Tour Championship rankings: From Scottie Scheffler all the way to No. 30

ATLANTA -- Starting strokes are out at this week's Tour Championship, in which $40 million will be on the line at East Lake Golf Club.

It's back to a level playing field, with all 30 golfers in the field starting at even par Thursday.

Even world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, who won in half of his past five starts, including last week's BMW Championship.

Unlike last year, when Scheffler started two strokes ahead of the field before winning his first FedEx Cup, he won't have an advantage this week.

"Any one of the 30 has a chance to win the FedEx Cup this year, which is obviously a lot different than it's been in previous years," Masters winner Rory McIlroy said. "I think with that, it's a clean slate for everyone, and it's a great opportunity for one of the guys that maybe wasn't a huge part of the season to put their hand up and have a chance to win the big prize at the end of the year."

Of course, they might have to take down Scheffler to do it.

Here's a look at the 30 golfers in the Tour Championship field.

1. Scottie Scheffler

Given his recent form, Scheffler will be the favorite every time he tees it up until someone unseats him. A five-time winner this season, Scheffler will try to become the first back-to-back FedEx Cup champion and one of only three golfers to collect multiple FedEx titles (Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were the others). DataGolf.com gives Scheffler a 31.4% chance to win again this week.

2. Rory McIlroy

Last week, McIlroy returned to the tour for the first time in nearly a month and tied for 12th at 3 under in the BMW Championship. He's the only three-time winner at East Lake, in 2016, 2019 and 2022, and finished in the top 10 in nine of his previous 11 starts. If anyone can keep pace with Scheffler at East Lake, it might be McIlroy.

3. Ludvig Åberg

After a so-so season, the former Texas Tech star heated up just in time for the FedEx Cup playoffs and looming Ryder Cup. He tied for ninth and seventh in the first two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs, respectively. Åberg finished 16th in his Tour Championship debut in 2024.

4. Tommy Fleetwood

The English golfer was once again painfully close to picking up his first PGA Tour victory in Memphis, Tennessee, but couldn't close the deal in the final round. He tied for third in the FedEx St. Jude Championship and fourth in the BMW Championship. There has never been a first-time winner at the Tour Championship since its inception in 1987.

5. Viktor Hovland

It was only two years ago when Hovland ran away from the field for a five-shot victory in the Tour Championship. His career seemed ready to take off. He has won only once since then, at this year's Valspar Championship, and continues to tinker with his swing. Hovland tied for seventh at the BMW Championship and was third in the field on approach, so maybe he's figured it out again.

6. Russell Henley

The former University of Georgia star carded a 9-under 62 in the final round of last season's Tour Championship, the lowest score of the week at the renovated course. It was good enough to help Henley tie for fourth, his second top-five finish in the tournament. His ballstriking and accuracy off the tee could make him a contender again.

7. Harris English

Another Georgia native who will have fans barking at him this week, English is back at the Tour Championship for the first time since 2021. After undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip in 2022, English is enjoying the best season of his career, which includes a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and runners-up at the PGA Championship and The Open.

8. Sam Burns

Burns tied for fourth at 10 under in the BMW Championship, his best finish since losing in a playoff to Ryan Fox in the RBC Canadian Open in early June. Burns is 16th in the Ryder Cup points standings, so he probably needs another good performance this week to have a fighter's chance at a captain's pick. He finished in the top 12 in his past two starts at East Lake, where he'll thrive again on Bermuda greens.

9. Collin Morikawa

It has largely been a forgettable season for Morikawa, who has just two top-10 finishes since his runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in early March. The two-time major champion is eighth in the Ryder Cup standings, so he might want to play well to erase any doubt about his form. He was runner-up at the 2024 Tour Championship by going 22 under over 72 holes.

10. Patrick Cantlay

Given his 5-2-1 record in the Ryder Cup and success in the Presidents Cup, Cantlay is among the favorites to land one of Keegan Bradley's six captain's choices. Another strong showing at East Lake certainly would help his chances. The 2021 FedEx Cup champion finished 17th at 7 under in last year's Tour Championship.

11. Justin Thomas

JT hasn't finished in the top 20 in his past four starts on tour, but returning to East Lake might help him turn things around. The 2017 FedEx Cup champion finished in the top seven in each of his first seven starts at East Lake; he tied for 14th after the renovation last year.

12. Robert MacIntyre

The Scotland native was a Ryder Cup rookie in 2023, but he's become one of Europe's most accomplished golfers over the past two years. He won twice on tour last season and was runner-up at the U.S. Open and last week's BMW Championship, in which he held the lead after each of the first three rounds.

13. Harry Hall

The English golfer, who played in college at UNLV, has been one of the hottest players in the world over the past four months, finishing in the top 28 in each of his past 11 starts. He jumped from 45th to 26th in the FedEx Cup standings after finishing sixth in the BMW. Hall, who is second on tour in strokes gained: putting (.910), is making a late push for the European Ryder Cup team.

14. Sepp Straka

Straka missed last week's BMW Championship because of undisclosed personal reasons. He's seventh in points, just behind Ireland's Shane Lowry, in the European points standings for the Ryder Cup. Straka can't earn points this week, so he'll probably have to rely on one of Luke Donald's captain's picks, which seems like a certainty.

15. J.J. Spaun

The U.S. Open winner has already qualified for a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, so there's little pressure on him in his first start at East Lake. Spaun ranks sixth on tour in strokes gained: approach (.758) and seventh in strokes gained: total (1.185). His previous best finish in the FedEx Cup Playoffs was 34th in 2022.

16. Cameron Young

After picking up his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship, Young kept it rolling by finishing fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and 11th at the BMW Championship. He's among the tour leaders in driving distance and ranks in the top 10 in putting, which might make him a tantalizing Ryder Cup pick for Bradley.

17. Ben Griffin

After tying for ninth and 12th in the first two playoffs events, Griffin is making it more and more difficult for Bradley to ignore. A two-time winner on tour this season, Griffin is ninth in Ryder Cup points. It's his Tour Championship debut.

18. Maverick McNealy

Another American golfer who is trying to get Bradley's attention, McNealy tied for 28th and was solo third in the first two playoffs events, respectively. He certainly has made a strong argument to make the Ryder Cup team with seven top 10s and 10 top 25s in 23 starts on tour. It is his first appearance in the Tour Championship.

19. Justin Rose

Rose, the 2018 FedEx Cup champion, started the playoffs ranked 25th in the standings but jumped to fourth after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship and tying for 30th at the BMW. He secured his seventh Ryder Cup appearance by qualifying on points.

20. Brian Harman

Harman tied for 22nd and 19th in the first two playoff events, and he could use another strong finish to strengthen his case of making the Ryder Cup team. The former Open Championship winner is 12th in points, so he's clearly on the bubble. His match-play prowess and clutch putting are factors in his favor.

21. Akshay Bhatia

After an inconsistent 2025 campaign, Bhatia has played better in the playoffs, tying for sixth in the FedEx St. Jude Championship and for 26th at the BMW. He finished 26th at 3 under in his first Tour Championship last year.

22. Corey Conners

Conners is one of the best iron players in the world, but his game has been wildly inconsistent lately. He tied for 50th in Memphis and was solo 39th in Baltimore. He didn't finish in the top 20 in four previous starts in the Tour Championship.

23. Keegan Bradley

Bradley snapped a string of four straight finishes outside the top 30 by tying for 17th at the BMW Championship. The Ryder Cup captain is 11th in the points standings, and with other golfers such as Young and Griffin playing well, Bradley's decision on whether or not to choose himself with a captain's pick is getting more and more difficult. He finished 21st at 2 under at East Lake last year.

24. Sungjae Im

The normally consistent Im has endured an up-and-down season, which includes eight missed cuts and three top 10s in 26 starts. The South Korean golfer is more than capable of putting things together at East Lake, where he was runner-up in 2022 and finished seventh last season.

25. Hideki Matsuyama

Remarkably, the 2021 Masters champion hasn't had a top 10 since winning The Sentry in the tour's season opener on Jan. 5. He ranks 126th in strokes gained: off the tee (-.171) and is hitting only 57.3% of fairways. Matsuyama has four career top 10s in the Tour Championship, including ninth at 9 under in 2024.

26. Shane Lowry

Even if Lowry plays well at East Lake this week, he's in danger of losing his position in the European Ryder Cup standings. Lowry is sixth in points, which would earn him an automatic spot on the team. However, he won't receive points for the Tour Championship this week.

Denmark's Rasmus Højgaard is only 14 points behind Lowry. If Højgaard finishes in a tie for 29th or better in this week's Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour, he will jump Straka and Lowry for the last automatic spot. Still, Lowry seems assured of getting one of Donald's six captain's choices if he doesn't qualify on points.

27. Chris Gotterup

After his sizzling stretch across the pond in July, in which he picked up his second PGA Tour win at the Scottish Open and was solo third at The Open, Gotterup has cooled off in the playoffs. He probably needs to do something special this week to get back in the Ryder Cup mix.

28. Nick Taylor

It's only the second time two Canadian golfers made the 30-man field at the Tour Championship since the FedEx Cup debuted in 2007. Conners and Taylor also made it to East Lake in 2023.

29. Andrew Novak

Novak enjoyed a heck of a breakout season this year, but things came undone in last week's BMW Championship. He finished 48th at 20 over, 35 strokes behind Scheffler.

30. Jacob Bridgeman

The former Clemson golfer nearly lost his card as a PGA Tour rookie after finishing 113th in points after the FedEx Fall season. With five top 10s and nine top 25s in 26 starts, he climbed to 27th in points to make it to East Lake.