Tour Championships tips: Viktor Hovland can sneak into the places in Atlanta
- Martin Colwell
- 23 August 2023
The 2022/23 season comes to an end on the USPGA Tour and thirty golfers play for $20M. Can golf tipster Martin Colwell dig up the players with the best chances of winning big?
The 2022/23 season comes to an end on the USPGA Tour and thirty golfers play for $20M. Can golf tipster Martin Colwell dig up the players with the best chances of winning big.
The Tour Championship takes place at its usual venue, East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. A par 70 and 7,346 yards in length.
The fairways are Zoysia grass based, which can produce flyers. They are tree lined and there are six water hazards, mostly placed on the closing holes. The rough is Bermuda grass and is gnarly and you get unpredictable flight and spin when playing from it. The greens are also Bermuda based and are fast and undulating.
Driving accuracy and greens in regulation are key metrics here and temperatures should be hot!
The tournament is played on a handicap strokes basis, based upon how you have performed over the Fed Ex season. The current ratings allow the following golfers to start as follows:
Scottie Scheffler - 10 under par;
Viktor Hovland - 8 under par;
Rory McIlroy - 7 under par;
Jon Rahm - 6 under par;
Luca Glover - 5 under par;
The rest of the filed - 4 to 0 under par, dependent on their points total.
Previous results and game theory optimal points us to the top of the board to find a winner.
Scottie Scheffler is priced at 6/4 in the market. That does seem short for someone who is still having putting woes. That cost him the win last week.
Rory McIlroy is 7/2 and three strokes back. Rory has a great record at this course. He won here in 2022 and has been placed three out of the previous other four years. Can he keep the ball straight this week at a course that has punishing rough?
Next in the betting is Viktor Hovland. The winner last week after a closing sixty-one on Sunday. The Norwegian is two strokes back of Scottie and has been in top form in recent months. I like the 5/1 you can get as cracking each-way value.
Jon Rahm has been letting us down lately. Not at his best in recent times. Being four strokes off the lead at the start of the week may motivate him. But he needs to find his best game quickly. The 8/1 available will look big if he can get off to a flyer on Thursday.
Recent back-to-back winner Lucas Glover is five strokes off the lead. After a poor week last time out, his odds have gone out to 33/1. But he must be potential each-way value at those odds.
I find it hard to seeing anyone else making up the ground on the top guys this week.
The guy with excellent course form is Xander Schauffele. Xander is on -3 and so seven strokes off the lead. I would expect Xander to play well this week and can potentially sneak a place finish. He is currently priced at 28/1.
Suggested bet: Viktor Hovland (e/w)
