Fantasy League: Tour Championship preview

We’re staying on the PGA Tour for the Today’s Golfer Fantasy League event this week for the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta.

The top-30 players in the standings will be battling for a big-money payout with a possible $11.44m on offer for the winner of both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

The top five players in the standings will secure the top prize should they win this week but those waiting in the wings will take heart from Jim Furyk’s performance last year, winning both titles from 11th in the standings at the start of the event.

This year is the first time the course layout hasn’t been changed from the previous year. But the rough is down at a mere two-and-a-quarter inches because of the dry summer, so hitting the fairways won’t be as important as it has been in previous years.

Finding the greens in regulation will therefore be key, no more so than on the 235-yard, par-3 finishing hole. The winning score hasn’t been in double figures under par since the course changed to Bermuda grass back in 2008 so look to pick players that keep bogeys off the card.

TG’s six-man Fantasy League team for the Tour Championship is:

Luke Donald, $4.5m

Runner up at East Lake last year, Donald secured his twelfth top-10 finish of the season last week at Cog Hill and would have been in contention had it not been for an uncharacteristic opening round of 75. He currently tops the bogey avoidance stats. His precision iron play will be a factor on this tough par-70 track.

Webb Simpson, $1.4m

The FedEx Cup leader hasn’t been outside the top-10 in his last four starts and led the greens in regulation stats at Cog Hill. Two wins already this season, Simpson lies 10th in greens in regulation and second in bogey avoidance.

John Senden, $1.1m
Senden was second his greens hit en route to his solo-second finish last week at the BMW Championship and tops the greens in regulation stats for the season. Senden has been a model of consistency this year and is currently 9th in the FedEx Cup standings.

KJ Choi, $2.1m
Choi shared 10th at the BMW Championship last week and has posted top-10s in his last two starts at East Lake. Has a steady game that’s ideal for this course and is peaking at just the right time. Starts the week 13th in the standings.

Geoff Ogilvy, $2.3m
The Aussie will be looking for his fairytale playoff journey to continue after getting the third-place finish he needed to earn a place in the field this week having birdied the final hole at the Deutsche Bank two weeks previously to progress.

David Toms, $1.3m
Toms recorded a top-10 last week and sits third in greens in regulation. May be too far back in the standings (16th) to compete for the big bucks, but has the game to be in the mix come Sunday.

> You can register for the free Today’s Golfer Fantasy League and pick your team here.