RADIO
Patrick Gates shares his betting card for the 2026 TOUR Championship and breaks down each of his selections for this week's event.
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In an article released on Tuesday, I broke down everything you need to know about the TOUR Championship, from course details to key stats and historical trends. If you have not checked that out yet, I highly recommend giving it a read. As always, if you have questions about any players or the event itself, feel free to reach out to me on social media or in Discord.
Outrights
Xander Schauffele (+1225)
Xander Schauffele struggled at last week's BMW Championship, finishing T26. His short game and putting were the biggest issues, as he ranked 46th in SG: Around the Green and 32nd in SG: Putting. The rest of his game was much stronger, particularly off the tee, where he ranked second amongst the field, and 22nd in approach.
Prior to the BMW Championship, Schauffele finished T7 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and runner-up at the Rocket Classic. He gained strokes putting in both events and showed a more reliable short game. If he can get those two areas back on track this week, the rest of his game is in good enough shape to contend.
The biggest positive is that Schauffele returns to East Lake, where he has arguably been one of the most consistent players in the field. He missed last year's TOUR Championship, but from 2017 through 2024, he finished T7 or better in every appearance using the Starting Strokes format, including a victory in 2017. During that stretch, he also recorded three runner-up finishes in 2019, 2020 and 2023.
His performance without Starting Strokes has been just as impressive. Schauffele posted the lowest 72-hole score in the field at East Lake in both 2020 and 2023. He has also consistently gained strokes around the green and on the green at this venue, the two areas that let him down last week.
With his elite ball striking, outstanding course history and the potential for his short game and putter to rebound, Schauffele has another strong opportunity to contend at East Lake.
Patrick Cantlay (+1800)
Patrick Cantlay is still searching for his first PGA TOUR victory since 2022, but he came close last week at the BMW Championship, finishing runner-up and just two strokes behind winner Wyndham Clark. Cantlay's ball striking was excellent, ranking first in SG: Tee to Green, but his putter let him down as he ranked 43rd in SG: Putting. If the putter had cooperated, he could have easily been the player lifting the trophy.
Cantlay has also been playing some of his best golf of the season over the past few weeks. Before his runner-up finish at the BMW Championship, he finished T8 at the Rocket Classic and T12 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, giving him three consecutive strong finishes heading into East Lake.
Cantlay also returns to a venue where he has enjoyed plenty of success. He won the TOUR Championship in 2021 using the Starting Strokes format, but his results without starting strokes have been impressive as well. He finished runner-up in 2025, sixth in 2023 and fourth in 2021.
With his recent ball-striking form, strong course history and the potential for his putter to bounce back, Cantlay has a legitimate chance to finally end his winless drought this week.
