Will Cantlay Remember How to Putt? TOUR Championship Expert Picks
Written by: Justin Carlucci
Published: Wed Aug 26, 2026, 8:00 am ET
Read Time: 7 minutes
golf
You've found my PGA TOUR Championship picks for this week! There are now just 30 golfers left trying to take down the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club. In past years, the FedEx Cup standings dictated where players started on the leaderboard, handing some golfers a head start before the tournament even began. That's gone now. Everyone begins this week at even par, just like a normal tournament, so be careful when looking at old East Lake results and course history.
The pricing is pretty bad across the board, which makes this my least favorite event of the year to bet. It's a small field; we're not getting a good number on much of anybody. Still, there are a couple guys I really like. We'll keep the card short, simple, and hope to end the season with a bang.
Before we get into it, check out the action at our top online sportsbooks.
PGA TOUR Championship Expert Picks and Odds
Notable TOUR Championship odds via Lucky Rebel:
- Scottie Scheffler +350
- Rory McIlroy +800
- Xander Schauffele +1100
- Wyndham Clark +1600
- Collin Morikawa +1800
- Patrick Cantlay +1800
- Sam Burns +1800
- Cameron Young +2000
- Ludvig Aberg +2000
- Chris Gotterup +2200
- Tommy Fleetwood +2200
- Matt Fitzpatrick +2500
- Si Woo Kim +2500
- Viktor Hovland +2500
- Russell Henley +2800
- Hideki Matsuyama +3000
- Adam Scott +4500
- Gary Woodland +4500
- Justin Rose +4500
- J.J. Spaun +5000
- Robert MacIntyre +5000
- Ryan Gerard +5000
- Tom Kim +5000
- Jacob Bridgeman +6000
- Min Woo Lee +6500
- Alex Smalley +7000
- Kristoffer Reitan +7500
- Akshay Bhatia +9000
- Alex Fitzpatrick +9000
- Ryan Fox +10000
East Lake Golf Club Course Information
East Lake Golf Club is a Par 70 measuring 7,440 yards. It's a Donald Ross design that rewards precise iron play and a strong all-around game, and no player will receive starting strokes this year. The entire 30-man field begins at even par, turning this into a clean 72-hole stroke-play tournament for the first time in years.
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia
- Par & Length: Par 70, 7,440 yards
- Course Type: Donald Ross design
TOUR Championship Best Bets
Quick note on structure: I'm only betting outrights this week. Each-way numbers aren't as appealing in a 30-man field. I'm looking for players who are striking the ball at an elite level on a course that should be scorable for this field, then hoping one of these guys can find enough consistency with the putter to close the deal. If you're just diving into golf betting, here's how to bet on golf!
Here are my TOUR Championship picks:
- Patrick Cantlay +1800
- Sam Burns +1800
- Tom Kim +4500
Patrick Cantlay +1800 — Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Best Bet: +1800 outright
I have to go back to Cantlay after he tore my heart out last week. He finished second for us, so the placement bet cashed, which was nice. But my God, he could not putt to save his life. The putter looked like a foreign object. It was like giving a toddler chopsticks and saying, "Here, eat your dino nuggets with them."
The frustrating part is that everything else was so good. Cantlay gained more than two true strokes on approach last week, which was a season high. That marked his third straight spike approach week, and his iron game is absolutely unbelievable right now. Since the beginning of spring, more than half of his starts have featured a spike week with the irons.
He's also gained strokes off the tee in nearly every tournament he's played since April. He's putting on a ball-striking clinic, which is exactly what I want to back at a course like East Lake. Last week, he was top three or five in the field in virtually every metric that mattered except putting.
At some point, one of these elite ball-strikers is going to find the putter for a week. If Cantlay can be merely decent on the greens, he has every other part of the game working at a world-class level. That's enough for me to go right back to him at 18/1.
Sam Burns +1800 — Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Best Bet: +1800 outright
I'm balancing the Cantlay bet with one of the best putters on TOUR in Sam Burns. Oddly enough, Burns lost a little in true putting strokes at the BMW last week, which was the first time he had lost strokes putting since March. That's almost hilarious for a guy who is normally such a weapon with the flatstick.
His approach game has been absolutely dynamite this year — noticeably better than it was even a season ago. According to Data Golf, Burns has gained at least 1.16 true strokes on approach in seven of his last eight tournaments. If he can keep the ball in the fairway and the flatstick is just average — and "average" for Burns is basically elite for most of the TOUR — the approach game is dialed in enough for him to dominate this week.
Eventually, Burns isn't going to keep getting in his own way on a Sunday. Why can't that breakthrough happen at the final event of the year? It isn't a major, but it's probably the next-biggest tournament on the schedule even if the general public doesn't care about it nearly as much as the four majors.
He's striking the ball as well as anybody; he's a fantastic putter, and East Lake should be gettable for the 30 best players on TOUR. For my own sanity, having one guy who can't putt right now and one guy who is normally an elite putter makes a lot of sense.
Tom Kim +5000 — Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Best Bet: +4500 outright
For the bigger number on the card, give me Tom Kim at 45/1. Like I said, I'm looking for ball-strikers this week, and Kim is striking the golf ball incredibly well. It's been great to see him playing good golf again, and somehow he is still only 24 years old.
Kim has gained true strokes on approach in 13 straight tournaments. He has also gained strokes putting in each of his last three starts. All we need is a nice little putting week from a guy who is already hitting his irons beautifully on a course that should be scorable.
The number feels a little insulting for a golfer who won the Genesis Scottish Open in July. Since then, he has recorded a T20, T5, and T12, plus a solo third at the U.S. Open earlier this season and a T6 at the Myrtle Beach Classic.
He has clearly found something over the summer. If he keeps the irons dialed in, he can absolutely contend. At 45/1, that is plenty good enough for me.
Let's find a winner and end this PGA TOUR season with a bang. Good luck!
Still Didn't Get Your Betting Fix?
Follow me on X for all my picks, analysis, and plenty more. Also be sure to follow Betting News on X and Twitch to catch us on stream. Betting News is also on TikTok. Follow us for more sports picks and news every day and check out our free expert picks for every major sports league.
More Golf News
Golf Betting News
2026 BMW Championship Expert Picks: Betting Patrick Cantlay, Really?
Golf Betting News
FedEx St. Jude Championship 2026 Odds, Preview & Picks
Golf Betting News
Wyndham Championship 2026 Odds, Preview & Picks
Golf Betting News
Rocket Classic 2026 Odds, Preview & Picks
Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly
Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER
Check Out Our Other Betting Resources for Summer Sporting Events
Carlucci spent nearly a decade as a reporter, editor, and on-air talent in the Poconos. His transition into the fantasy sports and sports betting industries began in 2016 with roles at Daily Fantasy Insider and Daily Roto Sharks, which led to positions at Better Collective (RotoGrinders). During this period, his work gained national recognition through regular contributions to the New York Post and featured appearances on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. Carlucci has also contributed to Fantasy Alarm and most recently served as Managing Editor at Third Planet Media (Props.com), where he led content strategy, editorial direction, and served as the forward-facing voice of the brand through live streams and podcasts. You can also find his work at Matthew Berry's Fantasy Life and Hard Rock Digital. He's for some reason a die-hard Titans and 76ers fan and has developed trust issues from "trusting the process." Follow him on X @ThejCarlucci!
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.