Weekly previews
The FedEx Cup finishes at the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour and with only 30 players competing there is a strong field in the Mercedes-Benz Championship on the European Tour.
Tournament: The Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola
Course: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
Prize fund: $7,000,000 Winner: $1,260,000
Course details: Par 70, 7,154 yards. Opened in 1904, East Lake Golf Club was home to one of the greatest players of all time, Bobby Jones. East Lake is a picturesque course with narrow tree-lined fairways creating an almost tunnel-like effect on most holes. Wind can play a major factor, although that appears unlikely this week with good weather forecasted for all four days.
Key Holes: 15th ? 495 yards, Par 5: An easily reachable Par 5 where a anything worse than a birdie will feel like a bogey. An eagle is always on offer and in the final few holes on Sunday someone may be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
18th ? 235 yards, Par 3: A really tough finishing hole where some players may need a fairway metal or hybrid club to reach the green, but that is only half the job. A sloping two-tiered green means a shot onto the wrong level could result in a three-putt on and there could be a twist in the tail on Sunday evening.
The low-down: This week is the grand finale to the Fex-Ex Cup playoffs and the big showdown the PGA Tour had hoped for is definitely on the cards. Only five players can walk away with the grand prize with Rory Sabbatini, Steve Stricker and KJ Choi all looking to find a way past the main attraction of world number two Phil Mickleson versus world number one Tiger Woods. Woods currently leads the race for the $10million jackpot but the likes of Aaron Baddeley and defending champion Adam Scott will also hope to build on good finishes last week. Interestingly, the players will not get a chance to putt on the greens before Thursday?s opening round due to a drought that has hit the area, which has meant the greens are in a critical state.
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The way Woods played at the BMW Championship on Sunday it is as hard as ever to look beyond him for this week, however Mickleson out-shot him the at the Deutsche Bank Championship so he will fancy his chances.
The contenders: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson, Adam Scott
Betting Guide: For betting tips from our expert Paul Krishnamurty click here.
Tournament: Mercedes-Benz Championship
Course: Larchenhof Golf Club, Cologne, Germany
Prize fund: ?2,000,000 Winner: ?320,000
Course details: Par 72, 7,289 yards. The Jack Nicklaus designed course was only opened in May 1997 but has already forged a big reputation on the European Tour. Just one year after opening it became the permanent home to the Linde German Masters (now the Mercedes-Benz Championship) and its cross between parkland and links layouts creates an interesting blend of wide fairways and very long rough.
The low-down: Bernhard Langer turned 50 two weeks ago and he returns to his homeland to host the event, but he also has his sights set on becoming the oldest winner in European Tour history. A strong field will travel to Cologne, partly as a result of the players no longer in the Fed-Ex Cup, such as US Open Champion Angel Cabrera who will be looking for a return to top form. South African Retief Goosen, who won the last time the tournament was played in 2005, will also be hoping to make his way back into the winner?s circle. Also in with a shout will be Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie.
The contenders: Lee Westwood, Angel Cabrera, Ian Poulter Betting Guide: For betting tips from our expert Paul Krishnamurty click here.