The Money List: Best bets for the TOUR Championship
20 Aug
Golf
Guy Giles
Guy Giles' golf tips for this week's season-ending TOUR Championship include a player to win, an each-way shout and an outside shot.

Back to win: Justin Thomas 5/2

It is hard to bet on anyone but Thomas winning at East Lake this week.

The new format of the TOUR Championship sees the 26-year-old start on 10 under par, a two-shot lead over the rest of the field, owing to his lead in the FedExCup standings.

Not only does Thomas have those two shots in his favour, but the American has a wonderful record in Atlanta, finishing seventh, second and sixth on his last three starts here.

He also has the momentum of a victory at the BMW Championship behind him, winning by three shots at Medinah on Sunday.

Each-way shout: Rory McIlroy 8/1

McIlroy will start the tournament five shots behind FedExCup leader Thomas, but his solid record at East Lake puts him in the mix for the $15million bonus.

The Northern Irishman has four top-10 finishes from five starts in Atlanta, including a come-from-behind win in 2016 in which he defeated Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell in a play-off.

A T19 finish at the BMW Championship last weekend was disappointing, but he has been in good form since his Open disaster, finishing T4 at the Northern Trust and T6 at the St. Jude Invitational.

This would be the third win of McIlroy’s season if he were to triumph, following victories at the Players Championship and the Canadian Open.

Outside shot: Xander Schauffele 25/1

Schauffele starts a further shot behind McIlroy but is worth a punt at East Lake, a course which he loves playing.

The 25-year-old won the TOUR Championship on his debut in Atlanta two years ago and followed that up with a T7 finish last season.

While he’s had the best season, a return to familiar fairways in Georgia could spark something for the American.

Justin Rose 40/1 is an even longer shot at eight strokes back but his record at East Lake reads 2-6-4-2-10-4 and he is worth a flutter.

Back to win, 72-hole strokeplay: Hideki Matsuyama 16/1

If you have been thrown off by the new format of the TOUR Championship, Betway is also offering a 72-hole market for the best player over the four days.

Matsuyama went lights out at times last weekend as he finished T3 at the BMW Championship, with two rounds of 63 the highlight.

He ranked third in total shots gained and shots gained from tee to green across the four days, and that kind of form is hard to ignore.

The 27-year-old needs to find some consistency but he enjoys playing at East Lake, with his stellar iron play suited to the technical par-70 course, as illustrated by a T4 finish here last year.

Visit Betway's golf betting page.