The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history, and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
The Field
The 2026 TOUR Championship marks the final event of the PGA TOUR season, with only the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings qualifying for the trip to East Lake Golf Club. For the second straight year, the old starting strokes format is gone, meaning all 30 golfers begin at even par and the player with the lowest 72-hole score wins both the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup. The winner will take home $10 million from the event’s $40 million purse.
From a DFS perspective, the format is about as straightforward as it gets: 30 golfers, four guaranteed rounds and no cut. FedExCup positioning no longer gives anyone a scoring advantage once play begins, making this essentially an elite 30-man, no-cut tournament.
Scottie Scheffler enters East Lake No. 1 in the FedExCup standings after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship earlier in the playoffs. He finished T12 at last week’s BMW Championship but remains the clear betting favorite entering Atlanta. Matt Fitzpatrick qualified No. 2, while Wyndham Clark surged to No. 3 after winning the BMW Championship at Bellerive.
Rory McIlroy enters the finale 11th in the FedExCup standings, but his starting position won’t matter once Thursday arrives. McIlroy remains one of the biggest threats at East Lake, where he’ll be looking to become the first player to win the FedExCup four times after previous titles in 2016, 2019 and 2022. Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood returns as the defending champion after winning the 2025 TOUR Championship.
The Course
East Lake Golf Club—Atlanta, Georgia
Par 71, 7440 yards; Greens: Bermuda
East Lake Golf Club is a Donald Ross design that underwent extensive renovations before 2024.
The venue was lengthened in spots, and the par-4 14th was changed into a par-5 and lengthened considerably. The par-4 8th was turned into a drivable 4 (and shortened) while the par-3 9th hole, which was already a long shot over water, was lengthened and will play at 250+ yards.
The course had yielded winning scores in the -8 to -13 range for the most part over the last decade or so. In 2019, Rory McIlroy shot 13-under-par over four days to win—his final score was 18-under-par, starting at 5-under (under the new FedEx playing format). In 2020, Dustin Johnson won at 21-under-par but started the event at 10-under. So, he effectively shot 11-under for the week. In 2023, Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele both shot 19-under-par and perhaps exposed some of East Lake’s weaknesses, which makes the changes for 2024 all the more timely. In 2024, even with the changes to East Lake, Scottie Scheffler managed to shoot 20-under par (30-under if you include his 10-under starting handicap).
As a response to Scheffler’s domination, the PGA TOUR has now changed East Lake back into a very long Par 70 at 7440 yards, and changed the 14th back into a long par-4 (530 yards). 2025 saw a little more normality with Tommy Fleetwood winning by three strokes at -18 with the course now playing as a par 71.
Driving accuracy at East Lake used to be about 10% lower than the PGA TOUR average, while the average driving distance for the week was also about 10% higher. I’d expect driver usage to remain fairly heavy, but with fairways widened in spots, it may improve driving accuracy and make aggression off the tee a more favorable strategy.
Additionally, as some of the greens have been modeled after their original design and made larger and more open, the changes seem to have placed less emphasis on around-the-green play. Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood both won despite losing strokes around the green and gained most of their strokes either on approach or putting.
For statistical purposes, players with higher ball flights who can hold greens at a high rate (high GIR %’s) should benefit most from the changes, although putting on these pure Bermuda greens has always been a big factor and again, anyone finding their range with the putter this week will certainly have a shot at making an impact, much like Fleetwood did last season (+8.1 strokes putting).
Despite East Lake featuring traditional rough, bunkers, and water areas (that come into play on eight holes), I’d still make Pinehurst #2 as a somewhat comparable venue. Pinehurst is another Donald Ross-designed course that was renovated 10+ years ago to its original design, and made more open and inviting off the tee. The fairways and greens were opened up, giving players more room to maneuver on very tricky, firm greens. It’s not a one-for-one comparison, but the changes at East Lake sound very similar to what occurred at Pinehurst.
Additionally, when we look at Pinehurst’s leaderboard from the 2024 U.S. Open (Rory McIlroy 2nd, Patrick Cantlay 3rd, Xander Schauffele 7th), we see three former East Lake winners. For stats, I’d emphasize great tee-to-green players first and foremost, with a nod to the best ball-strikers who don’t regularly rely on getting the ball up and down from impossible spots to succeed. I expect a firm, longer course again, but not one that will play as tough as a U.S. Open setting, and still lead to lower scoring and more emphasis on precision approaches and timely putts than power and short games.
2026 Weather Outlook: Expect hot, humid conditions at East Lake, with highs generally in the mid-to-upper 80s throughout the TOUR Championship. Thunderstorms are the main concern early in the event, particularly Thursday and Friday, before conditions are expected to become somewhat drier over the weekend. Winds currently look relatively light, so heat, humidity, and potentially softer conditions from rain should matter more than wind. It’s a 30-man field, so wave draws aren’t really a thing, but softer conditions could favor accurate players before things get somewhat tougher/drier on the weekend.
Last 5 winners
2025 – Tommy Fleetwood -18 (over Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay -15)
2024 – Scottie Scheffler -30 – started at 10-under-par (over Collin Morikawa -26)
2023 – Viktor Hovland -27 — started at 8-under-par (over Xander Schauffele -22)
2022 – Rory McIlroy -21 — started at 4-under-par (over Scottie Scheffler and Sungjae Im -20)
2021 – Patrick Cantlay -21 — started at 10-under-par (over Jon Rahm -20)
Winning Trends
- Three of the last six winners of the TOUR Championship won one of the previous two playoff events.
- All six of the last six TOUR Championship winners finished T8 or better in AT LEAST one of the previous two playoff events.
- Five of the last six TOUR Championship winners finished T4 or better in at least one of the previous two playoff events.
Winning Stats and Course Overview
2025: Tommy Fleetwood (18-under par)
SG: OTT: -1.051
SG: APP: 2.6
SG: Total: 9.2
SG: ATG: -0.4
SG: PUTT: 8.1
- Hovland and Scheffler’s exemplary ball striking from 2023 and 2024 gives us a good clue as to what is needed for success around East Lake, which features lots of difficult approaches and even harder-to-hit greens in 2024
- 5/6 winners of this event have now all gained 2.0 strokes or more OTT, and 2/3 winners have gained over 4.0 strokes on approach.
- Scrambling around these tricky green complexes is tough as the field averaged about a 2-3% lower up-and-down rate than the PGA TOUR average. However, Scheffler and Fleetwood did lose strokes around the course, and Hovland only gained 1.1 strokes ATG in 2023.
- Fleetwood was mostly putter-reliant last season but still excelled on approach and didn’t concede much ATG.
Finding Values on DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds to win are one factor to consider when picking players (but not the only one, so be careful not to put too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value compared to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
JJ Spaun +2500 and $8,100
Comparables:
- Russell Henley +2600 and $9,600
- Collin Morikawa +2800 and $8,300
- Sam Burns +2800 and $8,500
All odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change.
Recent Form
1. Wyndham Clark (BMW: Win): Clark may be the hottest player in the field after winning the BMW Championship for his third victory of 2026, adding to wins at the U.S. Open and CJ Cup Byron Nelson. His recent numbers back up the results: over his five starts entering the BMW, Clark averaged +0.98 SG: Total per round and +0.81 SG: Putting, and he now has five top-five finishes over his last 10 starts. He led the BMW after 36 holes, 54 holes, and 72 holes, and closed with three straight birdies to win by three, so there isn’t much reason to jump off now.
2. Patrick Cantlay (BMW: 2nd): Cantlay looks like the strongest pure ball-striking form play coming into East Lake. Over his five starts entering the BMW, he was averaging +0.86 SG: Approach per round, well above his already strong season-long mark of +0.55, while gaining +0.99 strokes total per round. He then finished second at Bellerive and ranked first in the field in SG: Approach, with a cold putter ultimately keeping him from seriously cashing in on his iron play. Given Cantlay’s excellent East Lake history, this is about as good a setup as you could ask for.
3. Rory McIlroy (BMW: 3rd): McIlroy’s form took a significant step forward at the BMW after a disappointing opening playoff event. He then immediately hit 17 greens and ranked second in SG: Approach in Round 1 at Bellerive. McIlroy eventually pulled even with Clark during Sunday’s back nine before finishing third at 13-under. With three career TOUR Championship wins and the approach game suddenly firing again, he’s an obvious candidate to carry that momentum into East Lake.
Horses for Courses
1. Rory McIlroy ($11,000; best finishes: win-2016, 2019, 2022): McIlroy has now won this event three times, coming back from a five-stroke starting deficit in 2019 and a six-stroke deficit in 2022. He’s also landed two other finishes of T7 and T2 at East Lake since 2014. McIlroy enters as the number 11 seed but did play well last week and was tied for the lead with just four holes to go before losing out to Wyndham Clark.
2. Patrick Cantlay ($8,900; best finishes: win-2021, T2-2025): Cantlay won this event with a great effort here in tough conditions back in 2021 and finished T5 in 2023 and tied for second last season as well. He’s done well in the playoffs during his career, and was top-five again last week at the BMW. He’ll go hunting for a second big payday and TOUR Championship title this weekend.
3. Xander Schauffele ($10,000; best finish: win-2017): Schauffele has been an East Lake specialist throughout his career, winning the TOUR Championship as a rookie in 2017 and finishing inside the top seven in each of his first eight appearances. He also posted the low 72-hole score during the starting strokes era in 2019 and tied for the low score in 2023, further highlighting how consistently well this course has suited him. Schauffele’s form is also trending upward in 2026, with a runner-up at the Rocket Classic and T7 at the FedEx St. Jude among his recent starts.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Big Field Punt plays:
Alex Smalley ($6,300): Smalley is an interesting leverage play for me in his first TOUR Championship appearance, which should help keep ownership down despite a strong 2026 season that included a runner-up at the PGA Championship. He enters East Lake 23rd in the FedExCup and has been consistent over the last two playoff events with his approach game. He was in contention just a few starts back as well at another Ross-designed venue in Sedgefield.
Adam Scott ($6,500): Scott is another veteran I expect to get overlooked at this price, making him more appealing for large-field GPPs. He’s shown stretches of excellent tee-to-green and approach play this season, and at $6,500, we don’t need him to contend to provide value. If he can regain the putter this week, a top-10 or better is certainly doable.
Core Plays
Collin Morikawa ($8,100): Morikawa looks underpriced after a T4 at the BMW, where his ball-striking continued to trend upward. He’s top five in this field over the last 36 rounds in SG: Ball Striking and Approach, and he has three career top-six finishes at East Lake. At only $8,100, he’s one of my favorite value plays in the upper-middle tier.
Patrick Cantlay ($8,900): Cantlay offers plenty of upside without forcing us into the five-figure range. He finished runner-up at East Lake last season and comes in off another runner-up at the BMW, where his approach game was firing. At $8,900, his current form and proven East Lake success make him one of the easiest core plays to build around and a player who will be impossible to win without if he lives up to his billing this week.
Contrarian Click:
Sam Burns ($9,200): Burns is more expensive than other players of his caliber this week, with names like Collin Morikawa over 1k cheaper. That won’t mean he doesn’t get some ownership, but I expect his levels to be neutral or below average at this price. Combined with a putter that can go nuclear on Bermuda greens, that makes him a great pivot play at 9.2k for me this week.
MY PICK: Scottie Scheffler ($14,000)
I’ve almost never put Scheffler in my ‘Pick” spot, for the simple reason that it’s very unoriginal and, price-wise, it’s better to focus on value plays first and then decide whether you want to pay up for the world number one. Scheffler is prohibitively expensive again this week, but this feels like a week where paying all the way up could be worth it, especially if more DFS lineups gravitate toward Rory McIlroy after his big week at the BMW. Scheffler absolutely dominated the first FedExCup playoff event, winning the FedEx St. Jude by eight shots while ranking second in SG: Approach, third in SG: Tee-to-Green, and posting a career-best +8.92 SG: Putting. He followed that with a T12 at the BMW, despite battling an illness that made gripping the club painful early in the week and a slow start that left him near dead-last after Round 1.
East Lake also suits him well, with the Andrew Green restoration replacing much of the old greenside rough with closely mown runoffs and collection areas. This design emphasizes precise approaches and creative recovery shots. For the top tee-to-green player, this isn’t a drawback, and the fact that Scheffler has already secured a win here is hardly surprising. As everyone begins at even par again in 2026, I’m comfortable accepting the high salary, given that fewer people will feel inclined to do the same, and then taking chances on deeper-value plays and pivot options to pair with his runaway win potential.
MY SLEEPER: Tom Kim ($6,800)
Kim is one of my favorite salary-saving options because he arrives with no real pressure and plenty of upside. He has already won the Scottish Open and finished third at the U.S. Open this summer, and more recently went T5 at the Wyndham and T12 at the FedEx St. Jude before cooling off with a T28 at the BMW. His approach game has been the calling card, ranking fifth on the PGA TOUR earlier this summer while gaining +1.105 strokes per round on approach over a five-start stretch.
The course fit is also compelling. Kim has often excelled on traditional, positional layouts, such as other Ross-designed courses like Sedgefield. East Lake’s restored Ross-inspired design emphasizes precision with iron shots and strategic ball placement around the greens. The expanded use of short grass and collection zones reduces reliance on conventional rough play near the greens, which is an area where Kim tends to be less dominant.
At $6,800 in a 30-man no-cut event, he doesn’t need to contend to pay off, but his 2026 ceiling suggests a top-10 finish is very much in play. For betting, the +196 Top 10 and ties on Kim isn’t huge, but in a 30-man field, it feels like solid value.
