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The 2021-22 PGA Tour season has been one of runs for some of the top golfers in the sport, and it will all come to an end this week at the Tour Championship. The FedEx Cup Playoffs race has been as heated as ever with players like Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau all experiencing torrid stretches throughout the year. Despite the depth of this premier talent, it should come as no surprise that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the man atop the season-long standings ahead of the postseason finale at East Lake.

Commanding the top spot for most of the season, Scheffler has been able to parlay his hot spring that included four victories into the pole position at the Tour Championship. The Masters champion has an opportunity to collect the most money ever for a PGA Tour season but will not be without worthy contenders in Atlanta.

Reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Patrick Cantlay has been terrific in 2022, and his consistency finally paid dividends at the BMW Championship as he successfully defended his title for his first solo victory of the year. The 30-year-old became the first man to defend a playoff event and will now attempt to become the first to win back-to-back FedEx Cup crowns. He will begin the Tour Championship two strokes behind Scheffler at 8 under.

Factor in former FedEx Cup champions Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, and this year's Tour Championship is sure to be electric. In a season that has been filled with unexpected twists and turns -- both on and off the golf course -- more of the same should be in store this week at East Lake with the FedEx Cup and an $18 million grand prize up for grabs.

Let's take a look at a full set of predictions and picks from our CBS Sports experts as we attempt to project who will win and what will happen at the final event of the season. Odds via Caesars Sportsbook.

2022 Tour Championship expert picks, predictions

Kyle Porter, senior golf writer

Winner -- Scottie Scheffler (12/5): It's true that, at 10 under, he has a head start on the field at the Tour Championship. It's also true that, in eight rounds played at this golf course, he's been seventh-best of anyone in this field. It's also true that he's coming in off a tasty T3 last week at the BMW Championship. But perhaps the reason I'm most convinced that Scheffler is going to win is because he's owned this entire season. We've seen this happen so many times. before -- Spieth in 2015, Thomas in 2017 -- where a star caps the year with a win to touch off all the rest. That's the most intangible of all the reasons Scheffler might win this week, but it might also be the most compelling.

Sleeper -- Viktor Hovland (65-1): I went as deep down the board as I could to find the player who I think could go on the most ridiculous heater. Hovland is that guy (although you could talk me into Joaquin Niemann as well). He'll start at 2 under, eight back of Scheffler, but he played this course well last year (65 on Sunday to finish T4 on the shadow leaderboard). While he doesn't come in particularly hot, I'm playing the Hovland who has been a microwave over the course of his career and hoping he shoots 66 in Round 1 so you have something to hedge against.

Top 10 lock -- Xander Schauffele: It's impossible to go against Schauffele, who enters at 6 under with the following finishes at East Lake over the last five years: 1, T7, 2, T2, T5. I have no further evidence to present Judge Beth L. Freeman.

Star who definitely won't win -- Jordan Spieth: Not only does he enter eight back of Scheffler, but it's just not there for Spieth right now like it was when he won RBC Heritage and nearly did the same at the Byron Nelson earlier this season.

Surprise prediction -- Low Cameron will be a surprise: Smith or Young? I'm going with the latter even though the former -- who it seems is headed to LIV Golf a week after the Tour Championship -- has put together the significantly better year. Smith will start a stroke ahead of Young and has beaten him in six of the eight tournaments they've played together this year, but he has struggled on this course and may be looking ahead to the following week. Also, that's why they call it a surprise prediction because the No. 2 player in the world losing a matchup to a zero-time PGA Tour winner would, indeed, be a surprise.

Lowest round: 64 (-6)
Winning score: -23
Winner's Sunday score: 68 (-2)

Patrick McDonald, golf writer

Winner -- Scottie Scheffler (12/5): The world No. 1 has been the best player in 2022 and should cap off a memorable year in fashion. He begins the Tour Championship with a two-stroke lead, and while his history at East Lake is not extensive, it is sound. In his debut appearance in Atlanta two years ago, his 72-hole total fell short only to Schauffele. Simply put, if the putter cooperates, Scheffler is your FedEx Cup champion.

Sleeper -- Billy Horschel (175-1): It is difficult to really look in the direction of any sleeper, but Horschel proved to be up to the challenge last season. He will begin the week at 1 under and comes into East Lake flying under the radar. The Florida product hasn't been great since his impressive victory at the Memorial, but in his mind, he may still have something to prove to garner a captain's selection for the U.S. Presidents Cup team -- although I think he is a lock. East Lake is a really nice fit for Horschel's game, and his iron play showed signs of life at the BMW Championship.

Top 10 lock -- Jon Rahm: The Spaniard is my selection to card the low 72-hole total this week -- disregarding the staggered start. Rahm was terrific over the weekend at the BMW Championship as he carded 10 birdies against zero bogeys to collect yet another top-10 finish in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He has signed for rounds of 68 or better in seven of his last eight rounds at East Lake and is ultra dangerous as he is beginning to find his stroke on the greens.

Star who definitely won't win -- Justin Thomas: Originally I had written up Will Zalatoris, but due to his withdrawal, I will instead go with another bold selection of Thomas. A winner here in the past, Thomas simply is not in the midst of the quality that led him to the FedEx Cup in 2017. The PGA Championship winner has not collected a top-10 finish since the Canadian Open and has struggled on the greens over the past month.

Surprise prediction -- Sepp Straka makes a serious run: I have poked fun at the big Austrian both online and behind closed doors, but make no mistake, he is capable in this setting. Straka showed plenty of gumption in his playoff loss to Zalatoris, and his game may be on a trajectory similar to this past spring when he broke through at the Honda Classic. His four top-10 finishes in 2022 have come at the PGA National, TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town Golf Links and TPC Southwind -- all shorter Bermuda-laced golf courses with three residing in the southeast United States. The former Georgia star will surprise in his return to the Peach State.

Lowest round: 64 (-6)
Winning score: -21
Winner's Sunday score: 68 (-2)

Who will win the Tour Championship 2022, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard -- all from the model that's nailed eight golf majors entering the weekend -- and find out.