Tour Championship 2025: Course and current form stats for the Play-Off finale

• Another change of format for East Lake finale

• Rory [8/1] tees-up as a three-time course champ

• Take in-form Ben [30/1] for a Top Five finish

Tournament Notes

After six years using a bizarre handicap format to decide the winner of the season-long FedEx Cup trophy, the Tour Championship reverts to a traditional 72-hole stroke play event.

Between 2019 and 2024, the golfer who led the FedEx Cup standings going into the Tour Championship teed-off on Thursday with a score of 10-under-par. The second ranked pro was eight-under, while those qualifying in positions 26 to 30 hit their first strokes at level par.

This, thankfully, has been scrapped. But instead of players carrying forward FedEx Cup points earned during the first seven or eight months of the season, all 30 qualifiers will now start the Tour Championship from scratch.

In other words, it's a 72-hole shoot-out at East Lake, where qualifier No 30 has the same opportunity as the No 1 of ending the season as the PGA Tour's champion golfer for 2025. And in the process scoop the $10m first prize.

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Course Notes

This will be the 25th time that the Tour Championship has been staged at East Lake in Georgia. This lush parkland course, which hosted the 1963 Ryder Cup, is located five miles east of downtown Atlanta.

Tight, tree-lined fairways demand accuracy from the tee, while the greens are usually firm and quick.

Ahead of last year's tournament, East Lake underwent some significant restoration work, under the guidance of Andrew Green.

Fairways were converted from Meyer Zoysia to Zorro Zoysia. This firmed up the ground and ultimately increased the amount of roll on the ball, allowing the venue's topography to possess a greater influence on the outcome of each stroke.

And the reshaping of fairways and greens, with the purpose of also speeding up the roll, reduced the margin for error on approach shots, while focusing the attention on even greater accuracy. This, in turn, promoted more 'risk-reward' opportunities on an ever-more contoured layout.

All putting surfaces were changed from Mini-Verde Bermuda to TifEagle Bermuda. Some fairway and greenside bunkers were modified and relocated. A few changes were made to yardage, with the course approximately 140 yards longer than it had been in 2023. East Lake now plays as a par 71, rather than the pre-2024 total of 70.

These changes meant that putting surfaces were, on average, around 10% larger; total fairway acreage was up from 24 to 29; rough was reduced from 90 acres to 70; and the number of sand bunkers increased from 74 to 78. Water comes into play on six holes.

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Four To Watch

Of those teeing-up this week, no one has been more successful at East Lake than Rory McIlroy 8/19.00.

The world No 2 has posted the lowest 72-hole total at this course on three occasions, and has also finished runner-up once.

The 36-year-old, however, has been a little off-colour since claiming his first Green Jacket in April.

After three early-year victories on iconic courses such as Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National, McIlroy has had to give centre stage to Scottie Scheffler 6/42.50 who has won five of his most recent 10 events.

The relentless Scheffler has not finished lower than eighth in any of his last 13 tournaments and will start as favourite once again.

Ludvig Aberg 16/117.00 appears to be tuning-up his game nicely in time for the Ryder Cup - providing he either qualifies automatically or receives a Wild Card.

The young Swede has posted top-10 finishes in each of the two FedEx Cup Play-Off events contested so far.

Finally, for those chasing a Top Five bet, then Ben Griffin 30/131.00 could fit the bill.

The 29-year-old cannot now qualify automatically for this year's American Ryder Cup team but, at No 9 in the current standings, can still further his claim for a Wild Card.

His form since the middle of May has been excellent and he has risen from 58 to 17 in the World Ranking in 14 weeks. This includes a victory at Colonial.

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Stroke Averages

East Lake (2019-24)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.40: Viktor Hovland (20)
67.55: Justin Thomas (20)
67.58: Rory McIlroy (24)
67.95: Scottie Scheffler (20)
68.00: Collin Morikawa (20)
68.42: Sepp Straka (12)
68.58: Sung Jae Im (24)
68.69: Sam Burns (16)
68.90: Patrick Cantlay (20)
68.92: Tommy Fleetwood (12)
69.00: Hideki Matsuyama (20)
70.06: Corey Conners (16)
Min. No. of Rounds = 12
Only those entered this week are included in table

The Punter's preview for the 2025 Tour Championship