FedExCup: Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy lead chase at Tour Championship in PGA Tour finale

The PGA Tour season concludes at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club from Thursday with Rory McIlroy defending his FedExCup title from a starting position of three shots back on Scottie Scheffler; watch the Tour Championship live from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf on Thursday

Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy start with the scoring advantage when the Tour Championship kicks off on Thursday

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler will start with a two-shot lead over Viktor Hovland, and three over Rory McIlroy, as the battle to be 2023’s FedExCup champion and claim the $18m jackpot reaches its dramatic finale at the winner-takes-all Tour Championship.

The FedExCup Playoffs field has been whittled down from an initial cast of 70 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship a fortnight ago to a final 30 following last week’s BMW Championship, where a late birdie blitz from Hovland saw him beat England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and FedExCup points leader Scheffler by two strokes.

That all sets up a dramatic final four days of action from Thursday, live on Sky Sports Golf, with all to play for in the season-ending event at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.

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How the Tour Championship works and who starts where

Where the 30-strong playing field start the week on the scorecard

The Tour Championship features a starting strokes system and the score the players hold off the opening tee reflects their position in the year’s FedExCup rankings.

Ten strokes separate the 30 players at the start of the event.

The leader – in this case Scheffler, for the second year in a row – starts on 10 under par with the second-placed player (Hovland) on eight under and the third (McIlroy) on seven under.

Viktor Hovland was ecstatic after shooting 61 to win the BMW Championship by two shots

The fourth-highest player (Jon Rahm) tees off on six under and the fifth-highest (Lucas Glover) on five under.

The players ranked from sixth to 10th, which includes Matt Fitzpatrick, are at four under, while 11th-15th, a group featuring Tommy Fleetwood, are at three under.

The next four players to 20th begin at two under, and 21-25 are at one under, while the final five players start the tournament as normal at even par.

At the end of 72 holes on Sunday, the player with the lowest stroke score when combined with his starting strokes will be crowned the FedExCup champion and be the winner of the Tour Championship.

Rory McIlroy accidently hit himself with his own club after a tee shot at the BMW Championship

Will McIlroy come from behind to win again? And what about in-form Hovland?

With three overall wins since the season-ending playoffs were introduced in 2007, no one has won the FedExCup more often than McIlroy.

He started last year’s Tour Championship six strokes adrift of Scheffler but rounds of 67-67-63-66 were enough to take the crown and bumper prize fund by one shot.

The last eight FedExCup champions

2022	Rory McIlroy
2021	Patrick Cantlay
2020	Dustin Johnson
2019	Rory McIlroy
2018	Justin Rose
2017	Justin Thomas
2016	Rory McIlroy
2015	Jordan Spieth

McIlroy and Scheffler will inevitably start as favourites, but Hovland’s sensational surge to victory at the BMW Championship last Sunday – which was achieved via a course-record 61 – has certainly put the Norwegian into serious contention.

Asked about Hovland’s chances this week, fourth-ranked Rahm said: “I mean, that’s an incredible round of golf. If you told me that Scottie was going to shoot five under on Sunday, I would have said there’s no chance that doesn’t win.

“I would have not expected somebody to come out and shoot nine under. He went off. Yeah, I have a lot of respect for that round of golf.

“He broke the course record that had been broken twice on that week, and to do it to win a golf tournament, it’s impressive.

Rahm added: “He’s a hell of a player and he showed it.”

Who will win the FedExCup? Watch the Tour Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour and more for £26 a month for 12 months with NOW.

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