Tour Championship Sleepers, Dark Horse Picks, and Longshots (Target Golfers Who Can Score Birdies at East Lake)
The top 30 golfers head to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia for this year's Tour Championship.
Each golfer will start a certain amount of strokes under par, depending on where they sit in the FedEx Cup standings. Scottie Scheffler will tee-off on Thursday with a two-stroke lead over second place, and a 10-stroke lead over those who enter the week ranked 26th-30th.
If you want my full tournament preview, as well as my best bets to win it all, check out my betting preview here or this week's episode of Green on the Greens below.
In this article, I'm going to take aim at some longshots. These golfers have long odds for a reason. They'll need to close a significant gap in order to even be able to contend on Sunday.
All odds listed below are courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
Tour Championship Longshot Bets
Viktor Hovland +8000
If we're going to bet on guys who are in a position where they need to make up ground before even hitting their first shot of the tournament, we need to focus on golfers who can drain a ton of birdies. Viktor Hovland is one of those guys.
He'll enter the Tour Championship at two-under par, which is eight strokes back from the leader, Scottie Scheffler. Thankfully, Hovland ranks eighth on the Tour in birdie average, averaging 4.33 per round. He'll need to rely on that ability this week, and if he does, his odds could shorten in a hurry.
Scott Stallings +15000
Scott Stallings made a late-season charge which almost resulted in a win at least week's BMW Championship. Despite not getting the win, he still earned himself a favorable position at the Tour Championship.
He'll sit seven strokes back from the leader when he tees off on Thursday. Still, a long hill to climb, but he's been on fire in recent weeks and he led the field in strokes gained: approach in a strong field last week. At 150/1, he could be worth a look. After all, recent form is almost always the best indicator of success in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Sepp Straka +20000
Yes, Sepp Straka isn't exactly known as a golfer with a ton of fire power. He can thank a second place finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship for his starting position, but if he can string together a few good rounds, he could be worth a sprinkle at 200/1.
That's especially true when you look at the odds of his fellow golfers who will also be starting at four-under par, six strokes back from the lead. Rory McIlroy is at +1000, Tony Finau is at +2000, Cameron Smith is at +2200, and Sungjae Im is at +3000.
That goes to show that it's not his starting position that has led to Straka's odds being so long, it's the fact that oddsmakers don't think he can close the gap, unlike the other names. But hey, at 200/1, crazier things have happened.
You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.