The PGA Tour season reaches its climax this week as 30 players lock horns to battle it out for a $10 million prize at the Tour Championship.
Intense weekly battles across North America have led to the elite having the opportunity to win the big prize, with world number one Scottie Scheffler predictably at the head of the market to both win and to be the leader after the first of the four rounds at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
However, the Texan was suffering with a virus at the beginning of last week before he finished 12th at the BMW Championship, while three-time course winner Rory McIlroy, who was third last week, has not won at the track since it underwent a huge renovation two years ago.
Plenty of other eyes will be on Wyndham Clark after he claimed his third win of the season at the BMW, while local favourite Russell Henley is also expected to have a strong finish to the campaign.
Tour Championship First Round Leader betting picks and predictions
Russell Henley to be first-round leader (+2000)
Henley, who hails from Atlanta, nearly got the job done in front of his home crowd last year when he found Englishman Tommy Fleetwood to be the only player who was too strong, but he should enjoy another strong week.
It could have been even better 12 months ago after he claimed the first-round lead following an opening 61 and he should be confident that he will be able to lead the charge among this week’s elite field.
Henley made another strong start at last week’s BMW Championship with rounds of 67 and 66 before finishing 12th and the man who won the Charles Schwab Challenge at the end of May has proved he is comfortable rubbing shoulders with elite company after finishing third at The Masters and ninth in the Open Championship.
He was also fourth at East Lake in 2024, which was the first year after the renovation and also fourth in 2017, so all the ingredients are there for a strong end to the season and he could be firing on all cylinders from the get-go.
Wyndham Clark to be first-round leader (+1600)
With concerns regarding the illness Scheffler suffered last week, many fancy that Wyndham Clark could prove to be the man to beat and there is little cause to put anyone off backing him, including in the first-round-leader market.
Clark has enjoyed an excellent season, the highlight of which was the capture of another US Open title, but he was also triumphant in the CJ Cup and last week at the BMW Championship, where he secured a three-shot win over Patrick Cantlay.
He had been fifth at the St Jude Championship the week before so his confidence could hardly be higher as he heads to Georgia with his eyes on that huge first prize.
He was third in 2023 but also eighth in 2024 after the renovations had been completed that changed the character of the course, so there is little reason to oppose him this week and a strong start is anticipated from the man from Denver.
Adam Scott to be first-round leader (+3000)
There are plenty of players who have won this tournament in action this week, notably McIlroy with three victories, and it is just possible we could witness a stellar performance from a player who took the crown way back in 2006.
Adam Scott is now 46 but he remains a player who can mix it with the best on the planet as he demonstrated when he was ninth at The Open at Royal Birkdale in England last month.
Apart from his triumph 20 years ago, he has another seven top-10 finishes at this venue, which includes a fourth last year, so not all of those efforts can be regarded as ancient history.
The Australian is another capable of a strong start after he followed his 12th at the St Jude Championship with 16th last week at the BMW.
Tour Championship First Round Leader Odds
Scottie Scheffler | +700 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Xander Schauffele | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Patrick Cantlay | +1600 |
Wyndham Clark | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +1600 |
Sam Burns | +1800 |
Tommy Fleetwood | +2000 |
Russell Henley | +2000 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
