Bookmakers betting on two separate markets for the Tour Championship

Justin Thomas was the 14-1 winner of the BMW Championship last week, taking the lead in the FedEx Cup standings in the process, meaning he will start the 30-runner Tour Championship with a two-shot advantage on Thursday.

A handicap system has been introduced to the Tour Championship for the first time this season and punters need to be aware of exactly what they are betting on when the action starts at East Lake, Georgia, this week.

Whoever wins the Tour Championship with the handicaps applied will also win the FedEx Cup. Players who are 26th to 30th in the FedEx standings, such as Bryson DeChambeau, will start the Tour Championship at level par. That means they are ten shots behind Thomas, who tees off with his score already at ten under par.

Patrick Cantlay, runner-up in the BMW on Sunday, is second in the FedEx standings and will be two shots behind Thomas when the Tour Championship starts. Brooks Koepka, third in the standings, will be three shots behind, and so on.

Almost every bookmaker has signalled their intention to bet on both the Tour Championship under the handicap system – which is essentially the FedEx Cup – and the Tour Championship as a standard 72-hole, lowest-total-wins, event.

Punters need to be aware of which market they are betting on when they strike a wager. They have the opportunity to bet on two different Tour Championship markets – one with the handicaps applied and one without.

This is an important week for golf punters to seriously focus when placing their bets. Different bookmakers have expressed a preference for 'prioritising' one market over the other in-running. BoyleSports, for example, will bet in-play only on the FedEx Cup, before issuing a 72-hole strokeplay market at the end of each round. Sky Bet, in contrast, have said they will 'prioritise' 72-hole strokeplay.

Shop punters casually writing the name of the tournament and their selected player on a betting slip will be at the mercy of bookmakers and their 'prioritising' of markets. It is important for every punter to check the details of their bet thoroughly before investing.

The European Tour moves to Sweden this week for the Scandinavian Invitation. Thomas Pieters was the 18-1 winner of the Czech Masters on Sunday.

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