Thirty players are left standing on the PGA Tour, and there is nowhere left to hide in Atlanta. The FedEx Cup playoffs make their final stop at East Lake Golf Club, where the winner will walk away with the Tour Championship and biggest cash prize of the season. For the second straight year, everybody starts from the same place.
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The starting strokes format is gone, and what advantage does Scottie Scheffler receive for finishing first in the season long standings? Absolutely nothing. That said, a $10 million dollar first-place check will have everyone bringing their A-game to the A.
Unless you were intently tuned in last year, you may not recognize East Lake. Andrew Green’s restoration rebuilt every tee, green, fairway and bunker on this golf course. Controlling the golf ball into these more contoured greens matters and avoiding the wrong side of the short-grass runoffs are both key to success.
Here are my top-10 contenders to win the 2026 Tour Championship.
10. Ludvig Aberg 
James Gilbert
East Lake plays wider than it used to, providing room for Ludvig Aberg to swing freely and capitalize on his biggest weapon, the driver. Ideally, that translates into shorter, more repeatable approach shots all week. His season may be described as inconsistent, but that’s only because of the high expectations we have for Aberg.
Aberg owns seven top-10 finishes this season and flashed again with a T-9 at The Open followed by a T-7 in Memphis. His ceiling has always been obvious and this is a great course fit to end his year on a high note.
Read The Line’s Joe Idone and John Haslbauer make the case for Viktor Hovland at the 2026 BMW Championship:
9. Collin Morikawa
The PGA Tour’s preeminent ball-striker might be back. Nobody in this field controls their golf ball quite like Collin Morikawa, and East Lake’s firmer, faster greens are going to reward exactly that. He’s already shown that here, ranking third-best in the field in ball-striking at East Lake over the last six years.
We have waited all season for the putter to cooperate at exactly the right moment since he won at Pebble Beach to start the year. If it finally happens this week, nobody should be surprised if he walks away holding the FedEx Cup.
8. Chris Gotterup
Gotterup has been one of the season’s best stories and has shown elite level win equity, evidenced by his three victories this season. The wider corridors at East Lake invite Gotterup’s speed, and he arrives in solid form off of a nice finish last week in St. Louis.
Players who show up with momentum have proven to be the most predictive metric and often keep it rolling. Winning the Tour Championship, after finishing 10th in his first appearance last season, could promote him to the favorite position for PGA Tour Player of the Year.
7. Si Woo Kim
This feels similar to the storyline we saw from Tommy Fleetwood last year. A player who top 10s every week, lives in the fairway, dominates on approach, and can’t seem to cross the finish line in first place. That could all change this week for Si Woo Kim.
He’s the highest-ranked player in the field without a win this season, and that’s exactly why I like him as a value play. A course that rewards patience and precise iron play sets up well for a player who doesn’t beat himself. I wouldn’t be shocked if this is the week it all comes together.
6. Tommy Fleetwood 
James Gilbert
He’s no longer carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and now Tommy Fleetwood arrives as the defending champion of a PGA Tour event. The recent form hasn’t been quite as explosive as some of the players above him, but Fleetwood doesn’t need one particular part of his game to carry him.
The most important thing is coming back to the “new” version of East Lake that he slayed a year ago. We already know his game works here, and building on those positive memories from 2025 should allow freedom on the greens for Fleetwood. East Lake is a special place for him.
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5. Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele needs this win. He has slid into the field a little under the radar this year, sitting 12th in the standings without much fanfare attached to it. Schauffele is still awaiting that signature moment where he can wear down his opponents with effortless consistency.
His game checks all the boxes. East Lake’s demand for well-rounded golf fits him better than most venues on the schedule. It’s time to show up on Sunday with a chance, and East Lake has been one of the more reliable locales on the schedule for Schauffele.
4. Sam Burns
Sam Burns has been excellent all year, and this season will feel like a major letdown if he can’t end it with a victory. His tee-to-green game always travels well to demanding setups, and the contoured Bermuda greens should actively reward his putting prowess.
Burns gives us enough distance, a high-end approach ceiling and one of the few putters in this field capable of completely changing a tournament over a nine-hole stretch. You should have trust in Sam Burns this week. He has earned it.
3. Wyndham Clark 
James Gilbert
If you had told me six months ago that Wyndham Clark would be the top candidate for PGA Tour Player of the Year, I wouldn’t have believed you. Wyndham Clark walked into Bellerive with two victories this season and walked out with three. He’s proven to be one of the best closers in the sport.
East Lake should give him opportunities to remain aggressive with the driver, but this week requires a little more discipline than Bellerive did. Still, he’s playing too well to talk yourself out of his chances. He is a serious threat to put a bow on a monumental year with a victory in the finale.
2. Rory McIlroy
After the debacle in Memphis, I had no idea what to do with Rory McIlroy. I had so many questions. Seven days later, they’ve all been answered. Now he heads to a golf course where he has won the Tour Championship three separate times.
There isn’t another player in this field whose confidence level can change as quickly as Rory’s. When he sees a couple drives explode off the face and watches a few putts drop, the entire body language changes. If he has that pop in his step this week in Atlanta, he’ll certainly be in the mix for his fourth Tour Championship.
1. Scottie Scheffler
Something catastrophic, like a brutal case of Hand, Foot, & Mouth, has to occur to slow Scottie Scheffler down. Even that can’t fully stop him. He enters the week No. 1 in the FedExCup standings, but that gives him no advantage. The good news for Scheffler, he doesn’t need it.
The formula for will or or won’t he at this point is incredibly simple. If Scheffler putts poorly, the rest of the field has a chance, but he still might win. If Scheffler putts well, nobody stands a chance.
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Joe Idone is a Read The Line contributor and host of the Preferred Lines podcast.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
