Scottie Scheffler Favored to Win Tour Championship After Historic Season

It sometimes feels like Scottie Scheffler can’t be derailed.

He’s the locomotive that always stays on the tracks at high speeds no matter the conditions.

Scheffler is looking to cap off a superb season this week at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

He won last week’s BMW Championship for his fifth crown of the season. He’s the first golfer since Tiger Woods (2006-07) to win five or more titles in back-to-back years.

To call his campaign amazing doesn’t seem to be enough. It’s definitely one for the ages.

But none of that matters at East Lake Golf Club this week.

This time, every golfer starts at even par, which gives all 30 players the same chance at winning.

That’s certainly better than past years when those who barely made the field faced a steep deficit and knew their chances of winning were slim.

This year, the last qualifier, Akshay Bhatia, has just as good of a chance (in theory) of winning as Scheffler.

Of course, Scheffler is still the heavy favorite. He won two majors — the PGA Championship and The Open — and had 15 top-10 finishes in 18 events played.

The last time he didn’t finish in the top 10 was when he tied for 20th at The Players Championship in March. Since then, he has 13 straight top-eight placements, tying Tom Weiskopf’s 1973 record.

That makes him the man to beat. He hasn’t even shot a round in the 70s since the Travelers Championship in June.

Scheffler also is the defending champion. He shot 67 or lower in all four rounds while taking the crown last year.

Rory McIlroy will attempt to challenge Scheffler.

McIlroy is looking for his fourth FedEx Cup title and has posted nine top-10 finishes in 11 trips to Atlanta.

He tied for 12th last week at the BMW Championship and will need a much better performance this week.

The Northern Ireland native has three titles this year, the biggest being his first Masters when he beat Justin Rose in a playoff.

But he hasn’t won in nine tournaments since. He did tie for second at the Scottish Open last month.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have J.J. Spaun, a former college walk-on at San Diego State who once looked like golf’s version of a journeyman until his stunning U.S. Open victory at Oakmont.

Spaun made the putt of a lifetime — a dramatic 64-footer — to win his second career title.

His confidence soared, and two weeks ago he nearly won again before falling in a playoff to Rose at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

Spaun, who battles diabetes, is No. 3 this week in his Tour Championship debut. Usually, he’d be watching from home.

Rose is No. 4, boosted by his recent victory, his second PGA Tour win in six years. Despite six missed cuts and one withdrawal this season, five top-10 finishes have helped his stock.

Other threats include No. 5 Tommy Fleetwood of England, who is due for a breakthrough, and No. 9 Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, who led after three rounds last week before Scheffler surged ahead.

Or maybe the last two players to make the field — No. 29 Chris Gotterup and Bhatia — can put together four stellar rounds.

Regardless, this is Scheffler’s tournament to win. His streak of elite finishes makes him nearly impossible to ignore.

He’s cool under pressure and won’t beat himself down the stretch.

The only question is whether anyone can outduel him.

The answer is no.