Everybody Has a Chance at FedEx Cup as PGA Pros Pull Into Atlanta

This is one of the more exciting weeks of the year for golf bettors, possibly ranking just outside the four majors in terms of significance. There has literally been a playoff to determine who is going to win FedEx Cup, pocket a $10 million bonus and quite possibly win the award for Player of the Year. The final chapter is the TOUR Championship, which gets underway on Thursday and lasts through Sunday at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which has been the host of this event since 2004.

People ask why there is so much radical movement up and down these standings during these playoffs as compared to the regular season. Well, that’s because the Tour events throughout the rest of the season are generally worth 500 points, with the exception of 550 for the World Golf Championship events, 600 for the majors and the Players Championship, and 300 for some lower-rung tournaments. But each of the events that is part of the Fed Ex Cup playoffs is worth 2500 points.

And this is not like NASCAR where they have a “Chase for the Sprint Cup” with twelve finalists who can score points, but all the other drivers can still race. This is the final step in the process where the field of those eligible for the Cup is whittled down, to the point where there are thirty players and thirty players only who are in this tournament.

Here are the odds to win the TOUR Championship, as they are listed at Bet365.com. We feel compelled to list all of them, with this exclusive field:

Tiger Woods 9/2
Adam Scott 9/1
Phil Mickelson 16/1
Zach Johnson 16/1
Justin Rose 16/1
Luke Donald 18/1
Steve Stricker 18/1
Jason Day 18/1
Hunter Mahan 18/1
Henrik Stenson 20/1
Matt Kuchar 20/1
Brandt Snedeker 20/1
Jim Furyk 20/1
Jason Dufner 25/1
Sergio Garcia 28/1
Keegan Bradley 28/1
Jordan Spieth 28/1
Charl Schwartzel 28/1
Nick Watney 33/1
Webb Simpson 35/1
Graham Delaet 40/1
Bill Haas 40/1
Dustin Johnson 45/1
Gary Woodland 55/1
Roberto Castro 60/1
Billy Horschel 66/1
Kevin Steelman 66/1
Brendon De Jonge 70/1
Boo Weekely 140/1
DA Points 150/1

Out of these 30, there are just five players who will win the FedEx Cup automatically if they win the TOUR Championship:Tiger Woods, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar

So it stands to reason that the other 25 guys are going to need some help. Woods can actually finish 29th in this tournament and still have a chance to win the Cup.

And Woods has a strong case for Player of the Year, even though he didn’t win any majors. He won five of the 15 tournaments he has entered, including the Players’ Championship, which is the unofficial “fifth major,” along with two of the World Championship of Golf events, which carry with them a great deal of impact, Woods was also a top ten finisher in both the Masters and British Open. In 2007 he blitzed the field to shoot a tournament record of 23 under par. He’s also finished second at this course three times.

Last week he came tied for eleventh in the BMW Championship, and took advantage of a rough week for Stenson to reassume the points lead in the FedEx Cup standings.

Zach Johnson got a big boost from his win last week, as he moved into fourth place. And he tied for second place here in 2007. Jim Furyk, who fired a record-tying 59 in the second round last week and followed it with rounds of 69 and 71, got third place and is 11th in the standings. That is the same position he won the Cup from in 2010 when he captured the TOUR Championship.

If Adam Scott wins this tournament, he is most likely going to walk away with Player of the Year honors. He won the Masters, of course, but he was also very much in contention in the British Open (tying him for third) and the PGA Championship (tied for fifth). He tied for third place at the Cadillac Championship with a final round of 64, and got one of these playoff tournaments at The Barclays. His track record at East Lake includes a win in this event in 2006, as he shot eleven under par.

Hunter Mahan, who is 15th in the standings, should be very competitive in this event, as he has finished in the top ten three times at this venue, including second place to Brandt Snedeker last year. Luke Donald took advantage of some home cook9ing at Conway farms last week and used it to move himself to 29th place in the standings, which means he doesn’t need as much help as he would have otherwise.

Would Phil Mickelson be a Player of the year candidate if he won this tournament? Probably, considering that he won a major (the British Open) as well as the Phoenix Open, has two seconds (including the U.S. Open) and two thirds (including the Cadillac). After non-contention at the PGA Championship, he had a great final round of 65 at The Barclays to tie for sixth, then squandered an opening round of 63 to drop to 41st in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Last week he tied for 33rd at the BMW.

Your one and only place for golf betting is Bet365.com!

With Rory McIlroy struggling to find form we like Woods, Scott and Stenson as potential bets for this years BMW Championship

After the four majors are over and done with, PGA Tour professionals have something else that is relatively prestigious to shoot for – that of FedEx Cup champion. A critical event along that road is taking place from Thursday through Sunday at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois (outside Chicago). For those golf bettors who are interested in following along on television, Golf Channel will provide the coverage for the first two days, with NBC stepping in for Saturday and Sunday. If you are new to golf betting, then you should navigate to our golf betting guide.

The defending champion, Rory McIlroy, is priced at 22 to 1 (+2200), U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, who won the event two years ago, is 18 to 1 (+1800). Brandt Snedeker, who won the FedEx Cup last year, is 40 to 1. Adam Scott, Masters champion and a Player of the Year candidate, who won The Barclays (the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs) is 13 to 1 (+1300). And Henrik Stenson, another hot hand who took home $1.44 million last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, is 12 to 1 (+1200).

At 5Dimes, these are the players who are priced at 30 to 1 or better: Use the odds converter if you need to.

Adam Scott (13 to 1)
Dustin Johnson (25 to 1)
Henrik Stenson (12 to 1)
Jason Day (30 to 1)
Jason Dufner (22 to 1)
Jordan Spieth (25 to 1)
Justin Rose (18 to 1)
Keegan Bradley (35 to 1)
Luke Donald (35 to 1)
Matt Kuchar (20 to 1)
Phil Mickelson (15 to 1)
Rory McIlroy (22 to 1)
Steve Stricker (18 to 1)
Tiger Woods (13 to 2)
Webb Simpson (35 to 1)

There are seventy players in the field, and the BMW Championship is part of the process for determining the winner of the FedEx Cup, which is conducted using a points system. After the Deutsche Bank, which along with The Barclays is part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the number of eligible players was whittled down to the 70 who will tee off Thursday, and after the BMW is concluded that number will be further reduced to 30, and those are the competitors who will play in the Tour Championship, which is where the FedEx Cup winner will ultimately be decided because each player will be sitting in a position where he has a mathematical chance.

And oh, a $10 million bonus will be awarded.

Right now, only eleven players are guaranteed spots for next week, so there will be a lot of “jockeying” as the BMW gets underway.

Surely it is no big surprise to anyone that Tiger Woods is the tournament favorite at 13 to 2, or +650 at 5Dimes. Even though the site of this event changes, he has nonetheless had plenty of success in the event. In fact, Woods won this event three times when it was known as the Western Open. Since it took on BMW as a sponsor, he has won it twice – in 2007 and 2009.

The reason that all 30 players will have a chance to win the FedEx Cup when they play the Tour Championship is that the points will be reset in such a way as to make that possible. However, there is a perk for those who go into that event in Atlanta next week among the top five point getters – any of them will be guaranteed the FedEx Cup title if they win that tournament.

It really is like one big major.

Right now three players stand far above the rest in terms of points – Woods, Scott and Stenson. Some calamity would most likely have to happen to all three for one of them not to win the Cup. So there will be, essentially, 67 players looking for at least a top three finish in order to give themselves a real opportunity come next week. Any player who is currently among the top twenty in points has the ability to assume the #1 spot with a win this weekend.

Woods was right there at The Barclays (tied for 2nd) but disappointed with 65th place last week in Boston. Scott and Stenson are riding on a little momentum, having won those tourneys. And Rose, the 18 to 1 shot, has a chance to make a move here because of his superior ball-striking ability. Want a longshot possibility? How about Graham DeLaet, the Canadian birdie machine (fifth on tour in that category) who missed the cut in the PGA Championship, but then tied for second in The Barclays and grabbed third place in the Deustche Bank, but still finds himself 34th in the points standings. He goes to Lake Forest priced at 40 to 1.

Looking for a unique angle? Well, there aren’t many tour pros who have played this course, because it has never been home to a PGA Tour event. But there is someone who is VERY familiar with it. Luke Donald (35 to 1 at 5Dimes) is actually a dues-paying member, so he is likely to know the course inside and out, even though it has been spruced up quite a bit for this PGA event. In 54th place in the points standings, Donald will have to do something rather dramatic to get himself back in real contention; in fact, in all likelihood he’ll have be a top five finisher on his “home” course.

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