RADIO
Joe Nicely ranks his top 10 golfers ahead of the 2023 TOUR Championship event. Who are the top PGA Tour golfers at this week's TOUR Championship golf tournament? Which golfers can win the tournament at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia when the FedEx Cup Playoffs continue August 24, 2023?
The 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs are clicking right along with Viktor Hovland scoring the most impressive win of his young career in last week's BMW Championship. This week's TOUR Championship will mark the final leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, as the Top-30 players in the standings following last week's BMW Championship head to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia with hopes of making a run at the FedEx Cup and the massive payday that goes along with it.
In this article, you will find my 2023 TOUR Championship Power Rankings, which gives golf fans a first look into the top 10 golfers who are primed to make a significant impact in this year's edition of the event. These players should be considered serious contenders at East Lake this week and are legitimate threats to take home the FedEx Cup title when the tournament gets underway on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Hopefully, these rankings provide some insight into the current landscape of the PGA Tour, the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and the upcoming tournament. Players have been evaluated on recent performances, statistical analysis, course history, and this week's unique "staggered start" format. With a one-of-a-kind format, an elite field of just 30 competitors, and an East Lake layout that can be challenging, the 2023 TOUR Championship promises to be a fun tournament for golf fans and an intense one for golfers trying to make their mark in history with a FedEx Cup title.
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#10. Sungjae Im
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -2
It's been a relatively quiet summer for the talented South Korean, but Sungjae Im's ball striking appears to have awakened just in time for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Im has gained a combined 17.2 strokes T2G over his last three outings, resulting in T7 or better finishes in each of his last two starts.
In addition to the trending form, he's boasts some nice Tour Championship history. The 25-year-old grinder scored a runner-up result in last year's renewal and has also recorded a pair of additional top-15 results across his four career trips to East Lake.
#9. Russell Henley
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -3
Something of a forgotten man on the PGA Tour, it would be a mistake to overlook Russell Henley this week. The UGA alum heads to his old stomping grounds with fantastic form. Henley finished second in last week's elite BMW Championship field in SG: T2G (+6.9) en route to a T8 result at Olympia Fields. He's now gained a combined 16.2 strokes T2G across his last three starts.
While Henley hasn't qualified for the Tour Championship since 2017, he has performed well in previous trips to East Lake, logging a T3 in 2017 and a T12 in 2014. He'll likely fly under the radar in this star-studded field and makes for a intriguing DFS value option.
#8. Xander Schauffele
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -3
Perhaps no one is better equipped to overcome a large deficit this week than Xander Schauffele. The X-Man has been an absolute beast at East Lake throughout his career. He's now reeled off four consecutive top-five finishes in the Tour Championship and leads this week's group of entrants in SG: Total at East Lake since 2018.
🚨XANDER SCHAUFFELE WILL AUTO QUALIFY FOR TEAM USA AT THE 2023 RYDER CUP AT MARCO SIMONE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB.
HE EARNS JUST ENOUGH POINTS AT THE BMW CHAMPIONSHIP TO MOVE INTO THE 6TH SPOT FOR ZACH JOHNSON's TEAM IN ROME. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/IYO1OX8g5z
— Xander Schauffele Legion (@XanderLegion) August 20, 2023
Schauffele has been relatively quiet since his notable U.S. Open outing, though he did show some encouraging signs of life in the BMW Championship, gaining nearly four strokes Off The Tee en route to a T8 at Olympia Fields. If you're making any "without starting strokes" bets this week, Xander is a player to circle.
#7. Lucas Glover
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -5
What a run it has been for 43-year-old Lucas Glover, who has now won two out of his last three starts, thanks in large part to his decision to switch to a long, broom-stick style putter recently. It has certainly been a game changer for Glover, as he's now played his way into this week's Tour Championship and starting position that's the fifth-best in the field.
Lucas Glover on if he's thought about the Ryder Cup. 👀 pic.twitter.com/S109A0fopz
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) August 14, 2023
Though he might not have the star power of some of the other Tour Championship entrants, Glover shouldn't be ignored this week, as the ball striking remained hot last week at the BMW Championship (+3.5 strokes T2G). We've seen crazy Playoff runs before with players like Bill Haas, Brandt Snedeker, and Billy Horschel catching fire at just the right time of the season, similar to what Glover is doing at the moment. He heads to Atlanta motivated to both win the FedEx Cup and make the first Ryder Cup of his career.
#6. Max Homa
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -4
It's been a year of ebbs and flows for Max Homa, who started the 2023 season with wins at the Fortinet Championship and Farmers Insurance Open. Homa hit a bit of a lull over the summer but looks intent on finishing the season strong, as he's now reeled off four consecutive top-12 finishes, including a sparkling T5 last week at the BMW Championship that included a Friday round of 62.
Homa will be making his second consecutive trip to East Lake. He found the Atlanta layout to his liking last year and his four-round total of 15-under par was the third-best raw score of the week. It indicates the Californian has the firepower needed to close the gap between himself and those starting in better positions.
Max Homa sets course record at Olympia Fields to lead BMW Championship: https://t.co/ztJkvhFXWV pic.twitter.com/kHMtkXwXiU
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) August 19, 2023
#5. Patrick Cantlay
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -4
"Playoff Pat" continued his strong run of postseason play with a solid, if unspectacular, T15 last week at the BMW Championship. Cantlay gained 5.1 strokes T2G at Olympia Fields, which was good for seventh in the field on the week.
He'll need to do even more this week at East Lake, as he enters the Tour Championship just on the edge of a reasonable deficit, starting the week at four-under-par, six shots back of Scottie Scheffler. The Californian has proven his ability to thrive in golf's postseason before, winning three playoff events in the past two years and capturing the FedEx Cup title in 2021 by logging four rounds of 69 or better at East Lake.
Another @BMWchamps in the books. Looking to finish the season strong @TOURChamp ! pic.twitter.com/AfvZ7rD92T
— Patrick Cantlay (@patrick_cantlay) August 20, 2023
#4. Jon Rahm
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -6
Jon Rahm has largely been a non-factor in the FedEx Cup Playoffs and he again struggled mightily last week at an Olympia Fields layout on which he won in 2020. Rahm lost just over 2.5 strokes T2G last week at the BMW Championship, a brutal effort that left him ranked 40th in the 50-man field in that telling statistical category.
While his dominant start to the year now feels like a very long time ago, his early-2023 excellence has allowed him to accumulate enough FedEx Cup points to start this week at six-under par, just four strokes back of Scottie Scheffler. It's certainly a margin that a player of Rahm's caliber can overcome. Though the recent form has inarguably been bad by his lofty standards, the Spaniard is talented enough to play winning golf on any given week.
Jon Rahm has been a beast on the greens this year 🤯
- 1st in birdie average
- 1st in birdie or better percentage
- 1st in eagles (holes per)
- 1st in putting from 15-20’
- 1st in putting from 3’ pic.twitter.com/1bWXRIyNWe— Odyssey Golf (@odysseygolf) August 16, 2023
#3. Viktor Hovland
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -8
The loveable Norwegian continues to impress in 2023. After a year that's been a breakthrough campaign and included a win at the Memorial along with his best efforts to date in the majors, Viktor Hovland raised the bar yet again last week with a record-breaking Sunday 61 that led to a victory at the BMW Championship.
It was certainly no fluke, as the rising star has, ridiculously, gained strokes T2G in every one of his 2023 starts. His consistently-elite ball striking has provided a sky-high floor from week to week, while his evolving short game has made big enough strides to elevate him to a new level this year. The 25-year-old heads to the ATL with a truckload of steam and with the second-best starting position in the field at eight-under-par.
A course-record 61 for the win! 🏆
Viktor Hovland is victorious @BMWChamps with a thrilling Sunday performance!#FedExCup pic.twitter.com/8L6WLiPJxa
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 20, 2023
#2. Rory McIlroy
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -7
Rory McIlroy owns the third-best starting position this week (-7) and arguably the best track record at East Lake of anyone in this year's field. McIlroy won last year's FedEx Cup on the strength of a dynamic 63-66 weekend.
The man from Northern Ireland has gained 27.05 strokes Total on the Atlanta layout over the last five years and captured two FedEx Cup titles in that time (three overall). He enters this year's edition in perhaps his finest form of the year. McIlroy has now finished inside the top 10 in each of his last eight starts and he grades out second among this week's Tour Championship qualifiers in SG: T2G over the last 24 rounds.
Rory McIlroy began the Tour Championship with a triple-bogey.
He ended it with his third career FedEx Cup victory.
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) August 29, 2022
#1. Scottie Scheffler
TOUR Championship Starting Position: -10
Yes, Viktor Hovland walked away with the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields, but Scottie Scheffler was once again in the mix, finishing with a T2.
Scheffler's truly historical season from T2G continued at the BMW, where he gained an eye-opening 14.34 strokes T2G. The Texan led the field in SG: T2G, Off The Tee, and Approach for the week.
He now heads to Atlanta both with the top starting position (-10) of the week and highly motivated to erase the bad memories of his Sunday collapse in last year's Tour Championship. Though he hasn't won a tournament since the Players Championship in March, few would argue that Scheffler hasn't been the best and most consistent player in the world this year from tee-to-green. That darn putter...
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