The best of the best have qualified for the 2022 Tour Championship this week, with the field being limited to the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings. East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta will host the final event of the season once again, which should make for a thrilling finish.
Below, we search for the best value prop bets among the 2022 Tour Championship odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Keeping with the new format of the Tour Championship, every player in the field will be assigned a starting position based on where they sit in the season-long standings. Scottie Scheffler, who’s No. 1 in the FedExCup standings, will begin the week at 10-under par. Second-ranked Patrick Cantlay will start at 8-under.
Before withdrawing with a back injury, Will Zalatoris was slotted in at No. 3 with a starting position of 7-under. His spot will not be filled, nor will the staggered start be changed, so no one will begin the week at 7-under. The 26th-30th-ranked players will start the week 10 shots back at even par.
East Lake (7,346, par 70) doesn’t offer a lot of scoring opportunities for players with only 2 par-5s and several par-4s that are longer than 450 yards. There’s water throughout the course, too, so players will need to be accurate off the tee and sharp with their irons.
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Tour Championship – Top-5 picks
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 12:57 p.m. ET.
Rory McIlroy (+135)
McIlroy is essentially starting the week tied for 5th at 4-under par, 6 shots back of Scheffler. That’s why his odds to finish in the top 5 are so short. However, they’re still worth betting because A) he’s played well lately, outside of that missed cut at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and B) he’s won this event twice and tied for 2nd another time. He’s a great fit at East Lake.
Sungjae Im (+300)
Im has only played the Tour Championship once, finishing T-18 last year. He’s starting the week at 3-under par, so he’ll need to make a climb in order to crack the top 10. He’s more than capable of doing that, posting a pair T-2 finishes in the last month.
Jon Rahm (+185)
Like McIlroy, Rahm is starting at 4-under par, tied for 5th. He’s begun heating up in the playoffs, particularly with his putter — he was 3rd in strokes gained: putting last week at the BMW Championship. He’s in a perfect spot to make a run at the title.
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Tour Championship – Top-10 picks
Adam Scott (+425)
With only 29 players in the field, top-10 lines are juiced. There are 10 players with odds of -110 or better to finish in the top 10, which I’m not going to touch. Instead, I’ll bet that someone like Scott, who’s starting at even par and tied for 25th, will rise up the board and make a push for the top 10. He’s putting very well right now and has 6 top-10s in the Tour Championship during his career.
Aaron Wise (+480)
This is Wise’s first Tour Championship appearance since 2018 when he tied for 15th. His putter cooled off on Sunday at the BMW but he’s been steady in the last month with no finish worse than T-34. At even par, he has a long way to go up the leaderboard but I’ll take that bet.
Cameron Young (+135)
Young’s putter didn’t show up again in Wilmington, leading to a disappointing BMW Championship after shooting 72 in the final 2 rounds to finish T-23. Young has cooled off since his back-to-back 2nd-place finishes, but he seems to thrive in star-studded fields like this one.
Tour Championship – Matchups
Suggested play is golfer in bold.
Cameron Young (+115) vs. Matt Fitzpatrick (-135)
This is the 1st Tour Championship appearance for both players, so there will be no experience advantage. I like Young at plus-money this week against Fitzpatrick, who tied for 48th last week.
Billy Horschel (-110) vs. Brian Harman (-110)
Horschel has won at East Lake before and also has a 2nd-place finish to go with 2 other top-10s – including a T-9 last year. Harman has only played this event once, shooting 3-over and tying for 24th.
Tour Championship – Winner without starting strokes
Xander Schauffele (+1200)
If you want to bet on who will have the lowest score this week without their starting position, Schauffele is a great pick. He’s never finished worse than T-7 and won this event back in 2017. He’s coming off a 3rd-place finish last week, so he’s got some momentum, too.
More expert prop bet predictions
Group B winner: Jon Rahm (+162)
In Group B, Rahm is up against Justin Thomas (+280), Fitzpatrick (+380), Young (+500) and Scott Stallings (+750). It’s a tough group, but Rahm and Thomas start with a 1-shot advantage at 4-under par. This week sets up well for Rahm.
Will there be a hole in one? Yes (+425)
There are 4 par-3s on the card, but none of them are bargains yardage-wise. At +425, however, it’s hard not to like the chances of someone to make an ace – even with a limited 29-player field.
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If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
Golfweek:
- 2022 Tour Championship Thursday tee times, TV and streaming info
- Will Zalatoris withdraws from Tour Championship at East Lake, won’t play in Presidents Cup
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