2009 Tour Championship Six Pack

JJ Gallant

Correspondent Written on September 23, 2009

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 28: Camilo Villegas of Colombia holds the trophy in celebration of his sudden death victory over Sergio Garcia to win THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, at East Lake Golf Club on September 28, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. This

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

There is one thing this week that I can concretely guarantee...

Camilo Villegas will NOT repeat as the PGA's Tour Champion this year.

I guess my confidence is largely due to the fact that he did not make it into the field of the prestigious top 30 golfers.

Tiger Woods is entering this week with more confidence than ever, and it's hard to dispute him as the far and away favorite to win. This week marks the first time I have seen him as an even odds favorite. That is mainly due to the limited field size.

Tiger being such a huge favorite has its advantages, as we have seen all year long. When he is the far and away favorite, everyone else's betting value is increased. This week is no exception.

The top five seeds have the ability to win the FedEx cup outright with a victory this week. They are Woods, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, and the surprising Heath Slocum.

Only one of those characters has made his way into my six pack. See if you can guess who it is.

Before we enter the six pack zone, let's take a peek at the final week of Yahoo! fantasy, which has been a tremendous success this year.

In GROUP A, I am starting Jim Furyk since I have no more starts available for Tiger. He will be backed up with the upward-trending Kevin Na.

GROUP B will have Stricker and Sean O'Hair starting. The surprisingly hot Marc Leishman and top-five seed Johnson will back them up.

GROUP C will see the standard flip-flop combo of Retief Goosen and Luke Donald, the clear standouts of GROUP C all year long.

Without further ado, I present to you the final six pack of 2009.

No. 1 Zach Johnson

LEMONT, IL - SEPTEMBER 10: Zach Johnson walks off a tee box during the first round of the BMW Championship held at Cog Hill Golf & CC on September 10, 2009 in Lemont, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Johnson is a great pick this week.

He ranks first in round three scoring average at 68.16 strokes. He is also fourth in overall scoring average at 69.57 strokes, and this accurate marksman is ranked third in all around ranking.

Johnson is a master of consistency, and has had a phenomenal 2009 season. His last five efforts have him trending up nicely, including a top-five finish at the BMW Championship.

If you can still find Johnson at 20:1 odds, I advise taking him.

No. 2 Sean O'Hair

CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 13: Sean O'Hair lines up a putt on the second green during the first round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 13, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

O'Hair had a rough patch a couple of months ago, but he seems to have things dialed in quite nicely at the present moment.

O'Hair is seventh in FedEx points, and ranks sixth in overall money leaders with more than $3.7 million. This guy is also deadly accurate around the greens from inside 125 yards.

His last five efforts have been lackluster, except for the two top-10 finishes at The Deutsche Bank and BMW.

O'Hair is a strong player and is a great choice this week at 25:1 odds.

No. 3 Scott Verplank

CHASKA, MN - AUGUST 13: Scott Verplank hits a pitch shot on the first hole during the first round of the 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club on August 13, 2009 in Chaska, Minnesota. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

I thought I had a real sleeper here this week, but it looks as though the sports books have done their due diligence on this man.

Verplank always is in or near the top five at The Tour Championship. He is one of those players that is always competitive come Sunday.

Verplank has a couple of top-10 finishes in his last five efforts, and is perhaps one of the most accurate golfers on tour, ranking seventh in fairways hit at 71.94 percent. He is eighth in FedEx Cup points and fifth in scoring average at 69.93 strokes per round.

I love this guy's chances this week, so take a look at him at 33:1 odds.

No. 4 Kevin Na

NORTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 7: Kevin Na smiles after he finished the final round of the the Deutsche Bank Championship held at TPC Boston on September 7, 2009 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Na is one of the budding young superstars on tour.

He ranks seventh all around, and is fourth in scrambling at 65.44 percent. Na is truly capable of going low and is an impressive 14th in scoring average at 70.01 strokes per round.

His recent performance has been fantastic, and I think Na is a great sleeper this week at 50:1 odds.

No. 5 Steve Marino

LEMONT, IL - SEPTEMBER 11: Steve Marino hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the BMW Championship held at Cog Hill Golf & CC on September 11, 2009 in Lemont, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Although Marino does not have any top-10 finishes recently, he is certainly contending and starting off strong. I predicted this guy would win two events this year, so maybe he can help me save face by at least winning one!

Marino is a birdie master, placing second on tour with 345 this year. He plays the par-fives as well as anyone, ranking fifth on tour with -114 strokes during the year. If he doesn't birdie a par-five, something is wrong.

He ranks 13th on tour in GIR percentage at 68.37.

Marino's game totally suits the course at East Lake, and he is well worth a shot at 50:1 odds.

No.6 Marc Leishman

LEMONT, IL - SEPTEMBER 12: Marc Leishman of Australia waits on the 17th green during the third round of the BMW Championship held at Cog Hill Golf & CC on September 12, 2009 in Lemont, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Here is my long shot this week.

I am strictly going with my gut instinct here, based on Leishman's recent, impressive play.

He is a well-rounded talent, and definitely can hit lots of greens in regulation. In Leishman's last five events, he has stood toe-to-toe with Tiger, and has been right around the top 15 each week.

Did I mention he was runner-up at the BMW two weeks ago?

At 66:1 odds, Leishman is well worth a look.

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