Tour Championship 2024 Tips: 12/1 Burns to shine at East Lake

• 12/113.00 Sam Burns has been hot through the Playoffs

• 8/19.00 Burns can star in a Top 10 treble with Clark and Hovland

• 10/34.33 Justin Thomas is a course horse and can thrive again

We know the drill by now but that doesn't mean to say it still seems far from satisfactory.

Fans of 80s gameshow, 'The Krypton Factor', will recall that the weaker contestants (that status decided during practice sessions) were given a head start over the strongest competitors in the obstacle course round.

It made sense. The jeopardy was perfect. Could those given a helping hand hold on or would they be chased down as the race unfolded?

In the FedEx Cup finale, that dynamic is reversed. It would be fascinating to see the best/most in-form players trying to play catch-up but, instead, they're given a head start! Yes, the ones who need it least, are handed an advantage.

Okay, they've earned it via their own regular season excellence but this is a format supposed to create drama.

Anyway, the bottom line is this: FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler starts at 10-under, with Xander Scheffler (No.2 in the rankings) teeing off at 8-under. And so it goes on until we're left with the starting grid below. Feel free to reverse it in your head and think how much more fun that would be.

10-under Scottie Scheffler
8-under Xander Schauffele
7-under Hideki Matsuyama
6-under Keegan Bradley
5-under Ludvig Aberg
4-under Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay
3-under Sungjae Im, Sahith Theegala, Shane Lowry, Adam Scott, Tony Finau
2-under Byeong Hun An, Viktor Hovland, Russell Henley, Akshay Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre
1-under Billy Horschel, Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Matthieu Pavon, Taylor Pendrith
Even Chris Kirk, Tom Hoge, Aaron Rai, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Justin Thomas

So, Chris Kirk gives Scheffler a 10-shot start. Okay. Good luck this week Chris.

East Lake has staged 24 Tour Championships but a renovation of the Zoysia fairways is set to quicken the course whose greens have been altered from Mini-Verde Bermuda to TifEagle Bermuda. Par is now 71 after the 14th was lengthened enough to play as a Par 5.

For those believing Nos 1 and 2 won't be reeled in, there's a 'without Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele' market which is handy. Note, that's a 'win only' market.

Back Sam Burns W/O Scheffler, Schauffele (With Starting Strokes) @ 12/113.00

Different players have taken it in turns to shine in the FedEx Cup Playoffs but one constant in the top five has been Sam Burns.

And with momentum so important at this time of year, the American is definitely worth supporting again this week.

Burns shot a second-round 63 on the way to fifth place in the St. Jude Championship and last week in Colorado he came home in 65 blows to tie for second.

He now has just six players in front of him on the starting grid and, of course, that becomes four if we play him in the market with Scheffler and Schauffele taken out.

Burns has three strokes to make up on Matsuyama, two on Bradley and one on Aberg. He'll also start level with McIlroy, Morikawa, Clark and Cantlay.

But there must be a chance he can burst past those above him.

Is Matsuyama right after pulling out of the BMW with a back injury? Can Bradley really do it in successive weeks? Is Aberg a little hit and miss right now in terms of both finishes (40-2) in the Playoffs and round scores (72-63-71-71) at the BMW?

Even if they all perform well enough, Burns is a danger due to some excellent scoring fueled by a red-hot putter (2nd for SG: Putting in both Playoff events).

As for course form, he rather underperformed in his first two trips to East Lake despite showing flashes such as a 67-68 weekend finish in 2022.

But last year he opened with a pair of 66s and closed with a 67, shooting the joint-fourth best score of the 30 players on show.

Back Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland & Sam Burns all to Finish in the top 10 Including Ties @ 8/19.00

Burns also takes my eye in another market, featuring Viktor Hovland and Wyndham Clark.

The trio need to all make the top 10 (including ties) and will start the tournament tied sixth (Burns), tied sixth (Clark) and tied 16th (respectively).

A look at last year's actual scores certainly helps their case as Hovland was a mile clear alongside Schauffele, with Clark best of the rest.

2023: -19 Hovland, Schauffele, -12 Clark, -10 Burns, Morikawa, -9 Schenk, Straka, Cantlay.

Obviously Hovland isn't in that kind of form but there have been flashes and second place at St. Jude (surely a better form guide than the 26th up in the altitude of Denver) suggests he's very capable of making up the six spots he needs to rise from 16th to 10th.

Clark slipped to 13th in the BMW after a sticky Sunday but that followed seventh at St. Jude so he's in fine fettle too on his return to a course where he played really well 12 months ago.

Backing three players with plenty of good recent form to crack the top 10 is worth a punt at the odds.

Back Justin Thomas for Top 10 Finish Including Ties @ 10/34.33

We need to be a bit creative this week so let's try another market.

If anyone in the field will feel he's on bonus time it's Justin Thomas.

J.T. looked set to miss out on qualification for the final 30 when sat 31st after completing his closing 68 at the BMW Championship in Colorado.

But Brian Harman's double bogey at 18 along with Alex Noren's bogey at 17 put him the right side of the line.

"I'm going to be beyond a long shot, but in my eyes I have a chance, and that's all I want," said Thomas, who's had some fun with that line on X.

It certainly is a long shot - 275/1276.00 if you're interested - but Thomas' course history at East Lake deserves plenty of respect.

And given that it reads 6-2-7-9-3-4-4 in his seven starts since 2016, heading to the Top 10 Including Ties market makes plenty of sense.

Thomas will tee off joint-last on one hand but only three shots behind tied 11th if you looks through a glass half full lens.

An East Lake playing firm and fast will suit and he also has incentive to get onto the US Presidents Cup team.

Sure, there are some doubts about his current form (30th and 39th in the Playoffs) but on this course he could have something up his sleeve.

The two-time major winner is more than capable of hauling himself into the top 10, a feat that pays 10/34.33.

* You can follow me at @Davetindallgolf

Now read Steve Rawlings' British Masters tipping preview here!