The 2023 FedEx Cup champion will be crowned this weekend as the top 30 players battle it out for Tour Championship glory at East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta.
With $18 million and a five-year PGA Tour exemption awarded to the FedEx Cup champion, along with the Calamity Jane Trophy that comes with winning the Tour Championship, it promises to be an enthralling tournament that made its debut in 1987.
East Lake, which also hosted the event in 1998, 2000 and 2002, has been the permanent home of the Tour Championship since 2004 and presents one of the stiffest challenges on the PGA Tour.
A starting-strokes system is in use and world number one Scottie Scheffler begins Thursday's opening round on -10, two strokes clear of last week's BMW Championship winner Viktor Hovland and three ahead of Rory McIlroy, who is aiming for a record-extending fourth FedEx Cup trophy.
Jon Rahm and Lucas Glover begin at -6 and -5 respectively; Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark and Matt Fitzpatrick are all at -4, while Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele open at -3.
At the -2 mark is Tom Kim, Sungjae Im, Tony Finau, Corey Conners and Si Woo Kim, the quintet one stroke ahead of Taylor Moore, Nick Taylor, Adam Schenk, Collin Morikawa and Jason Day.
Rounding off the field is Sam Burns, Emiliano Grillo, Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Spieth and Sepp Straka, who will all start at level-par.
- Max Homa to win and each-way
- Lucas Glover to win and each-way
- Xander Schauffele to win and each-way
Homa Hitting Peak Form
Max Homa is a player who appears to be clicking into gear at the perfect time and he arrives in Atlanta off the back of a positive tied-fifth at the BMW Championship, this coming after his T6 at the St. Jude Championship.
The American will be on a high after securing one of the six automatic places in USA's Ryder Cup team and he will be eager to prolong his excellent form at a course he performed superbly at on debut last year.
Homa was third in the 72-hole score department in 2022, as he ended up fourth overall when taking the starting strokes into account, and there is no reason he can't go close once again.
The 32-year-old is eighth in strokes gained: total and 15th in the tee-to-green stats on the PGA Tour this season, but it is his work with the putter that really boosts his claims as he ranks second in putting average and fifth in SG: putting.
Homa timing his form well
Glover The Right Fit
Glover has caught fire over the last few weeks with back-to-back victories at the Wyndham Championship and St. Jude Championship seeing him catapult up the FedEx standings to his current position of fifth.
The 43-year-old American's recent form has him firmly in the picture for a Ryder Cup pick and a positive showing this week could make it difficult for USA captain Zach Johnson to overlook him for the event at Marco Simone Golf Club.
It will be the 2009 US Open champion's first appearance at East Lake since 2019, when he was tied-29th, but he has performed better at this venue further back when he had top-ten finishes in 2006 and 2009.
A big reason for Glover's upturn in form has been the putting improvement - a club that has hampered him for a long time - but if the flat stick continues to behave then he could challenge for victory with his consistent tee-to-green game.
Schauffele plays well at East Lake
Course Specialist To Impress
Starting seven shots off the lead, Xander Schauffele has a lot of work to do to bridge the gap but his previous outings at this course prove he is more than capable of doing so.
The American, who has also automatically qualified for USA's Ryder Cup team, won the Tour Championship on his debut in 2017 and he has continued to thrive when teeing it up in Atlanta.
Of his last five outings here when only looking at 72-hole scores, Schauffele has recorded finishes of seventh, second, first, third and sixth, highlighting his affinity for this course.
