Predictions: The Tour Championship

Well after a week off for the PGA, it’s time to kick things into high gear as the Tour Championship is upon us. Whether you like the whole playoff system or not, this will still be an exciting tournament, and will offer some suspense I’m sure.

Before we get started, here’s a look at all the scenarios this week. You might want to print that off as you’re watching the tournament. Things tend to get a little confusing.

But let’s not waste any more time, lets get right to predictions!

The Sleeper

I’m gonna go with Lucas Glover here. The guy has already won the U.S. Open this year, and he’s pretty much played steady golf all year long. He’s got to be able to hit greens in regulation, which is something I think he’ll do this week. Also, if he can adjust quickly to the new greens at East Lake, I think he’ll feel more comfortable heading into the weekend.

I think Glover has a great week, and should finish inside the top ten. So don’t be surprised if he is playing for the victory on Sunday.

The Contenders

Here are your Vegas odds for this week’s championship. As for my contenders, they don’t differ much at all, so here they are: Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker, Retief Goosen, Geoff Ogilvy. Honorable mention: Ernie Els, Sean O’Hair.

Ok, as we always do, it’s elimination style to the finish.

As much as I like Goosen and his ability to hit the ball a long way, I can’t pick him this week. He has had a pretty steady year up until this point, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he has a good, strong finish this week. But his putting may give him problems, and that’s why I can’t see him winning.

Ogilvy is a guy that is due for a win. He played pretty well earlier on in the PGA season, and I would expect him to be in contention this week. Unfortunately for him though, there are a lot of other golfers playing better right now.

Stricker was red hot there for a while, and I’m sure he’ll play decent again this week. But he didn’t play particularly well at East Lake last season, and though I’m sure he’ll bounce back since he’s in contention for the FedEx Cup, I can’t pick him to win.

It would certainly be a great story if Mickelson could somehow win this thing. It would be a huge win for Phil, as he hasn’t played his best golf lately, but we can all understand why. Even if he doesn’t win this week, I would at least like to see him in contention on Sunday.

The Final Four – Woods, Harrington, Furyk, Johnson

Furyk played well at the BMW Championship, and I look for him to be contending for the championship this week. He doesn’t have to win this tournament to win the FedEx Cup trophy, so if he can at least have a top finish, he can give himself a chance to win the playoffs. Unfortunately though, this week’s winner will prevent him from doing that.

I really like Johnson this week, as I think he’s due for a big victory. If he could win this tournament, and take home of the FedEx Cup, it would be a huge accomplishment in his career. Sure, we don’t view the FedEx Cup in the same light that we view the majors, but if Johnson can win with these guys in the field, it would be a great achievement. He is a former Masters winner, so he’s certainly beaten the best before. All that being said, I don’t think he wins this week.

The Finals – Woods vs. Harrington

We’ve had a lot of Woods vs. Harrington finals here on predictions in the last few weeks, and I expect more of the same this week in Atlanta.

Aside from Woods’ dominating performances as of late, Harrington’s return to greatness has been the other big story in golf. Last year was Paddy’s year, this year is Tiger’s year.

But can Paddy spoil the fun for Tiger this week? He’s gotta be able to keep the ball in the fairway, and be able to putt the ball well if he wants to win. Oh, and he’s gotta stop having one hole that costs him the entire golf tournament. He can’t put up a snowman this week and expect to win.

Honestly though, can I really pick against Tiger? He’s the best, and he’ll play the best this week. I think the off week may have actually hurt his chances a little, since he played so well at the BMW, but he’ll get the job done this week.

Tiger Woods is your winner at East Lake, and he takes home the FedEx Cup trophy.

Who do you think wins this week in Atlanta?

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Ok, enough self-promotion. Get ready for a great week of golf everyone!

Picture Source

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