Tour Championship 2025 Preview, Picks & Analysis

Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy? All logic dictates that one or the other will walk away with the end-of-season spoils at this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake. An elite field of 30 will be playing for a fortune, with the PGA Tour tweaking the format yet again. Gone is the starting strokes formula that previously gave the top players in the standings such a huge advantage.

Last year, Scheffler started the week on 10 under par and cruised to the title. This time they all start off on level terms and the man who produces the lowest 72-hole score will be crowned FedEx Cup champion. And, of course, that means that all 30 players start on level terms.

Twelve months ago Scheffler underlined his status as the world's number one golfer with a dominant victory in Atlanta.

It capped a remarkable 2024 for the American who also won an Olympic gold medal, his second Masters and became the first to land successive Players Championship titles. He became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win seven events in a PGA Tour season.

Scheffler, who started the final round with a five-shot lead over Collin Morikawa, shot a four-under 67 to win on 30 under and collect $25m.

His five-shot lead was six after Morikawa bogeyed the first hole and although Morikawa closed the gap to two at one point, the result was never in doubt. Morikawa would have preferred the new format last year as he actually recorded a better 72-hole score than Scheffler without taking the staggered start into account.

Scheffler has enjoyed another stellar season, winning the US PGA and The Open Championship, as well as the CJ Cup and The Memorial - and all this after a sluggish start to the year following a hand injury sustained during the Christmas break. Going into the BMW Championship, he had made 17 starts, with those for wins, one runner-up and 14 top 10s. His worst finish was a tied 25th at the Phoenix Open. It is a quite extraordinary record, and with his win at the BMW he is quite clearly the man to beat at East Lake.

McIlroy is a three-time FedEx Cup champion and is having a season he will not forget in a hurry. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship before finally achieving his life-long dream by claiming The Masters to complete the long-awaited career grand slam. By his own admission, he struggled for motivation for some weeks afterwards and appeared to be out of sorts at the US PGA Championship and US Open. But being cheered every step of the way at The Open at Royal Portrush put a spring back in his step. He finished tied seventh and said he was relishing the rest of the season.

He would dearly love to win again at East Lake, if only because it would send out a powerful message as we close in on the Ryder Cup.

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will be an interested spectator this week with a number of his players looking to get one over on their American counterparts.

Justin Rose struck the first blow by beating US Open champion JJ Spaun to claim the FedEx St Jude in a playoff. 

And although he came up short yet again, Tommy Fleetwood’s form is highly encouraging. He has the highest PGA Tour earnings without a victory, with his runner-up finish to Keegan Bradley at the Travelers and third place at St Jude taking his career earnings in America beyond $32.5m. Ahead of the BMW, he had six top-five finishes this season and 29 on the PGA Tour - 11 more than any other player without a win over the past 40 years, ahead of Brett Quigley with 18.

He came agonisingly close to winning the Travelers Championship earlier in 2025 but three-putted the final green to hand the title to Bradley and looked to be on course to win the St Jude until dropping a shot at the penultimate hole to open the door for Spaun and Rose. It is a measure of his incredible strength of character that he keeps coming back for more - and he will surely be rewarded at some point.

I also expect Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre to be there or thereabouts after another fine season. Although he is still looking for his first win of the year, he came within a whisker of winning the US Open and is full of self-belief.

In truth, Ludvig Aberg has had a pretty disappointing season. He won the Genesis in February and finished seventh at The Masters after a final-hole disaster but missed the cut at The Players, US PGA and US Open. However, his recent form has been encouraging with a tied eighth at the Scottish Open, tied 23rd at The Open and tied ninth at the FedEx St Jude.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Jordan Spieth, in 2016, 2019 and 2022 by Rory McIlroy, in 2017 by Xander Schauffele, in 2018 by Tiger Woods, in 2020 by Dustin Johnson, in 2021 by Patrick Cantlay, in 2023 Viktor Hovland and last year by Scottie Scheffler.

The Course:

East Lake opened in 1908 and was first redesigned by Donald Ross in 1913. Further renovations followed before Rees Jones created the layout we know today back in 2008. The Tour Championship was first played here in 1998. The course is a par 72 measuring 7,346 yards. As the name implies, it features plenty of water hazards. Zach Johnson set the course record of 60 in 2007.

Form Guide:

Can anybody beat Scottie Scheffler? It would take a brave man to bet against him. His form this season has been sensational, winning two majors and being there or thereabouts almost every time he tees it up.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund at East Lake is $40m, with the winner collecting $10m and being crowned FedEx Cup champion.

How to Watch:

Thursday, August 21, Sky Sports Golf, 7pm; Friday, August 22, Sky Sports Golf, 6.30pm; Saturday, August 23, Sky Sports Golf, 6pm; Sunday, August 24, Sky Sports Golf, 6pm.

To Win:

Scottie Scheffler. Who else?

Each Way:

Rory McIlroy. Would love to put one over on Scheffler

Each Way:

Tommy Fleetwood. Keeps bouncing back

Five to Follow:

Scottie Scheffler. Looks unbeatable

Rory McIlroy. Will surely give Scheffler a run for his money

Tommy Fleetwood. You have to take your hat off to the Englishman

JJ Spaun. Having the year of his life

Justin Rose. Ageless