We’re at the end of August, with the PGA TOUR heading to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for the 2026 TOUR Championship. DraftKings users can play PGA Pick6 contests throughout all four rounds of the season finale. If you’re new, Pick6 is a single-user daily fantasy game where you select players to finish More or Less than specific statistical projections.
The TOUR Championship features the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings, creating one of the season’s smallest and strongest fields. East Lake is now a par 70 measuring just over 7,400 yards, with long par 4s, thick Bermuda rough, and firm greens that emphasize strong approach play and accurate driving. With no cut and every player guaranteed four rounds, the setup is particularly useful for Pick6 research, as we can focus on full-tournament trends without worrying about golfers missing the weekend.
The 30-man field is headlined by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, along with several other elite players who made it through the FedExCup Playoffs, including last year’s winner Tommy Fleetwood. With everyone starting the TOUR Championship at even par under the PGA TOUR’s new format, there are no starting-stroke advantages to account for this week. I reviewed additional statistics and East Lake course dynamics in the TOUR Championship PGA Cheat Sheet and included some key course notes below for Pick6 research.
“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 appear 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 on the putting green.
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)…
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.”
As of now, we have Round 1 totals up on the Pick6 site for play, so that’s where we’ll be focusing this week. The course has been changed to Par 70, so keep that in mind when you’re targeting stroke totals or birdie-or-better totals.
With that in mind, I’ve focused on a few of my favorite plays for the Tour Championship in Round 1 below.
Top DraftKings Pick6 Plays for the 2026 Tour Championship
Xander Schauffele Less Than 4.5 Birdies or Better
Schauffele has an outstanding history at East Lake, but his 2026 birdie production hasn’t been quite as impressive as his reputation at this course. He ranks outside the TOUR’s top tier in Birdie or Better Percentage this season (78th), and East Lake isn’t necessarily a course where players can rely on the par 5s to inflate their birdie numbers. It’s a par 70 with just two par 5s, while several of the longer par 4s put more emphasis on positioning and approach play.
Schauffele is also capable of shooting an excellent round without piling up five or six birdies, especially if he avoids mistakes and takes advantage of his strong short game. With other elite players getting a discount on the less-than result at this same total, I like taking Less Than 4.5 birdies or better, with three-four birdies looking like a more realistic outcome even if Schauffele remains in contention.
Tom Kim Less Than 68.5 Strokes
Kim is one of my favorite value plays for the TOUR Championship, and his current form gives me plenty of confidence this week. His approach play has been a major strength in 2026, and that’s particularly important at East Lake, where players need to consistently generate opportunities on a course with only two par 5s. Kim’s recent run has also shown his game is trending in the right direction heading into the season finale. While he fell back a bit last week, he was still striking it consistently across all four rounds and had a nice week in Memphis the week prior, where he shot 63 in Round 3.
There is also a course-fit angle I like here. Kim has traditionally performed well on Donald Ross-designed courses, where accuracy, positioning, and quality iron play can matter more than pure driving distance. Those are areas that play directly into his strengths. I’ll take Kim to shoot a 68 or better, as his recent form and approach play make him a strong candidate to finish under this number.
JJ Spaun More Than 8.5 Fairways Hit
Spaun’s driving accuracy and his general consistency off the tee make him a nice target for me in Round 1 on the More Than 8.5 fairways hit. He enters the TOUR Championship ranked around 31st on TOUR in Driving Accuracy, and his ability to keep the ball in play has been one of the more consistent parts of his game this season. That’s a useful skill at East Lake, where finding the right positions off the tee can make the demanding approach shots considerably easier, and the fairways were also widened in spots to push players to take easier lines off the tee rather than play a bomb-and-gouge strategy.
With this course being a Par 70 and 14 potential fairways available on the par 4s and par 5s, Spaun just needs to hit nine to clear this mark. That requires a little better than 64% accuracy, which is right around the level he’s been producing this season. I still like backing Spaun for More Than 8.5 fairways, as his recent form has been solid and his driving stats this week should improve at this venue.
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