The top PGA Tour players will head to Atlanta for one final bout! It’s the end of the FedEx Cup season, and the 30 best golfers of 2025 will fight it out at East Lake to determine who will secure the season-ending title. Along with that, the tournament also boasts a tremendous prize money of $40 million. With so much at stake, who is the favorite to capture the TOUR Championship title in Georgia this weekend?
That is what we’re here to choose. Let’s look at the five best bets who can win the last playoff of the FedEx Cup season as another emphatic PGA Tour season comes to a close in the next few days.
Scottie Scheffler
The world #1, the defending champion, the BMW Championship winner, Mr. Inevitable, the next Tiger Woods, there are many names Scottie Scheffler will be associated with this weekend. And going to East Lake, he will be eager to add another to his title. The first man since Woods in 2007 to shoot the lowest score at East Lake after leading the FedEx Cup standings. That’s a lot to achieve, but considering the change in format of the TOUR Championship, it shouldn’t be difficult for Scheffler. All he has to do is win at Atlanta.
And everyone knows how good Scottie Scheffler is at winning. After the T3 in the St Jude Championship, everyone thought he was done for the season. 54-holes in at Caves Valley, the world #1 was down by 4 strokes against Robert MacIntyre and set to lose another. However, his amazing comeback on Championship Sunday proved that he is still in the mix. Being the defending champion, he is definitely the favorite to lift the title again for the second time in his career.
Rory McIlroy
Speaking of winning the last playoff event multiple times, Rory McIlroy has become quite accustomed to performing at East Lake. He has won the TOUR Championship thrice in his illustrious career, matching Tiger Woods’s record of winning the event the most number of times. In the 11 times he has played in the event, he has finished inside the top-10 9 times. His worst performance in Atlanta was in 2015, when he got a T16 finish. McIlroy’s dominance in the TOUR Championship is unmatched on the field this year, and he will certainly be the biggest threat to Scottie Scheffler’s mission.
Rory McIlroy is averaging more strokes gained putting per round (+0.77) than off the tee (+0.65) this season. He has never done that before in his career, or even really been particularly close.
Rory is currently the only player ranked in the top-5 on Tour in both statistics.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 18, 2025
Speaking of his form, the Irishman didn’t have the best time at Caves Valley last week. However, a few strokes from him on Championship Sunday showed that he was pumped up for the final challenge of the season. One of his most emphatic shots was a 301-yard drive that he hit on a par-4 11th hole in the 4th round with a 3-wood. The cup was at the edge of a pond, which made it a very risky stroke. But judging by his precision and courage, McIlroy is certainly confident to take on the challenge. And stats revealed by reporter Justin Ray on X suggest that he has gained more strokes from putting than off the tee for the first time in his career. That further confirms that Rory McIlroy is lining up to bag his fourth TOUR Championship title.
Viktor Hovland
The TOUR Championship is Viktor Hovland‘s playground. His win in the 2023 edition of the event proved that he can maneuver his way around the Atlanta course exceptionally well. The Norwegian was certainly in the prime of his career that season when he dominated East Lake that year. Even when he lost form in 2024, Hovland still finished at T12 in the final playoff event. This season, he has broken his winless streak already with a win in the Valspar Championship. The 27-year-old has also come off fresh from a T7 finish in the BMW Championship last week. If he gets going early at East Lake, there is no question that Viktor Hovland will be battling for the $10 million paycheck at the end of the last round of the 2025 TOUR Championship.
Justin Rose
Justin Rose found his best form at TPC Southwind just a couple of weeks ago. With a wild Scottie Scheffler chasing him and his close friend, Tommy Fleetwood, also close by, the Englishman warded off every threat to break his 2 year winless streak. Coming off a year full of ups and downs, Rose was hungry for a win in 2025. And after capturing the FedEx St Jude Championship, there is no reason he wouldn’t go for another title. Much like Rory McIlroy, Rose has also been quite consistent in the TOUR Championship over the years. He hasn’t won once, but finished runner-up twice and has had 4 more top-10 finishes. After the two close calls in 2012 and 2015, it would be great to see Justin Rose finally win at East Lake in 2025.
Justin Thomas
Since the 2022 PGA Championship triumph, Justin Thomas hadn’t won a single title. That was until he captured the 2025 RBC Heritage back in April. Beyond that, the 32-year-old has been spectacular this season. He has had 3 runner-up finishes, one of which came in a Signature event, and 4 more top-10s. Compared to the dreadful time Thomas has had over the last couple of years, his performance has drastically improved in 2025.
As far as the TOUR Championship goes, before 2024, the 16-time PGA Tour champion had never finished outside the top 10 at East Lake. He would certainly be eager to correct the error from last season. Especially since he has found his form again in 2025. After so many close finishes, it would be wonderful to see Justin Thomas win the $10 million paycheck from the 2025 TOUR Championship.
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