The last tournament of the season and final leg of the FedEx Cup (FEC) playoffs are here, and with it comes a couple of different ways you can bet this week.
There are two different options when betting outrights. The first is betting on who will win the TOUR Championship with the starting strokes, and the other is who will win without the starting strokes as if it were a regular tournament.
Patrick Cantlay is looking to be the first Golfer to defend his FedEx Cup Championship successfully and Will Zalatoris has unfortunately withdrawn from the TOUR Championship with a back injury. Scottie Scheffler leads the way and will start at 10-under par. He can join the likes of Justin Thomas (2017), Jason Day (2015), Jordan Spieth (2015) and Tiger Woods (1999, 2000, 2005-2007, 2009, 2013), who’ve won five or more times in a season on the PGA TOUR.
Even though someone like Rory McIlroy won in 2019 after starting in fifth place and five strokes back, it’ll take a Herculean effort like McIlroy, who gained 11 strokes tee-to-green and ended up winning by four strokes. The +EV play should be betting on the golfers to win without starting strokes, and there are some values across the board you should be considering this week.
For a full course preview, key statistics breakdown and additional players to consider on DraftKings Sportsbook, refer to the DraftKings Preview on DraftKings Playbook. Here are the bets we should be considering this week.
All betting odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
WITHOUT FEDEX CUP STARTING STROKES (Winner)
Rory McIlroy to Win (+750) | Top 5 (+150)
It’s been an interesting season for Rory (and golf), but despite the distractions, he’s playing fantastic golf down the stretch. Two wins is a great year for any, but McIlroy is cut from a different cloth, and we can’t think about his season without the “what could’ve been.” A near W at St. Andrews would’ve been the storybook ending for our generation’s best European Golfer, but another win at East Lake may take the sting off his Open Championship runner-up. Over the previous 24 rounds, Rory is first in tee-to-green, ball-striking, strokes gained: total and approach. He’s also first tee-to-green at East Lake over the last 24 rounds. He’s starting six-back from Scheffler but made up a similar deficit in 2019.
Sungjae Im to Win (+2000) | Top 5 (+275)
As mentioned in the preview article, Sungjae has been playing solid golf over the last month, with two runner-up finishes and back-to-back top 15s in the playoffs. What we like about Sungjae this week is his ability off the tee, ranking fourth over the previous 24 rounds. He’s been struggling a touch with his irons over the last two weeks but has been stellar in bogey avoidance over the season, ranking first amongst all TOUR players. Look for him to go low this week, starting six back.
Aaron Wise Top 10 (+190)
East Lake will be more challenging than Wyndham, but Wise is starting near the bottom with nothing to lose. He’s sixth in bogey avoidance, fifth in opportunities gained over the last 12 rounds and sixth in putting on Bermuda over the same timeframe. East Lake shares some correlation to Sedgefield CC, and Wise finished T13 for the tournament while ranking second in SG: off-the-tee and 16th in around-the-green.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.
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