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USATSI

Patrick Cantlay is aiming to make history for the second consecutive week when the 2022 Tour Championship tees off Thursday in Atlanta. Cantlay became the first PGA Tour player to defend a title in a playoff event when he won the BMW Championship again on Sunday. The victory last year propelled him to the FedEx Cup championship, and now he seeks to be the first player to defend that crown. Rory McIlroy has won the FedEx Cup twice, in 2016 and 2019, but he and Cantlay have work to do to catch Scottie Scheffler, who finished atop the FedEx Cup standings and will start Thursday at 10 under par. Cantlay was second in the standings, meaning he will begin at 8 under in the FedEx Cup Starting Strokes format. McIlroy is in a group starting at 4 under, trailing Xander Schauffele (6 under) and Sam Burns (5 under). Will Zalatoris was third in the standings but is out this week after having to withdraw from the BMW with a back injury. 

Scheffler is the 11-5 favorite to win the FedEx Cup title in the latest 2022 Tour Championship odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Cantlay (7-2), Schauffele (13-2) and McIlroy (9-1) all have a fair chance to catch him, according to Caesars, while Jon Rahm (14-1) and Burns (22-1) are longer shots. In the odds to post the best score without starting strokes, Caesars has McIlroy listed as the 7-1 favorite, with Rahm right behind at 9-1. Next up in that market are Scheffler (10-1), Schauffle (10-1) and Cantlay (10-1). Before locking in any 2022 Tour Championship picks, be sure you check out the FedEx Cup 2022 predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.

After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour. 

He takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is up 45 units on those plays in 2022, having hit Cameron Smith (22-1) at the Tournament of Champions, Hudson Swafford (250-1) at The American Express, Joaquin Niemann (70-1) at the Genesis Invitational and Justin Thomas (66-1) live at the PGA Championship.

McDonald just missed on his longshot play at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, with 80-1 shot Taylor Pendrith battling for the lead all week until winner Tony Finau's dominant Sunday. He also pegged Pendrith as the first-round leader at 70-1, and the Canadian shared that honor with Finau.

At last week's BMW Championship, the expert nailed his matchup play of Joaquin Niemann over Viktor Hovland, and it wasn't even close. Niemann tied for eighth, while Hovland needed a 6-under 65 just to finish T-35. At the St. Jude, McDonald picked Will Zalatoris over Finau in their head-to-head matchup. And while Finau continued his stellar play, Zalatoris was better, winning the tournament while Finau tied for fifth. 

Now, McDonald has studied the 2022 Tour Championship field and is locking in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of his 2022 Tour Championship picks and predictions.

Top 2022 Tour Championship expert picks

One schocker from McDonald: The expert is fading rising star Sam Burns (22-1) despite his three victories this season. The 26-year-old hasn't posted a top-10 finish since early June, and that came on the heels of his last victory two weeks earlier. His game has fallen apart to the point he is banking on his excellent putter (11th in strokes gained). But his wild tee shots will have him scrambling to save par with it, like he did in finishing just 2 under in Atlanta last year. 

On the flip side, Schauffele has found very little trouble around East Lake, and his approach is a perfect fit for the course. He hits it well off the tee, ranking sixth in total driving (27th in distance, 80th in accuracy), and hits the green (11th in regulation). That's why he has finished in the top seven in all five appearances at East Lake, including a victory in his 2017 rookie year and two-runner-up spots. He tied for fifth last year at 14 under (12 under without starting strokes). You can see who else to back at the Tour Championship here.

How to make 2022 Tour Championship golf picks

McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2022 Tour Championship ahead of this week's FedEx Cup Playoffs finale in Atlanta. He is targeting a player for a top-10 finish who comes in at more than 30-1 to win the FedEx Cup. This golfer stumbled at the BMW last week but has been posting high finishes all season, and McDonald expects him to do it again. You can find out who it is, and see the rest of McDonald's Tour Championship picks, at SportsLine.

So which 2022 Tour Championship picks should you target? Where does all the betting value lie for Tour Championship 2022? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald's top prop picks for Tour Championship 2022, all from the expert who's up 45 units on outright plays in 2022, and find out.

2022 Tour Championship odds, field, top contenders

See full Tour Championship 2022 picks, best bets, and predictions here. 

Scottie Scheffler +240
Patrick Cantlay +360
Xander Schauffele +650
Rory McIlroy +900
Jon Rahm +1400
Tony Finau +1800
Cameron Smith +2000 
Sam Burns +2000
Sungjae Im +2500
Justin Thomas +2500
Matt Fitzpatrick +3300
Cameron Young +3300
Joaquin Niemann +5000
Collin Morikawa +5000
Viktor Hovland +6500
Jordan Spieth +6600
Corey Conners +8000
Hideki Matsuyama +9000
Scott Stallings +10000
Max Homa +10000
Sepp Straka +10000
Adam Scott +12500
Aaron Wise +15000
Billy Horschel +17500
Sahith Theegala +20000
Brian Harman +20000
Tom Hoge +25000
K.H. Lee +25000
J.T. Poston +25000