Bolton: Sungjae Im tops prop betting card at steamy FedExCup finale

With all 30 golfers in the TOUR Championship slotted in the Power Rankings, this column is abridged, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t important matters to cover.

No, there isn’t a Wild Card or other notables below, but the familiar revisit of the weather appears and I’ve taken my customary cuts at BetMGM bets in Tap-ins – plus some info on the newest PGA TOUR member, Matt McCarty.

There’s also the fact that the TOUR Championship signifies the finish line of the 2024 season in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. With no cut, all gamers are in a position to post nonzero values in every round while hoping to be the one to break the tape, either overall or in a public or private league.

If you’re new to the game or in case you’ve forgotten, because no FedExCup points are up for grabs at East Lake Golf Club, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf uses the same breakdown for FedExCup bonus points as it did for the FedEx St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship. So, a win will award 200 points, a solo second is worth 120, and so on.

With FedExCup Starting Strokes defining the opening leaderboard, leaning on guys at and near the top is sensible – it’s why rationing starts throughout Segment 3 always is the optimal strategy – but because East Lake has undergone a wholescale restoration, opening position presents even greater value in the absence of relevant course history. Head starts, as it were, are shortcuts for leverage. Exploit them.

All champions crowned in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf will have months to bask in the glory, for there is no fantasy action on this website in the FedExCup Fall. So, enjoy the celebration or lick your wounds accordingly, and then reset for 2025.

When The Sentry launches the new season, a new fantasy game will be introduced. Details of it will be extended in time. I’m excited to learn about it and how it will continue to prove how fantasy is one of the best ways to connect with the totality of PGA TOUR membership.

I will continue to write this column weekly during the FedExCup Fall, so please continue to check in and connect with me on X as often as you’d like. Thanks as always for your loyalty.

Weather

Because there are only 30 golfers and they all begin within about two hours and 45 minutes of each other, the impact of the elements is muted but not nonexistent.

Classic afternoon thunderstorms could disrupt during Thursday’s opening round, and a repeat cannot be ruled out pretty much every day thereafter. It’s summer in Atlanta, after all. The good news, at least as it concerns flighting the golf ball, is that the wind is not expected to blow. The bad news, at least as it concerns staying cool and fresh in the 90-degree heat plus humidity, is that the air will be still at times.

So, don’t be surprised if the FedExCup champ cites getting over on the conditions with physical fitness and proper hydration, just don’t sweat it yourself.

Tap-ins

NOTE: Not everything needs a setup. For a variety of reasons, these lines are too enticing to ignore.

• Sungjae Im (+333 = Top Asian (Bonus strokes applied))
• Sungjae Im (+333 = Top 5)
• Sam Burns (+275 = Top 5)
• Tony Finau (+110 = Top 10)
• Xander Schauffele (+188 = Top American (Bonus strokes applied))

Membership notes

While he’s not in the field at East Lake, Matt McCarty made a recent splash by becoming the 13th player in Korn Ferry Tour history to win three times in a single season, earning an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR in the process.

McCarty projects to contribute regularly for fantasy gamers in 2025, but his fall schedule remains uncertain given that two FedExCup Fall events (Procore Championship and Sanderson Farms Championship) conflict with Korn Ferry Tour Finals events. McCarty isn’t a mathematical lock to lead the season-long Korn Ferry Tour points race, which would net him spots in THE PLAYERS and U.S. Open in 2025, so his focus could be split in the coming weeks. He’ll play out of Category 30 of the Priority Ranking this fall barring a win.

September is Responsible Gaming Education Month. For more information on how to put together your sports betting game plan, visit haveagameplan.org/pgatour.