Watch: Scottie Scheffler on LIV golfers returning to PGA Tour
Scottie Scheffler spoke about the potential for some LIV Golf players to return to the PGA Tour during a press conference at the BMW Championship.
The Tour Championship is a winner-take-all event once again in 2026, even though drastic changes to the PGA Tour’s season-ending event are on the horizon in a couple years.
For the second year in a row, there will be no staggered scoring system at the Tour Championship. The top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings after last week’s BMW Championship made the field at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta and they all start on the same footing at even par. The lowest 72-hole score after Sunday’s final round is crowned Tour champion. Tommy Fleetwood is the event’s defending champion and Scottie Scheffler will enter as a prohibitive favorite.
But it’s hard to call anyone an underdog or a long shot in a tournament featuring the best 30 golfers from this season. To help get ready for the 2026 Tour Championship, USA TODAY Sports put together a power ranking breaking down the entire field based on their performance in recent months, history at East Lake and the latest statistics breaking down how their game will hold up facing the toughest competition on the PGA Tour.
Here’s a ranking of the entire 30-golfer field ahead of the Tour Championship based on their chances to win the PGA Tour’s season-ending tournament.
Power rankings for every 2026 Tour Championship golfer
Odds to win Tour Championship as of 4:20 p.m. ET on Aug. 25, according to BetMGM.
1. Scottie Scheffler (+333)
Though this has been a down season by Scheffler’s standards, with a lot of close calls near the top of leaderboards and no major wins, he’s still the overwhelming favorite to be the PGA Tour golfer of the year and the heavy favorite entering the Tour Championship. He leads the PGA Tour in scoring average and strokes gained in 2026 and looked in top form winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis to start the FedEx Cup playoffs before a bout with hand, foot and mouth disease affected his performance last week at the BMW Championship.
2. Rory McIlroy (+850)
McIlroy finished outside the top-10 in the FedEx Cup standings after playing a limited schedule and finishing 66th during the first week of the FedEx Cup playoffs in Memphis. But his game looked sharper when he took third place at the BMW Championship and strung together four-straight rounds under 70 for the first time this season. McIlroy has also won this event at East Lake three times since 2016.
3. Wyndham Clark (+1600)
There might not be a golfer playing better than Clark at the moment after he backed up his win at the U.S. Open in June by winning the BMW Championship last week. He ranks among the top 20 in strokes gained approaching the green, around the green and putting this season. When he’s able to control his ball off the tee, he’s been tough to beat the past few months with three wins and three more top-five finishes since the end of May.
4. Sam Burns (+1800)
Burns has been a consistent threat at the biggest events on the PGA Tour in recent seasons thanks to his sublime putting skills. He finished second at the U.S. Open and third at the Open Championship, even though his driver and iron play haven’t always been top-notch this season. Burns hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since March 2023 and finished in the top-10 23 times during that span. He’s positioned to contend on one of golf’s biggest stages if his ball-striking cooperates.
5. Xander Schauffele (+1200)
Schauffele has never finished outside the top-seven in his eight previous appearances at the Tour Championship, including a win in his debut in 2017. He’s also playing better of late with a second-place finish at the Rocket Classic and another top-10 to start the FedEx Cup playoffs in Memphis. If Schauffele is sharp around the greens, few players in the field have a better track record at East Lake.
6. Collin Morikawa (+1800)
Morikawa has maintained a high level of play despite dealing with a back injury suffered at The Players Championship after he won Pebble Beach this season. His elite ball striking make him a threat at East Lake every year and he’s just two years removed from finishing in second behind Scheffler. Morikawa leads the PGA Tour in approach shot accuracy this season, but needs his putter to cooperate to break through for a win.
7. Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200)
Fitzpatrick had a strong season finishing second in the FedEx Cup points standings and winning two events, but he hasn’t been particularly good since missing the cut at The Open Championship last month. His driving accuracy and strong iron play profile well for East Lake if he’s making putts. This will be Fitzpatrick’s third Tour Championship appearance, and first since 2023.
8. Tommy Fleetwood (+2000)
The defending Tour Championship winner got his first career PGA Tour win at East Lake in 2025 with an accurate driver and an unbelievable putting performance. His putter hasn’t been as strong this season, but he continues to excel around the green and has as many top-10 finishes (8) as he did in 2025. Nobody has ever won the Tour Championship in back-to-back years, but Fleetwood is the only golfer to got his win on East Lake’s redesigned course without a staggered scoring system. That alone makes him a large threat this week.
9. Patrick Cantlay (+1600)
The 2021 Tour Championship winner jumped from No. 43 to No. 19 in the 2026 FedEx Cup standings after the BMW Championship, but he’s been coming on strong after a slow start to the season. His second-place showing at Bellerive was his best finish of the season, despite not putting particularly well. Cantlay ranks among the top-five on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach-to-green this season and finished tied for second last year at East Lake (though he gave up the lead with a final round 71).
10. Ludvig Aberg (+1600)
Aberg ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained this season, with eight top-10s and five top-5 finishes in 2026, but his driving accuracy and putting have prevented him from getting over the hump and into the conversation among the game’s best players. He’s nonetheless top-20 in just about every other category and his best performances this season have largely been during the biggest tournaments.
11. Chris Gotterup (+2000)
Gotterup won three times on the PGA Tour this season, including last month when he led the field in strokes gained off the tee at the John Deere Classic, and he’s coming off a top-five finish at the BMW Championship. He’s among the longest hitters on Tour, and East Lake tends to reward players who can combine distance with accuracy. Gotterup has shown the ability to start fast with low opening rounds and close out tournaments over the past two years. He also posted a top-10 finish in his Tour Championship debut in 2025, highlighted by a second-round 63.
12. Cameron Young (+2000)
The No. 3-ranked golfer in the world has been trending in the wrong direction over the past month largely because he’s been among the worst putters in the field in recent events. But he also won The Players Championship and a second signature event (Cadillac Championship), while also finishing tied for third at the Masters, second at the Open Championship a little more than a month ago. If Young can get sorted out on the green, the rest of his game is still contention-ready.
13. Viktor Hovland (+2500)
Hovland’s season has just three top-10 finishes this season, but he was crowned the 2023 FedEx Cup champion at East Lake remains among the PGA Tour’s more accurate drivers. He has a strong track record under the spotlight, especially when his putter gets hot and he avoids costly mistakes around the green.
14. Si Woo Kim (+2500)
Kim quietly put together a top-five finish in the FedEx Cup points standings without winning a tournament. He led the PGA Tour in birdies in 2026, with his accuracy off the tee and his iron play on approach shots leading to 11 top-10 finishes. Kim’s inconsistent putter likely prevented him from turning one of those near misses into a fifth-career PGA Tour victory. This is just his third appearance at the Tour Championship.
15. Russell Henley (+2500)
Henley has built his career on accuracy and precision, two traits that can be rewarded at East Lake and helped him finish tied for second behind Fleetwood at the Tour Championship last year. He won earlier this season and continued to lean on one of the strongest iron games on tour while limiting mistakes off the tee. His lack of length wasn’t a disadvantage against the field’s elite power players here in 2025 and he’s contended in several big events this year.
