The Tour Championship

The top 30 golfers on the PGA Money List gather at East Lake, Georgia for the season ending Tour Championship. This year once again Phil Mickelson, ranked 3rd on the Money List with over $5m to his name, has withdrawn from the season-ender, sighting no particular reason or injury of note, indicating what Commissioner Tim Finchem's said about reducing the PGA Tour's schedule in 2007 could be correct, and top stars like Mickelson have become exhausted with the length of the season.So that leaves us with a field of 29 of some of the worlds best players, ready to take on one of Georgia' finest tests of Golf for the sixth renewal of the Tour Championship at East Lake, which was the home golf course of the famous amateur Bobby Jones, and has also held Ryder Cup in 1963 and the US Amateur championship in 2001.Whilst the elite field gathers in Atlanta, we should take time out to spare a thought for the players heading to Mississippi to play their season ending Southern Farm Classic, with what could be their livelihood on the line as some of them try to battle it out to finish in the top 125 of the money List and gain automatic exemptions for the 2006 Schedule.Also we should be treated to some fine golf this week at East Lake, as this is the last chance this year on the PGA tour for some competitive action, before the well known 'silly season' kicks in, and we have everything from skins matches to father/son challenges to pit our wits against!So, with the 2005 Money list already sewn up two weeks ago, Tiger Woods comes into the event as the hot 11/4 favourite, and with four attempts at winning at East Lake passing him by, he will be looking to make it 5th time lucky this week. With the World number one not winning in Georgia, having a generally bad time of things on courses which muster a par 70, and coming off what was his second missed cut of the year at the Funai Classic in Florida, I am of the opinion that at the odds on offer he can be overlooked and the value for the winner lies elsewhere in this limited field.Woods does has an affinity for the state of Georgia with the US Masters played there, however with the two par 5's on the course being reachable for most of the field, his prowess of sneaking a shot or two ahead on the par 5's at most tournaments is nullified and for the reasons mentioned I will bypass him this week, along with second favourite Vijay Singh.Singh starts the tournament on Thursday unusually off the back of two straight missed cuts at the Chrysler Championship where he was defending champions, and at the low scoring Funai Classic, which seems to indicate not all is right with the four time 2005 tour winner. He boasts a win and three top 10's from his four visits to East Lake GC, so if his game did come back into line then I would expect a bold showing from the Fijian, but in my opinion its too risky to chance at the 8/1 odds.So with arguments to oppose the front two in the betting, I will look for some each way value, and the two players which jump off the page are Chad Campbell (25/1), and Charles Howell (33/1). Campbell comes here off a fine second place at the Chrysler (joint best performance of the year) and loves to play hard courses well, just like he did last week, and when runner up to Shaun Micheel at Oak Hill in the 2003 PGA Championship.Campbell the 2003 Tour Championship winner (held in Nebraska), and the 2004 Bay Hill winner will be looking to make it Tour victory number three this week, and when he won in 2003 he went into the event off the back of a 4th place finish at Innisbrook the week before, so the omens look strong, after his runner-up position last week. With over $2million in the bank already this season and 17th place on the money list expect Chad to put up a bold show this week, and give us a run for our money at a tempting 28/1. For my second selection, we look to homeboy Charles Howell. The Georgia native has fond memories of this course, as he finished runner up to Singh here in 2002, and will be looking for his second tour victory in front of the passionate home support.He also finished runner up in the Tour Championship in 2003, so with two second places out of two, will be looking to build on the solid run of form produced over the last month, which earned him qualification into this event in 28th position and by just $31000, and cap off a season which has seem him post six top ten finishes. Finally, as a saver I will look to back Jim Furyk at 14/1. Jim has featured twice at East Lake posting finishes of 3rd and 18th and was unlucky last time out to 3-putt the 72nd hole at the Michelin Championship, to eventually lose to first-time tour winner Wes Short in a play-off.Furyk has overcome the well-documented wrist problems from 2004, and has a Tour victory at the Western Open, four runner-up finishes and five further top tens in his resume this year and will be hoping for a strong end to the season, which sees him sit fourth in the Money list