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PGA Golf

2013 TOUR Championship Preview/Picks & Gambling Lines

PGA Betting Predictions

The final event of the 2013 PGA TOUR season is here, as the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings head to East Lake for the TOUR Championship.

2013 TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Course: East Lake Golf Club
Total Purse: US $ 8,000,000
Winner’s Share: US $ 1,440,000 (18% of total purse)

Defending Champion: Brandt Snedeker ($1,440,000)

East Lake seems to be the perfect spot for the final event on the PGA TOUR calendar – on paper it seems to favor no specific skill-set.

The course itself measures 7,154 yards – a par 70 that looks much more difficult than advertised. The average score here was 70.4 in 2012 – about middle of the pack among the 13 par 70s played last year. Driving accuracy and a good scrambling game will definitely help and as always a hot putter will certainly help.

Every one of the 30 combatants deserves to be there but who should we be keeping a special eye on this week? Let’s break it down.

The Favorites:

Tiger WOODS 5/1

Woods finished T11 last week and regained top spot in the FedEx Cup standings. His record in the TOUR Championship – a pair of wins to go with four seconds. In his last five trips to East Lake, he’s won once (2007) finished second thrice and posted a T8 last year. He is the man to beat and with a $10 million pay check on the line Woods will contend for sure.

Adam SCOTT 12/1

Sits third in points and could win the $10 million prize with a good showing this week – he will surely be motivated. He hasn’t been stellar the last couple of weeks however after his win in the Barclays but there is no denying his overall game. Scott has a penchant for showing up in the bigger events and there isn’t a whole lot bigger than this week. He has a win and three top 10s in seven starts at East Lake to boot!

Phil MICKELSON 14/1

Surprisingly has just one top 20 in his last five starts but has two wins and a third here in 16 starts on this track. He was T33 last week and his game doesn’t appear to be at its best. But as we’ve seen – when we count Lefty out, that is when he plays his best.

The Contenders:

Henrik STENSON 16/1

Has never played on this track before but has shown an ability to thrive on any course. He is second in the Standings and could win the big prize with a good showing this week. His putter let him down at Conway Farms but his driving remained top notch. His lack of experience here scares me but his form is still among the best.

Justin ROSE 16/1

Played well in this event last year holding the lead after 18 and 54 holes. He is ninth in points but is coming off a 33rd place finish last week. He certainly isn’t in peak form ahead of this week.

Hunter MAHAN 18/1

Has finished inside the Top 10 in every event so far in the Playoffs. He has three top 10s at East Lake including a second in 2011. A T25 at The Barclays led to a T13 at the Deutsche Bank and a T4 at the BMW last week. I like his game – don’t love the price.

Zach JOHNSON 18/1

Is coming off a win at the BMW Championship and has two top 10s at East Lake. His form right now is tremendous and in in six starts here he has two top 10s with a T2 in 2007. He also holds the course record here – a 60 in 2007. I don’t usually like to pick winners from the week before but there is no doubt Johnson should contend this week.

Jim FURYK 18/1

The 2010 FedEx champ and he has not finished worse that T11 in six starts at East Lake including two seconds and a third to go with his 2010 win. He played well last week en route to a third place finish – his second top 10 of the Playoffs. He is due! [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Luke DONALD 18/1

Is coming off a T4 at Conway Farms and has finished inside the top three at East Lake each of the last three years. Donald is a dangerous 18/1 for sure.

Brandt SNEDEKER 20/1

Defending FedEx Cup champ could have won last week but slipped to eighth. In his three previous starts at East Lake he’s improved steadily each time from a T29 to T16 to a win last year.

Matt KUCHAR 20/1

Steady Matt Kuchar sits fifth in points but his form hasn’t jumped off the page – a T19 and a T2 after a T4 at TPC Boston. He has the game to contend like so many of the contenders this week.

Steve STRICKER 20/1

He has been playing some terrific golf as of late and may be the best value out there – a runner-up at TPC Boston and a T4 at Conway Farms. He has just one top 10 at East Lake however which shouldn’t really affect him this week.

Jason DAY 20/1

Was T4 at the BMW and has just two starts here – a T6 in 2011 and a T17 . He still hasn’t posted a win this year though. Before last week, it looked as though he was fading but his result at Conway Farms has Day back on the radar.

Nick WATNEY 33/1

Finished off with a 64 at Conway Farms – can he keep up the stellar play? My guess is No.

Bill HAAS 33/1

Won here in 2011 en route to a FedEx Cup Championship run. He has just two top 10s in 19 starts in the Playoffs however.

Graham DELAET 40/1

Had his first off-week in a while at Conway Farms – could it be that his magic is running out?

The Sleepers:

Roberto CASTRO 66/1

Is the only sleeper I will mention – most are 50/1 or better. He has op 25s in each of the first three events of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and he makes his first appearance at East Lake. His form is terrific but the field this week is insane. If you are looking to go with a sleeper this week Castro is your man.

The Pick:

The pick this week is Luke Donald at 18/1. His T4 last week and his history here has me leaning Donald’s way.

The sleeper is Roberto Castro at 66/1. He is the only 50/1 or higher worth looking at.

  • TIGER WOODS 5/1
  • ADAM SCOTT 12/1
  • PHIL MICKELSON 12/1
  • JUSTIN ROSE 15/1
  • HENRIK STENSON 15/1
  • ZACH JOHNSON 15/1
  • STEVE STRICKER 15/1
  • HUNTER MAHAN 15/1
  • BRANDT SNEDEKER 20/1
  • LUKE DONALD 20/1
  • JIM FURYK 20/1
  • JASON DAY 20/1
  • MATT KUCHAR 20/1
  • JASON DUFNER 25/1
  • CHARL SCHWARTZEL 25/1
  • KEEGAN BRADLEY 25/1
  • SERGIO GARCIA 30/1
  • JORDAN SPIETH 30/1
  • BILL HAAS 30/1
  • NICK WATNEY 30/1
  • WEBB SIMPSON 30/1
  • DUSTIN JOHNSON 40/1
  • GRAHAM DeLAET 40/1
  • GARY WOODLAND 50/1
  • ROBERTO CASTRO 60/1
  • KEVIN STREELMAN 60/1
  • BRENDON DE JONGE 60/1
  • BILLY HORSCHEL 80/1
  • BOO WEEKLEY 100/1
  • D.A. POINTS 150/1

ODDS TO WIN 2013 FEDEX CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

  • TIGER WOODS 7/4
  • ADAM SCOTT 5/1
  • ZACH JOHNSON 10/1
  • MATT KUCHAR 15/1
  • PHIL MICKELSON 20/1
  • STEVE STRICKER 20/1
  • JUSTIN ROSE 30/1
  • BRANDT SNEDEKER 40/1
  • JIM FURYK 40/1
  • JASON DAY 40/1
  • HUNTER MAHAN 50/1
  • NICK WATNEY 60/1
  • LUKE DONALD 100/1
  • JASON DUFNER 100/1
  • KEEGAN BRADLEY 100/1
  • BILL HAAS 100/1
  • CHARL SCHWARTZEL 100/1
  • WEBB SIMPSON 150/1
  • SERGIO GARCIA 150/1
  • DUSTIN JOHNSON 200/1
  • FIELD (all others) 11/4

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By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.