Scottie Scheffler (-10) starts as the TOUR Championship leader for the second straight year. At the onset, Scheffler holds a 2-stroke head start over Viktor Hovland (-8). Hovland just won the BMW Championship after closing with a 9-under par 61. Including seven birdies on the back nine. Last year’s FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy (-7) starts 3-shots back. But he started last year’s tournament six-shots off the Golf Betting Lines pace at -4. And then McIlroy made up the biggest deficit in the four years of the staggered strokes format.
2023 TOUR Championship Betting Information
| When: | August 24-27, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Where: | East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, GA |
| Course: | 7346 Yards, Par 70 |
| Defending Champion: | Rory McIlroy |
| TV Coverage: | CBS, GOLF, ESPN+, Peacock |
2023 TOUR Championship Betting Odds
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +160 |
| Rory McIlroy | +350 |
| Viktor Hovland | +450 |
| Jon Rahm | +750 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1800 |
| Max Homa | +2800 |
| Lucas Glover | +3500 |
| Xander Schauffele | +3500 |
| Brian Harman | +4000 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +4000 |
| All Other Players | +4500 or higher |
2023 TOUR Championship SBG Overview
Two FedEx Cup Playoffs events are in the sports betting books. Namely, Lucas Glover and Viktor Hovland have left their mark. Glover took down the top 70 on the PGA Tour in Memphis at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. In comparison, Hovland shot a 61 to race past the top 50 in the playoffs at the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields. As a result, both have moved into the top five of the FedEx Cup standings as the Tour heads to East Lake for the Tour Championship.
East Lake opened in 1908 and was first redesigned by Donald Ross in 1913. Further renovations followed before Rees Jones created our current layout in 2008. Specifically, the Tour Championship was first played here in 1998. The course is a par 72, measuring 7,346 yards. As the name implies, it features plenty of water hazards. Accordingly, Zach Johnson set the course record of 60 in 2007.
Naturally, big money is on the line, with all players guaranteed $500,000. Also, the top-10 finishers receive the biggest payouts of the PGA Tour season from the $75 million bonus pool. 2023 marks the final year the TOUR Championship is played on the current design. Following this tournament, Andrew Green will perform a “sympathetic renovation” to restore most of the original Donald Ross characteristics to the golf course. Fans and golfers commented positively on Green’s recent Oak Hill Country Club renovation. Consider Oak Hill hosted this year’s PGA Championship.
According to data golf, driving accuracy has been the most correlated predictive skill set at East Lake. The course has not been too difficult compared to other PGA Tour golf courses, but the ability to hit fairways has been the key to success.
East Lake Golf Club is a classic tree-lined course that favors precise golfers with irons and strong ball strikers. Scrambling stats and the ability to get up and down will become more important. Correlate that players that miss fairways hit less than 50% of the greens at East Lake.
2023 TOUR Championship Top Contenders
The top two golfers in strokes gained stats playing East Lake Golf Club are Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. To show, they have played 36 and 24 rounds at the course and lead the field in SG: Total, Tee-to-Green, Off-the-Tee, Ball Striking, and Short Game. Also, Schauffele is No. 2 in Approach and No. 3 in Putting. Last week, Scheffler finished second at the BMW Championship. That snapped two consecutive finishes outside the top-20. By contrast, McIlroy has nine consecutive top-9 finishes. Of course, Schauffele has the momentum of a win at the BMW Championship.
2023 TOUR Championship SBG Free Pick
As mentioned earlier, Rory McIlroy is in top form with the Golf Betting Lines.
2023 TOUR Championship SBG Best Bets: Rory McIlroy.