This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
TOUR Championship
Atlanta, Georgia
East Lake Golf Club - Par 70 - 7,346 yards
Field - 30 entrants
Purse - $46M
The Preview
A check inscribed with a dollar amount of $15 million will line the pockets of the 2020-21 season's final victor, as the TOUR Championship rewards those remaining inside the top 30 of the FedExCup Standings with one last massive payday to go along with several other perks, including future major tournament exemptions. The starting strokes format returns for its third edition at East Lake, where Patrick Cantlay begins the week atop a staggered leaderboard at 10-under-par after his playoff win over Bryson DeChambeau this past Sunday at Caves Valley. Although it's entirely acceptable to grip it and rip it off the tee at East Lake Golf Club, it should provide a much tougher test than the aforementioned Caves Valley, as GIR percentages fall below the Tour average here in Atlanta.
Recent Champions
2020 - Dustin Johnson
2019 - Rory McIlroy
2018 - Tiger Woods
2017 - Xander Schauffele
2016 - Rory McIlroy
2015 - Jordan Spieth
2014 - Billy Horschel
2013 - Henrik Stenson
2012 - Brandt Snedeker
2011 - Bill Haas
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Driving distance
GIR percentage
Birdie average
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Jon Rahm - $48
Plenty of gamers will pair Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau at just $39 given their advantages with starting strokes, but the best player in the world will be hunting them down early and often as Rahm only needs to make up an average of one shot per day to supplant Cantlay. Rahm averaged just north of 325 yards in driving distance last week at Caves Valley, where his putter also came to life en route to 22 total par-breakers with more than 6.8 strokes gained on the greens. That marked the third-best putting performance of his career, and the Spaniard hasn't lost strokes off the tee since August of 2019.
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Justin Thomas - $41
Thomas has never placed worse than T7 at East Lake, adding a pair of runner-up finishes in five total appearances. He ranked seventh among the field in both driving distance and SG: Tee-to-Green at the BMW Championship, but he's also third in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds. Thomas has gained at least 4.7 strokes from tee to green in three consecutive starts dating to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Glue Guys
Viktor Hovland - $29
Hovland's short-game woes have returned and ultimately kept him from a top-15 finish throughout the first two legs of the FedExCup Playoffs, but he's gained no less than 2.3 strokes off the tee in four straight measured starts and he hasn't lost strokes with his irons since the PLAYERS Championship in mid-March. The ball-striking upside remains evident as he makes his second trip to East Lake now.
Rory McIlroy - $27
McIlroy's discounted $27 salary is a reflection of his starting position at just two-under-par this week, but this two-time past champion is second in SG: Off-the-Tee over his last 12 rounds and he's picked up eight strokes with his putter through two playoff events. McIlroy reached 22-under at Caves Valley Golf Club last week, racking up 24 total birdies and an eagle while ranking No. 2 in SG: OTT and driving distance. Although his SG: Approach metrics were lousy by his standards, McIlroy still finished on the positive side of proximity from 150 to 200-plus yards.
Bargain Bin
Sungjae Im - $21
Im rattled off four consecutive scores of 67 or better during his solo-third performance at the BMW Championship, where he made just one bogey per round compared to 26 total par-breakers. He's gained a combined 21 strokes from tee to green in three events dating to the Wyndham Championship, good enough for second in SG: T2G among the TOUR Championship field over his last 12 rounds. As a second-timer at East Lake in 2020, Im finished T2 in both fairways and greens in regulation.
Sam Burns - $21
One of two East Lake debutants in the field this week, Burns continues to make a strong case for a Ryder Cup captain's pick as he resides 10th in the FedExCup standings with a win and eight top-10s this season. His most recent top-10 came just last week at Caves Valley, where he tallied 25 birdies and finished sixth in SG: Off-the-Tee. Burns also ranks third in SG: Putting over his past 12 rounds and he lost strokes with his irons just once all summer.
