Golf Grand Slam

The Course: East Lake Golf Club

East Lake has hosted the PGA Tour’s season finale continuously since 2004 and has been remade since its most recent Tour Championship appearance under architect Andrew Green, whose restoration leaned on rediscovered 1949 aerial photography to bring back the Donald Ross design sensibilities of the club’s 1913 layout. The course now plays as a par 71 at roughly 7,455 yards — a stroke longer than in past years after the downhill 14th was shifted back to a par 5 — with rebuilt, enlarged Bermuda greens, repositioned fairway bunkers, and fewer trees opening up sightlines across the property. Founded in 1904 as the home course of Bobby Jones, East Lake remains one of the sport’s most storied grounds even in its updated form.

What the Course Rewards

East Lake is a premium ball-striker’s test — tree-lined corridors and Bermuda rough punish wayward drives, while the firmer, larger, undulating greens demand precise distance control and reward players who can convert good looks under pressure. The finishing stretch, redesigned to intensify late-round volatility, has a habit of deciding the tournament outright, so composure and course experience matter as much as raw ability. With no starting-strokes cushion this year, every player begins the week on truly level footing, which puts an even greater premium on who’s actually playing well right now rather than who had the best regular season.

The Big Story: Scheffler’s Points Lead vs. a Red-Hot Field

Scottie Scheffler enters East Lake atop the FedEx Cup standings for a fifth consecutive season, but the modern no-starting-strokes format means that lead buys him nothing once the tournament begins — every one of the 30 players in the field starts at even par with an equal shot at the $10 million winner’s prize. Wyndham Clark arrives with the field’s hottest form after a runaway BMW Championship win, his third title of the season, and will be chasing his first FedEx Cup. Cameron Young, fresh off winning THE PLAYERS Championship, and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood round out the group with the clearest cases to walk away with the Cup.

Favorites & Contenders

Scottie Scheffler — FedEx Cup points leader for the fifth straight year and the sport’s most consistent performer, even though the standings lead carries no on-course advantage this week.

Wyndham Clark — Three wins this season and the field’s hottest player entering Atlanta, chasing his first FedEx Cup title.

Cameron Young — Winner of THE PLAYERS Championship this year, capping a genuine breakout season.

Rory McIlroy — Completed the career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters and successfully defended it in 2026; elite ball-striking makes him a threat on any big stage.

Tommy Fleetwood — The defending Tour Championship winner, looking to become the first repeat champion of the current no-starting-strokes format.

2026 Major Season Recap

All four majors are in the books heading into the Tour Championship: Rory McIlroy successfully defended his Masters title after completing his career Grand Slam there in 2025, Aaron Rai claimed his first major at the PGA Championship, Wyndham Clark won a dramatic U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and Ryan Fox birdied the 72nd hole at Royal Birkdale to capture his maiden major at The Open Championship. The Tour Championship closes out the PGA Tour season and determines the GGS Tour Championship Finale field — the top 25% of season standings — bringing the pool’s own year-long competition to its conclusion alongside the real FedEx Cup.

Pool Strategy for Your Picks

With only 30 players in the field and no starting-strokes advantage, this is the most wide-open budget week of the season — every golfer here is capable of a low round, so lean on the Recent Form tab to separate players riding momentum (like Clark and Cantlay) from those simply parked on points. There’s no limit on how many $8 golfers you can roster for the Finale, so if your budget allows, stacking proven closers with strong East Lake history can be a stronger play than spreading picks thin across mid-tier value. Since the field is small and top-heavy with quality, the best 6-of-7 scoring format rewards consistency across your whole roster over one big boom-or-bust pick.

Key Stats for East Lake Golf Club

• SG: Approach — rebuilt, firmer greens demand precise distance control into tight targets
• SG: Putting — larger, more contoured Bermuda greens reward players who convert under pressure
• Driving Accuracy — tree-lined corridors and thick Bermuda rough punish loose tee shots
• Current Form — no starting strokes means recent momentum matters more than season-long standing
• East Lake / Tour Championship experience — the volatile closing stretch has decided the tournament outright in past years; past performance here is a meaningful signal
• Closing-round composure — a 30-man field with an equal-footing format tends to come down to who handles Sunday pressure best