We're down to the final leg of the FedExCup Playoffs, and the Top 30 players are ready to compete with no starting strokes at East Lake Golf Club for a chance to claim the 2025 TOUR Championship. After an extensive renovation before the 2024 tournament, East Lake surprisingly played easier, yielding a scoring average of -2.38 under par per round, the lowest in history.
In this article, I’ll break down my Top 10 Power Rankings, using recent form and data-backed player profiles to identify those best suited for the new East Lake Golf Club. By analyzing recent lead-in form and the golf course specs, we’ll zero in on the player skill sets that I believe can thrive here, spotlighting the players most likely to contend for the trophy.
Let’s get right into my Top 10 Power Rankings for the 2025 TOUR Championship:
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No. 10 - Cameron Young
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Young has maintained consistency with his putter, which has made him the hottest player on the greens in the entire field. He ranks No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Putting over the last three months.
- Continues to be in a groove, ball-striking. He's been making weekend runs, but needs to get out to a hot start like he did at the Wyndham if he wants to take home the TOUR Championship.
- A final tournament to make his case for the Ryder Cup. Young needs to ride his confidence for one more week to make the team.
No. 9 - J.J. Spaun
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His stat profile shows up green in nearly every category. Spaun ranks inside the top 5 in T2G, Ball-striking, and SG: Total over the last 30 rounds.
- It's been his best career year, and he'll be eager to close it strongly. Spaun has never played better golf than he is right now.
- I really like his accuracy OTT here. It's a long course, but in 2024, only three courses we're more advantageous to fairway finders.
Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English & Bryson DeChambeau are headed to Bethpage Black! 🏆 🇺🇸#GoUSA | #RyderCup https://t.co/SDGZetNyOU
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) August 17, 2025
No. 8 - Viktor Hovland
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Stirred with inconsistency, but I believe the red-hot iron play is eventually going to find him with an opportunity to win a golf tournament soon.
- Ranks 2nd in the field in SG: Approach over the last 30 rounds played. Hovland continues to hit it as close as anybody from the fairway.
- Hovland shot 11-under on the weekend at the TOUR Championship last season on a freshly renovated course. If he starts out hot this week, watch out for Hovland in Atlanta.
No. 7 - Sam Burns
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There has been ample Ryder Cup discourse over the past few weeks. Sam Burns was late to the party, but making a strong push after a great finish last week at the BMW Championship.
- Burns can get volcanic levels of hot with the putter. He gained nearly 8 strokes putting at Caves Valley and he'll be served up his favorite Bermudagrass this week.
- He drove the ball incredibly well last week, hitting 70% of fairways. When he finds the short grass, Burns can play aggressive golf.
No. 6 - Ben Griffin
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Rebounded nicely on Sunday at Caves Valley after a 4-putt derailed his chances of winning quickly. Griffin was 5-over par thru his first two holes on Sunday and still managed to shoot under par. The guy just keeps fighting.
- Griffin simply plays well every week. He's 2nd in the field in Strokes Gained: Total over the past 3 months. Griffin stays hot.
- He's back on Bermudagrass, which typically yields a huge uptick in his putting performance. He can make some noise in East Lake if he starts rolling it. Less creatine Ben...
Wait…
Ben Griffin overdosed on creatine DURING the final round?! pic.twitter.com/VFp9k4zcu9
— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) August 17, 2025
No. 5 - Tommy Fleetwood
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Highly accurate OTT and should be able to avoid the unpredictability of the gnarly Bermuda rough around East Lake.
- T4 at the BMW Championship, where Fleetwood once again played very well. His floor is so high at this point. The only question left unanswered is whether he can actually win the tournament.
- Three Top 5 finishes in his last five starts. Fleetwood keeps flirting with the leaderboard on Sundays and it still feels like eventually he will take the pretty girl home.
No. 4 - Russell Henley
- With the added importance historically of hitting the fairway at East Lake, Henley gets a big uptick in my rankings this week.
- Henley led the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green at the 2024 Tour Championship post-renovation. He's flashing quality signs that could lead to contention.
- Henley led the field in Driving Accuracy at Caves Valley, hitting 82% over four rounds in Maryland. The Driver is dialed-in!
🚨🇺🇸 Russell Henley will be making his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage Black.
LETS GO USA. ‼️ pic.twitter.com/qs6Dh6w4Io
— HENLEY LEGION (@HenleyLegion) August 17, 2025
No. 3 - Ludwig Aberg
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Aberg didn't have his best stuff on Sunday when he teed off in the penultimate pairing, shooting a 3-over 73. He still finished T7 though, and Aberg is dropping the ball-striking crumbs that we look for when predicting a win.
- Plenty of power OTT and has vastly improved his scrambling. Aberg was 70% scrambling at Caves Valley and an impressive 4/4 in sand saves. He's flushing out his weaknesses.
- There are very few players on Earth who can put their very best against Scottie Scheffler. Aberg still feels like one of those guys. If he brings his A-game to the ATL, Ludwig can win.
No. 2 - Rory McIlroy
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A rusty week in Maryland behind him, McIlroy should be geared up and ready to attack East Lake this week after skipping the first leg of the playoffs.
- His short game has been excellent and vastly underrated. McIlroy ranks No. 2 in the field in Strokes Gained: Short Game over the last three months of play.
- He's done it before at East Lake, erasing a big Scheffler lead in 2022. They'll start all square on Thursday, and McIlroy will have his eyes set on another TOUR title.
No. 1 - Scottie Scheffler
- It's almost insane to think anyone else can win a tournament in which Scottie Scheffler puts a tee in the ground. He's simply relentless and inevitable. The boogeyman just wears the field down time and time again.
- A come-from-behind Sunday win at Caves Valley proves the impact he has on his opponents. He won last week without Ted Scott on the bag. There is not much that can rattle this guy at the moment.
- He'll cap off the season with yet another victory, and Team USA will likely need him to carry four points on Bethpage in a few weeks. What can't Scheffler do? I'm not putting anything past him. GOAT!
RELENTLESS!!!
— Joe I (@TourPicks) August 17, 2025
Enjoy the TOUR Championship, and thanks for reading! See you next season! Good luck, RotoBaller family!
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