The season finale then from Georgia happens this week on the PGA Tour. This is the last chance to end the season on one of the biggest highs that there is available in golf. The winner will collect a $10 million prize fund for this. This is all part of the FedExCup. All season long the players on the Tour fight for points and then those who have amassed enough go into the play offs.
There are then three play off tournaments, with players being cut from each one and that leaves the top 30 in the FedExCup standings going forward to the Tour Championship. This year it is being hosted by East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia. So you have a huge end of season showdown here and all 30 players have a chance at winning the FedExCup, but naturally, the top seed has a much stronger chance of doing so than the player in 30th.
Jordan Spieth is the number one going into East Lake and he is the only one in the field who has actually won at the course before as well. He is trading as the 5/1 favourite to land a win at the Tour Championship and therefore walk off with the FedExCup. Basically, only the top five players going into the tournament, who are Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman and Jon Rahm will win the FedExCup guaranteed if they win the tournament.
If anyone else wins, they will need other things to happen in their favour too. For example, 8th ranked Justin Rose would have to win the Tour Championship and Spieth would have to finish third or worse, Thomas would have to fish T2 or worse and Johnson would have to finish second or worse in order for Rose to earn enough points to win teh FedExCup. So there’s a lot of complication like that. If the winner of the tournament can’t get the FedExCup, it’s all then down to a points battle.
So there’s a lot going on here and with Spieth picking up three top ten finishes in the FedExCup play offs, he is running on big form, coupled with his previous win at the course. He is a justifiable favourite. The only other two men to land a top ten finish in each of three play off events this year was Spain’s Jon Rahm and England’s Justin Rose. That has to carry some weight as they head to East Lake.
Justin Thomas landed two top tens in the three tournaments as did Marc Leishman. Leishman has a 3rd and a win in his last two outings so has hit form at just the right time and should be a threat in this one. Spieth, Rahm and Leishman look the main contenders here. The two strongest looking outsiders for the tournament win are Justin Rose and Webb Simpson, who has carried some good form of three top tens in his last four events going into this.
Spieth is well worth backing as he just flourishes under pressure and the previous East Lake success will only help him. But Jon Rahm’s form has to carry him close to a top-four finish which is an 2/1 option and that would cap a stunning debut season from him. Leishman’s form should carry him close, but it’s so hard to win back to back tournaments, so Rahm gets the nod over him. Then Justin Rose at 14/1 looks a great each way golf punt.