Sam Burns heads into the Tour Championship at East Lake with strong momentum following his impressive T4 finish at the BMW Championship. The American golfer looks poised to challenge the field despite not being among the top favorites in Atlanta.
"His performance metrics speak volumes about his current form," golf analysts noted after reviewing his recent statistics.
While Scottie Scheffler remains the clear favorite as World No. 1, Burns has quietly been building momentum. He carded a respectable T12 at East Lake last year, ranking ninth in true strokes gained tee-to-green and second on approaches. His recent performances show he's gained strokes on approaches and putting in consecutive events, ranking 12th and first in these metrics among the field of 30 players.
Collin Morikawa presents another intriguing option at +3000 odds. Despite a string of disappointing finishes recently, the proven winner finished second in last year's Tour Championship. Interestingly, his ball-striking is trending in the right direction, gaining strokes on approaches in consecutive events to rank second in this metric among the field.
Ben Griffin rounds out the top sleeper picks at +3500. His gutsy final round at the BMW Championship last week demonstrated remarkable resilience - turning a disastrous start (six over after just three holes) into a respectable -1 finish and T12 for the tournament.
Griffin's first trip to East Lake comes with impressive credentials. He ranks seventh in true strokes gained tee-to-green and fourth in putting across 11 events dating back to the PGA Championship. Can this momentum carry him to a surprising finish against the elite 30-player field?
The Tour Championship kicks off this week at the storied East Lake Golf Club, where only the season's top performers have earned the right to compete. Who will rise to the occasion when the pressure is highest?
