The Albatross – FanDuel DFS Golf Preview – TOUR Championship
The Albatross – FanDuel DFS Golf Preview – TOUR Championship
By Erik Dantoft
Take on Jeff (jtbergerson), Zach (myzteriouzly), Aaron (ge3kusa), Ryan (rb42seven), Pari (Dixoncider21), and me (edantoft) of Fantasy Golf Insider for your chance at cash prizes and free FanDuel entries!
Fantasy Golf Insider Beat the Experts FanDuel Contest
Click on the “Fantasy Golf Insider Beat the Experts FanDuel Contest” link above to get an entry into our exclusive FGI contest over on FanDuel. This is a great contest to gauge your PGA DFS skills while competing against the team here at FGI. FanDuel also has decent prize pools for the TOUR Championship so be sure to check out their contest lobby as well.
BMW Championship Fantasy Golf Insider Beat the Experts Leaderboard:
| Position | Username | Score |
| 1st | b322044 | 746.00 |
| 2nd | jlaker | 722.30 |
| 3rd | tltgolf | 716.00 |
| 4th | grunz75 | 714.70 |
| 5th | mbgend | 699.40 |
TOUR Championship Preview:
East Lake Golf Club has been the only host of the TOUR Championship since 2004 and will conclude the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season. Once again, the incorporation of the FedExCup Starting Strokes scoring system will be used. Specifically, all 30 golfers participating in the event have been seeded according to their FedExCup ranking. The number one seed, Patrick Cantlay, starts the TOUR Championship at 10-under and the number two seed, Tony Finau, begins at 8-under. The number three seed, Bryson DeChambeau, opens at 7-under and this waterfall effect continues all the way to even par where the 26th-30th seeds start at. East Lake Golf Club remains a stock par 70 course that measures 7,346 yards in length and requires keeping the ball in play off the tee and accurate approach shots to go well here. Ultimately, the golfers who have their tee-to-green game working and putting well will be the ones able to cut into Patrick Cantlay’s lead and possibly overtake him to become this year’s FedExCup champion.
Recommended Bets for the TOUR Championship:
72 Hole Stroke Play Winner (Starting Strokes Do Not Count)
Jon Rahm – 7/1: Jon Rahm must be respected to go well at the TOUR Championship this week. Last week at the BMW Championship he finished T9 and before that he finished in solo 3rd place at THE NORTHERN TRUST. If Rahm can maintain his strong tee-to-green game and get hot on the greens at East Lake Golf Club, then he could be in for a nice week. It should surprise no one if he is threatening to win come Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia.
Xander Schauffele – 12/1: Xander Schauffele will be teeing it up in Atlanta, Georgia this week for the TOUR Championship after finishing T49 at the BMW Championship last week. He finished T16 at THE NORTHERN TRUST, T46 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and won the International Men’s Golf Competition before that, so clearly Schauffele is golfing at a high level right now. He should get out of the gates quickly at East Lake Golf Club where he won the 72 Hole Stroke Play format last year. That is why he seems slightly underestimated once again to be the winner of that format.
Justin Thomas – 14/1: Justin Thomas is coming off a T22 finish at the BMW Championship last week and had a T4 finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST and a T26 finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational prior to that where his tee-to-green game was terrific. With his game is dialed in right now, JT should not be the least bit intimidated by East Lake Golf Club. He finished T3 in the 72 Hole Stroke Play format last year and T9 in 2019. Expect JT to put four quality rounds of golf together and hopefully be in contention yet again at the TOUR Championship.
Tony Finau – 20/1: Tony Finau travels to Atlanta, Georgia for the TOUR Championship after a T15 finish at the BMW Championship last week. Prior to that he won THE NORTHERN TRUST and finished T34 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He just needs his normally reliable tee-to-green game to get him into the mix at East Lake Golf Club this week and if he has a great putting week, he could be looking at another win during the FedExCup Playoffs (72 Hole Stroke Play format).
Recommended “One And Done” Golfer for the TOUR Championship (if applicable):
Harris English: Harris English is in a great spot in Atlanta, Georgia and makes for a worthy “One And Done” selection for the TOUR Championship. Prior to finishing T26 at the BMW Championship last week, he finished T31 at THE NORTHERN TRUST and in solo 4th place at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He also recently won the Travelers Championship. Clearly, English is golfing at a high level right now and should enjoy another test at East Lake Golf Club where he finished in solo 13th place in the 72 Hole Stroke Play format last year. It should surprise no one if English is in the mix again come Sunday afternoon at the TOUR Championship.
TOUR Championship Weather: The latest weather forecast for Atlanta, Georgia can be found here.
Key Stats for the TOUR Championship (East Lake Golf Club):
- SGT2G: 30%
- SGP: 20%
- DA: 10%
- PROX: 10%
- SPROX: 10%
- BOB%: 20%
Strokes Gained category contribution to total dispersion in scores for the TOUR Championship (East Lake Golf Club – Event Average) via @datagolf:
- SG: OTT – 15.6%
- SG: APP – 34.0%
- SG: ARG – 14.0%
- SG: P – 36.4%
TOUR Championship WDs as of 8/31/2021: None.
TOUR Championship Market Leaders:
Jon Rahm headlines the TOUR Championship field in salaries with a deserving $13k price tag after finishing T9 at the BMW Championship last week. The week prior he finished in solo 3rd place at THE NORTHERN TRUST and shortly before that he finished T3 at The Open Championship, solo 7th place finish at the Scottish Open over on the European Tour and won the U.S. Open back in June. Rahm’s game is clearly suited for the challenge at East Lake Golf Club this week so it should surprise no one if he win the TOUR Championship come Sunday afternoon.
Patrick Cantlay slots in next $200 cheaper at $12,800. Last week he won the BMW Championship in dramatic fashion and before that he finished T11 at THE NORTHERN TRUST and T23 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Cantlay has undoubtedly been a top golfer in 2021 and there is no reason to think that he is going to slow down at East Lake Golf Club. He is a serious threat to win the TOUR Championship as he will begin the tournament 10-under par.
Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau round out the $12k salary tier and both are in play for quality fantasy performances at the TOUR Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.
Recommended golfers for the TOUR Championship for both Cash games and GPPs:
Jon Rahm – $13,000: Jon Rahm should be a popular DFS play for the TOUR Championship. He is coming off a T9 finish at the BMW Championship last week and before that he finished in solo 3rd place at THE NORTHERN TRUST, T3 at The Open Championship and had a solo 7th place finish at the Scottish Open over on the European Tour. Rahm also recently won the U.S. Open back in June and more than likely would have won the Memorial Tournament as well if it were not for a positive COVID-19 test after his third round of play that forced him to WD. It should surprise no one if he able to track down Patrick Cantlay at East Lake Golf Club and become the 15th FedExCup champion come Sunday afternoon.
Justin Thomas – $11,500: Justin Thomas is in a great spot in Atlanta, Georgia for the TOUR Championship. Specifically, he finished T22 at the BMW Championship last week and T4 at THE NORTHERN TRUST and T26 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational before that. Not too long ago he finished T22 at the International Men’s Golf Competition, T40 at The Open Championship and T8 at the Scottish Open over on the European Tour. JT has been golfing at a high level this season and there is no reason not to think that he will not be at the top of the leaderboard at East Lake Golf Club this week.
Also consider:
Dustin Johnson – $11,300
Rory McIlroy – $10,900: Rory McIlroy arrives in Atlanta, Georgia with plenty of momentum after a solo 4th place finish at the BMW Championship last week. His game has been in a great place recently with other notable finishes coming at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational (T12), the International Men’s Golf Competition (T4) and the U.S. Open (T7). McIlroy obviously has the game to move up the leaderboard at East Lake Golf Club as he is a former FedExCup champion.
Xander Schauffele – $10,500: Xander Schauffele must be taken into consideration for a strong showing at the TOUR Championship. He is coming off a T49 finish at the BMW Championship last week and a T16 finish at THE NORTHER TRUST, T46 finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and a win at the International Men’s Golf Competition before that. If Schauffele can remain dialed in with his irons and sink a few putts, then he could be in for a nice week at East Lake Golf Club where he won the 72 Hole Stroke Play format last year.
Also consider:
Cameron Smith – $10,800
Viktor Hovland – $9,600: Viktor Hovland heads into the TOUR Championship with his game in great shape. Last week he finished T17 at the BMW Championship and had a T43 at THE NORTHERN TRUST and a T36 finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational prior to that. Equipped with an elite tee-to-green game, Hovland should not be the least bit intimidated by East Lake Golf Club. Expect him to put four quality rounds of golf together and hopefully be in the mix at the TOUR Championship.
Brooks Koepka – $9,000: Brooks Koepka should remain a viable DFS target at the TOUR Championship after a T22 finish at the BMW Championship last week. Prior to that he finished T31 at THE NORTHERN TRUST, T54 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, and T6 at The Open Championship. Koepka amassed eight top 10 finishes including a win this season and just needs his normally reliable tee-to-green game to get him into the mix at East Lake Golf Club this week. If he also has a great putting week, Koepka could see his name quickly moving up the leaderboard in Atlanta, Georgia.
Also consider:
Louis Oosthuizen – $9,500
Scottie Scheffler – $8,500: Scottie Scheffler is a solid $8k golfer for the TOUR Championship. He is coming off a T22 finish at the BMW Championship last week and had a T43 finish at THE NORTHERN TRUST, a solo 14th place finish at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and a T8 finish at The Open Championship before that. Overall, Scheffler has shown decent upside throughout his 2020-21 PGA TOUR season even without a win. He is solid tee-to-green and is an underrated putter so those attributes should help him go well again at East Lake Golf Club where he finished in solo 2nd place in the 72 Hole Stroke Play format last year.
Also consider:
Hideki Matsuyama – $8,100
“FanDuel $7k Special” for the TOUR Championship:
Daniel Berger – $7,600: Daniel Berger has every chance to go well at the TOUR Championship even though he is starting at even par. His game is in good working order as evidenced by his T26 finish at the BMW Championship last week. Furthermore, Berger finished T56 at THE NORTHERN TRUST, T5 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and T8 at The Open Championship before that. He rates as one of the better golfers in SG: APP in the 30-man field this week at East Lake Golf Club and that alone should see him move up the leaderboard while accumulating a good chunk of DFS points along the way.
Also consider:
Corey Conners – $7,700
“FanDuel Fade” for the TOUR Championship:
Note: This golfer is my personal fade this week.
Collin Morikawa – $9,700: Collin Morikawa’s game is scuffling leading into the TOUR Championship as he is coming off a T63 finish at the BMW Championship last week and a missed cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST before that. He is dealing with a sore back and that has clearly affected his game. There are simply safer alternatives within Morikawa’s salary range over on FanDuel and should only be considered a speculative GPP play (<5%) in Atlanta, Georgia since a potential WD is not even out of the question at this point.
Good luck.
-Erik Dantoft
@edantoft on Twitter
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