The 2018 Tour Championship

The 2018 Tour Championship – East Lake Golf Club

As we post this analysis of the Tour Championship we felt it fitting to post it just as new World Number 1 Justin Rose is starting his round.

It has been a meteoric rise for Rose who was that fresh faced teenager who lit the world alight with his chip in at the Open Championship which now seems ages ago.

Rose has been in the top echelon for some time but two weeks ago, Rose’s second place at the BMW Championship saw him take over from Dustin Johnson as golf betting world number one but while delighted to achieve a long-held ambition, his immediate reaction was of course one of frustration, as he really ought to have won at Aronimink to complete the job in style.

The course at East Lake will put a premium on distance this week and the Donald Ross designed layout will test all, and no one more so than Tiger Woods.

What a joy it has been to see Woods back in the fold, and back to a level where he is clearly competing against the best and more than holding his own.

His inclusion as a “Wild Card” for the forthcoming Ryder Cup will have only heightened his enthusiasm and it is possible we will see Woods right up there come the weekend.

If you are looking for a quality driver, who perhaps didn’t make headlines in the BMW but had previously been in good form, then Bryson DeChambeau could be the man. Winner of the first two events of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and duly rewarded with a Ryder Cup spot having now picked up four titles in no less than 18 months (some achievement)

Length and accuracy will definitely pay dividends this week and DeChambeau has both elements in his game and at around a general price of 18/1 then he looks solid EW value with Skybet a best price 20/1.

East Lake Golf Club and Calamity Jane

Now you might be wondering why we would be talking about a woman in the middle of our analysis, well a little bit of history does not go amiss and the story of “Bobby Jones Putter” is a wonderful story……..

Bobby Jones’ original putter has a 66 degree lie and 8 degree loft. Jones received the original in 1920 from James Maiden. That putter and a copy were employed by Jones to capture thirteen major championships including the Grand Slam in 1930. In 1925 a fire ravaged through the East Lake Clubhouse. All of Jones’s Clubs were destroyed except for Calamity Jane. The Calamity Jane is given by East Lake Golf Club to the winner of the TOUR Championship each year.

Tour Championship Stats

If we are looking at the event from a stats perspective then players who are consistently performing in the Top 10 week in and week out must be on the radar as potential winners. Of course the likes of Finau, Rose and Johnson are all at the top, but one player who has sneaked under the radar alittle in the build up is Patrick Reed.

Reed has had seven top 10 finished this season and has gradually come back to form in the last few weeks as shown by a top 20 finish in the recent BMW Championship and he looks like he could be a fair bit of value at around 33/1 EW with Paddy Power.

This weeks tournament is a small field event for the top performing golfers this season and looks to be a great way for all the Ryder Cup players to get some last minute tournament practice before the big team event in France.