitting 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 give him an automatic spot on the team. However, he will not receive points for the Tour Championship this week. Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark is only 14 points behind Lowry. If Højgaard finishes in a tie for 29th place or better at this week’s Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour, he will surpass Straka and Lowry for the last 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 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 Ryder Cup contention.

• Nick Taylor

It’s only the second time that two Canadian golfers have been part of the 30-man group 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 successful season this year, but things fell apart at last week’s BMW Championship. He finished in 48th place at 20 under 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.