The TOUR Championship not only serves as the finish line of the FedExCup season, it’s also the conclusion of another year of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by PGA TOUR Superstore. However, the outcomes of league championships aren’t as predictable as they used to be because of the introduction of the captain.

As the steward of fantasy golf on this website since assuming the chair in 2010, I’d be remiss to withhold that every comment and bit of feedback I fielded about the addition of the captain has been positive. I stated my affinity for it in the preseason primer because it promised action and required additional strategy, but it’s not like y’all always agree with me! Indeed, there’s a first time for everything.

With that in mind, front-runners shouldn’t be counting their blessings just yet.

While FedExCup points are not earned by the 30 golfers doing the harder work at East Lake Golf Club this week, the fantasy game uses the same distribution of FedExCup bonus points for the TOUR Championship as it did for the first two legs of the FedExCup Playoffs. (The note specifying this is found on the “How to Play” page.) This means that the FedExCup champion will yield 200 FedExCup bonus points. Double it if he’s your captain.

Consider that three gamers totaled more than 1,000 points at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and another 20 eclipsed that at the BMW Championship. While outliers, they’re proof that you still have a chance to overtake your nearest target, if not multiple.

League leaders can stymie their nearest pursuers with chalk, so chasers will have to get lucky with workarounds. Of course, it all might boil down to who you select as your captain. So, in lieu of the usual construct below, I’ve laid out considerations that are unlikely to be chosen by pacesetters but present as reasonable threats. If not convinced and/or you want to discuss your unique situation, reach out to me publicly or privately on X.

The fantasy game will begin anew in January of 2026, so this is the last Fantasy Insider column of 2025. In the interim, look for my familiar contributions during the FedExCup Fall and the Ryder Cup, as well as my annual full-membership fantasy ranking in December. Before all that, however, the first listing of qualifiers for the Signature Events, THE PLAYERS Championship and the majors in 2026 is scheduled for release next week.

Good luck in Atlanta, but no matter how you fare, thanks for giving it a go and for communicating throughout the season. Most of all, thank you always for your loyalty!

Captain

The defaults in the finale are simple. If you’re pacing, Scottie Scheffler is your man. If you’re out of stars on him, pivot to Rory McIlroy. Beyond that, lean on the strategy centered on whom your primary opponent cannot play. (More on this in "Rounding out the roster" below.)

If you’re chasing and your target can play Scheffler, then McIlroy is your guy. No doubt there are combinations of possibilities after that that don’t work out as easily if you need to send it over the fence, but there are Kirk Gibsons available who won’t be found in starting lineups despite the magnitudes of convincing arguments.

Other considerations

• Justin Rose ... His FedExCup title in 2018 helped trigger the advent of Starting Strokes because he finished T4 in the TOUR Championship that year. But while that’s among a series of strong performances at East Lake, he’s one of only two in the field (Scheffler) with a chance to win multiple tournaments in the same FedExCup Playoffs. In the first 18 editions, it happened a whopping dozen times.
• Cameron Young ... Has momentum, but the bonus is how red-hot form can be sustained during the postseason. Among the hottest performers anywhere right now with a breakthrough win, a solo fifth and a solo 11th in his last three starts.
• J.J. Spaun ... One of seven first-timers at East Lake in the field, each of whom is seeking to become the first in 12 years to finish as low aggregate no matter the format. He splits the difference between inexperience and a career year that has him positioned third in the FedExCup. Conservative frontrunners (like me) don’t need to reach for him on a track that has rewarded experience.
• Collin Morikawa ... If he feeds off last year’s runner-up finish, then it’ll probably be a coincidence. There’s a narrative that he could be just happy to be here, but that defies any professional athlete’s competitive drive. Juxtaposed is the earned opportunity to have an even shot out of the gate to finish a wacky year clutching the FedExCup trophy.
• Justin Thomas ... Proven to be hot and cold way too often for our liking, but still has a win and a trio of runner-up finishes this year. His record at East Lake is among the best in the field. In just his last four appearances and ignoring Starting Strokes, he’s scored 11-under and 14-under twice each. A horse for the course.
• Shane Lowry ... The ultimate hired gun because of his firepower, except that he hasn’t shown much of that lately. When he does, he’s a fantasy cornerstone with very little baggage, but you need the win, so he’s a long shot. Still, en route to a 13-under in his debut last year, he was consistently strong throughout his bag, but especially with his putter, which has been his weakness.
• Patrick Cantlay ... Speaking of fantasy darlings, it’s been strange not to be compelled to burn him as often as years past, but his B-game has yielded an eighth trip to East Lake, where he’s won once (2021) and exceled twice again since.

For you, it boils down to whom you trust most among this subset of the usual suspects that aren’t firing on all cylinders.

Rounding out the roster

Not unlike how you determine your captain, the supporting cast also might need to be completely different to slingshot past your opposition.

For example, I’m in a position to hold off Mike Glasscott for the Experts League title. He’s out of starts on Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Sungjae Im and Shane Lowry. I could play any of those guys, but there’s no point because Glass can’t benefit from any of them. (We’ve both exhausted all three starts on Harry Hall.) My play is to force Glass to select from golfers whom I’m not rostering, including my captain, Scheffler. So, that’s another six that he’s smart to avoid because there’s no more clock to absorb pushes.

My starters

• Ludvig Åberg
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Russell Henley
• Scottie Scheffler (C)

My bench

• Viktor Hovland (1)
• Rory McIlroy (2)