Mark Schlabach
Multiple Authors
ATLANTA — While the PGA Tour has announced a revamped postseason and aggressive mannequin for the 2028 season, there’s nonetheless lots to play for on this season’s finale at East Lake Golf Club this week.
The winner of the Tour Championship will take residence the FedEx Cup and a $10 million winner’s share of the $40 million purse.
World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler is in search of his third victory of the season, which might seemingly seal his fifth straight PGA Tour Player of Year award. Tiger Woods (1999-2003) is the one golfer who has completed that feat.
Wyndham Clark, Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick would even have a strong case with a victory at East Lake.
A handful of golfers within the 30-man area will even strive to safe their spots on the rosters for the upcoming Presidents Cup, which will likely be performed Sept. 24-27 at Medinah Country Club outdoors Chicago.
Veterans Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay and others can bolster their possibilities earlier than U.S. group captain Brandt Snedeker makes his six captain’s selections Tuesday.
Here’s a have a look at the Tour Championship area:
1. Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler had hand, foot and mouth disease throughout final week’s BMW Championship in St. Louis however nonetheless grinded to tie for twelfth at 7 beneath. While gradual begins have plagued Scheffler at instances this season, that hasn’t been the case at East Lake. He opened with scores of 65 or higher within the three of the previous 4 Tour Championships, together with a 65 when he captured the FedEx Cup in 2024.
2. Rory McIlroy
McIlroy said he was “lost” after ending 66th within the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee, however he turned issues round in St. Louis. He was within the combine to win the BMW Championship on Sunday till a bogey on the par-5 seventeenth. He completed third at 13 beneath, 4 strokes behind Clark. The solely three-time FedEx Cup winner, McIlroy is making his ninth straight look at East Lake, the longest streak on tour.
3. Xander Schauffele
Even if the Tour Championship is not performed at East Lake Golf Club past the 2027 season, Schauffele may present up to play a number of rounds right here anyway. The two-time main championship winner has seven top-five finishes in eight begins on the course that Bobby Jones made well-known and hasn’t completed worse than a tie for seventh. He appears shut to getting again into the winner’s circle with seven top-10 finishes and three prime fives this season. His 66.9 scoring common at East Lake is the very best since 2021.
4. Wyndham Clark
After picking up his third victory of the season within the BMW Championship, Clark has constructed a strong case for PGA Tour Player of the Year. He additionally gained the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the U.S. Open. Clark did nearly all the pieces nicely at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, gaining 5.64 strokes on method, which ranked second within the area, and 4.35 on the greens. He tied for eighth and third, respectively, in his first two appearances at East Lake.
5. (*30*)
After struggling in Memphis, Morikawa turned issues round at Bellerive Country Club, the place he tied for fourth at 12 beneath, his finest end within the BMW Championship. He was runner-up within the 2024 Tour Championship, through which he had the low gross rating of twenty-two beneath, not together with beginning strokes.
Henley figures to have a lot of the gang behind him this week, as he is the one former University of Georgia golfer within the area. He has performed exceptionally nicely at East Lake, ending within the prime 5 in three of his previous 4 begins. Henley carded a 9-under 62 within the closing spherical to tie for fourth in 2024 and posted a 9-under 61 (after a course renovation) within the first spherical to tie for second final 12 months.
7. Patrick Cantlay
After a few so-so seasons, Cantlay’s sport heated up simply in time for the FedEx Cup playoffs. He tied for eighth within the Rocket Classic after which opened the postseason by tying for twelfth in Memphis. He was solo runner-up in St. Louis. The 2021 FedEx Cup champion tied for second at East Lake final 12 months, ending three strokes behind Tommy Fleetwood. Cantlay may use one other good displaying to bolster his probabilities of making the U.S. Presidents Cup group; he is at the moment thirteenth in factors.
8. Sam Burns
After a red-hot summer season through which Burns was runner-up within the U.S. Open and solo third in The Open, he lastly cooled off by tying for twenty eighth in St. Louis. With “Bermuda Burns” again within the Southeast this week, nevertheless, he ought to have an excellent shot at selecting up his first victory of the season. Burns completed seventh and ninth in his previous two appearances within the Tour Championship in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
9. Tommy Fleetwood
The defending FedEx Cup champion hasn’t gained on tour this season, however he performed constantly nicely till final week. Fleetwood has 4 top-five finishes, eight top-10s and 13 top-25s in 18 begins. Last week, he tied for forty seventh at 2 over, dropping greater than 2.8 strokes off the tee and about two strokes on the greens.
10. Si Woo Kim
Kim has performed in addition to anybody on tour with out a victory this season, rating fifth in strokes gained: complete (.228) and second in method (.733). He has been shut to lifting a trophy in quite a few tournaments, ending runner-up thrice and third twice. It’s solely his third begin at East Lake; his finest end was tenth in 2016.
11. Matt Fitzpatrick
The English golfer will not be an enormous fan of the playoffs, however he is most likely glad to be again at East Lake after a two-year absence. Fitzpatrick is a three-time winner on tour this season and is again to being among the finest iron gamers on this planet. It will likely be his third journey to East Lake, the place he tied for ninth in 2023 and fifteenth in 2022. If he wins once more, he may steal PGA Tour Player of the Year honors.
12. Ludvig Åberg
Åberg heads to East Lake on a fairly good run after tying for ninth in The Open, for seventh within the FedEx St. Jude Championship and for sixteenth within the BMW Championship. It’s his third straight journey to the Tour Championship in as many full seasons on tour. He tied for twenty first at 7 beneath in 2025.
13. Viktor Hovland
The previous couple of seasons have been a little bit of a curler coaster for Hovland, however he was ready to put collectively 4 strong rounds to win the Travelers Championship in a playoff on June 28. He hasn’t completed higher than solo twelfth at East Lake since hoisting the FedEx Cup in 2023.
30 @PGATOUR golfers all competing for $10 million on the Tour Championship
We’re taking you reside right here on X Thursday morning as Viktor Hovland seems to win his second FedExCup title and Robert MacIntyre will look to win his first. https://t.co/XdHdpBpvJl
— ESPN (@espn) August 26, 2026
14. Chris Gotterup
A 3-time winner on tour this season, Gotterup ought to be a lock to make the Presidents Cup group. He’s seventh in factors, and his size off the tee (322.6-yard common) might be a weapon at Medinah Country Club. It might be an audition for subsequent 12 months’s Ryder Cup group, too.
15. Tom Kim
Kim’s heater since June, through which he was solo third within the U.S. Open and won the Genesis Scottish Open, helped him climb from a hundred and tenth to twenty ninth within the FedEx Cup factors standings. His sturdy play has continued within the playoffs with a tie for twelfth in Memphis and for twenty eighth in St. Louis.
16. Cameron Young
With Players Championship and Cadillac Championship victories to go together with a tie for third within the Masters and solo runner-up in The Open, Young will surely have an argument for PGA Tour Player of the Year with a powerful displaying this week. However, he’ll have to putt significantly better to do it. He misplaced greater than 7.5 strokes on the greens within the Wyndham Championship and greater than 5.6 within the BMW.
17. Hideki Matsuyama
The former Masters champion’s finest end within the Tour Championship was a tie for fourth in 2018. He was on a strong stretch with six straight top-15s till he tied for twenty eighth within the BMW Championship. It’s the twelfth time in his 13 seasons on tour that he superior to Atlanta.
18. Adam Scott
On the 20-year anniversary of his Tour Championship victory at East Lake, Scott continues to be taking part in strong golf. Scott completed within the prime 16 of every of his previous three begins, together with a tie for ninth in The Open. He tied for fourth within the Tour Championship two years in the past.
19. Gary Woodland
1:55
How Gary Woodland hopes to assist others amid struggles with PTSD
Woodland is again within the Tour Championship for the primary time since 2019, the identical season through which he gained the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. He’ll be a crowd favourite this week as he continues to restoration from mind surgical procedure and post-traumatic stress. He tied for fourth within the BMW Championship.
20. Robert MacIntyre
MacIntyre withdrew from the FedEx St. Jude Championship due to ache from a Baker’s cyst on the again of his proper knee, which developed after he performed Shinty (look it up) in his native Scotland. To put together for final week’s BMW Championship, he watched sports activities films with optimistic messages reminiscent of “Rudy” and “The Rookie.” Then he tied for seventh in St. Louis to qualify for the Tour Championship. And, sure, he plans to watch these films once more this week.
21. Ryan Gerard
After back-to-back runner-up finishes to begin the season, Gerard cooled off earlier than heating up once more. He has 4 top-25 finishes in his previous 5 begins, together with a tie for ninth in The Open. He’s making his Tour Championship debut.
22. Justin Rose
With Rose and Scott, each 46 years previous, on this week’s area, it is the primary time since 2009 that two golfers aged 45 or older certified for the Tour Championship. Kenny Perry (49) and Scott Verplank (45) have been the final to do it in 2009, per the PGA Tour.
23. J.J. Spaun
It hasn’t been a fantastic run recently for Spaun, who gained final 12 months’s U.S. Open and the Valero Texas Open this season. He does not have a top-20 end in his previous 5 begins and completed outdoors the highest 40 thrice. He tied for twenty fifth in his Tour Championship debut in 2025.
24. Alex Smalley
Thanks to his runner-up end within the PGA Championship and 4 different top-10s, Smalley is taking part in within the Tour Championship for the primary time. He’s nonetheless taking part in nicely recently with a tie for seventh within the Wyndham Championship and for sixteenth within the BMW Championship.
25. Min Woo Lee
Lee appeared to flip a nook with a runner-up end within the Scottish Open, however then he went in reverse. He tied for 59th in The Open, fifty fifth within the FedEx St. Jude Championship and forty seventh within the BMW Championship. He’s making his debut within the Tour Championship.
26. Ryan Fox
Fox made solely two begins after capturing The Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, on July 19. Who may blame him? Fox appeared rusty in his first two begins within the playoffs, tying for 58th in Memphis and forty seventh in St. Louis. Pour some extra crimson within the Claret Jug and chill out, mate. You earned it.
One of two rookies within the Tour Championship area (Alex Fitzpatrick is the opposite one), Reitan is coming off a tie for twenty second within the BMW Championship. It’s outstanding he made it this far, contemplating his statistics. He ranks 118th on tour in method (minus-.159), 102nd across the inexperienced (minus-.079) and eighty fifth in placing (.101). The Norwegian golfer figures out a manner to rating.
28. Jacob Bridgeman
Bridgeman struggled to regain his kind from earlier within the season, when he gained the Genesis Invitational and tied for fifth in The Players. After a so-so stretch, he tied for ninth within the BMW Championship. He tied for twenty seventh in his Tour Championship debut final 12 months.
29. Akshay Bhatia
After tying for fifth within the Travelers Championship, Bhatia appeared to be caught in reverse. He missed the reduce in each The Open and Rocket Classic after which completed 68th within the FedEx St. Jude Championship. A tie for twelfth in St. Louis ought to give him some confidence.
30. Alex Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick wasn’t even a PGA Tour member till he and his brother, Matt, gained the Zurich Classic of New Orleans group occasion on April 26. Four months later, he is competing within the Tour Championship. He appeared to hit a wall recently, although, with a missed reduce and finishes of tied for 71st, 61st, 61st and 74th. What a rookie season, although.