PGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Atlanta

Course: East Lake Golf Club Purse: $ 8.5 million ( first prize: $ 1.53 million) TV ( ET): NBC ( Saturday, noon3: 30 p. m.; Sunday, 1: 30- 6 p. m.); Golf Channel ( Thursday- Friday, 1- 6 p. m.; Saturday, 10 a. m.- noon; Sunday, noon- 1: 30 p. m.)

The Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. He has a reasonable chance of winning with a top- five finish and could finish as low as 29th and still have a mathematical chance of winning.

The skinny: The world No. 2 has been the best player on the planet since he conquered Oakmont Country Club, U. S. Golf Association officials and a pressurepacked Sunday to win the U. S. Open in June. He followed up with an impressive win in the WGC- Bridgestone at tight Firestone CC and held off Paul Casey at Crooked Stick GC to win the BMW Championship two weeks ago with a new putter. He is a Tour- best 145- under this season and has played 58 of his 78 rounds under par. He’s improved tremendously with his game from 150 yards and in, a devastating addition to his length, which is intimidating. Throw in the confidence he’s gained from the putter, and you have one tough man to beat. His thoughts on $ 10 mil

lion: “You gotta win it first. Then I’ll really start thinking about it. I don’t know, I’d put it in the bank. I’d buy a few things, but it won’t change my life or change me. Of course it’s on your mind, but I won’t really be thinking about it when I’m playing.” PATRICK REED ( 1,800 POINTS)

Age: 26 Height, weight: 6- 0, 200 Career: Five PGA Tour titles, $ 15.4 million in earnings. Has won a career- high $ 5.5 million this season. 2015- 16 PGA Tour season: 27 starts, three top- three finishes and 11 top- 10 finishes; won The Barclays.

FedExCup this year: Won The Barclays; T5 in the Deutsche Bank Championship; T13 in the BMW Championship. Chances to win FedExCup: If he wins The Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. He has a reasonable chance of winning with a top- three finish and could finish as low as a two- way tie for sixth and have a mathematical chance of winning.

The skinny: He’s a grinder who just loves to play golf. He’s made 33 starts around the world since the start of the PGA Tour season. Reed, ranked No. 8 in the world, got some time off last week after playing seven consecutive weeks, including a trip to Rio de Janeiro, where he finished 11th in the Olympic men’s tournament. While he ended his winless stretch that dated to the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a victory in The Barclays, it should be noted that he had 23 top- 15 finishes during that time and has added two more in his last two starts. Has eight rounds of 65 or better this season on the Tour — second most of any player. He’s one of the best players around and on the greens and finds a way to get the ball in the hole as quickly as possible. His thoughts on $ 10 mil

lion: “If I go out and do exactly what I did at Barclays, where I wasn’t thinking about the Ryder Cup or the FedExCup and I was just thinking about going out and winning a golf tournament, that takes care of itself. Of course I know what I need to do … it’s a lot of money. I know if I take second or third what DJ has to finish for me to win. And so forth. But at the end of the day you go out and play the best you can and let everything else take care of itself.” ADAM SCOTT ( 1,600 POINTS)

Age: 36

Height, weight: 6- 0, 185 Career: 13 PGA Tour titles, including the 2013 Masters, $ 44.9 million in earnings. Has won a major, a WGC event, The Players Championship and a FedExCup Playoff event. 2015- 16 PGA Tour season: 19 starts, four top- three finishes and eight top- 10 finishes; won the Honda Classic and the WGCCadillac Championship.

FedExCup this year: T4 in The Barclays; fourth in the Deutsche Bank Championship; T4 in the BMW Championship. Chances to win FedExCup: If he wins The Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. He has a reasonable chance of winning with a second- place finish and could finish as low as tied for fourth and have a mathematical chance of winning.

The skinny: The world No. 6 ruled Florida when he won backto- back titles in Palm Beach Gardens and Doral but then notched one top- 10 finish in his next 10 starts and was extremely disappointed in his work in the majors — T42 in the Masters, T18 in the U. S. Open, T43 in the British Open and T18 in the PGA Championship. But he’s rediscovered his putting stroke for the most part and hits Atlanta with a trio of fourth- place finishes in the Playoffs. The Aussie has long been one of the game’s best ball strik- ers with one of the game’s best swings. He definitely will be one to keep an eye on this week as the FedExCup concludes. His thoughts on $ 10 mil

lion: “Maybe spend it. Live a little, you know. Buy something. I haven’t really thought about it that much. It shouldn’t be the ultimate focus unless that’s what motivates you. To win The Tour Championship would be a pretty big event to win, so that motivates me. Sometimes we have to trick ourselves, whatever the goal is, whether it’s to become No. 1 in the world or win a major or win the FedExCup, to think about something else to get there. Then it takes care of itself. If you win a lot of tournaments, you’ll get to No. 1. If you’re counting ranking points, you’ll never get there. You have to distract yourself. So thinking about winning The Tour Championship would be a nice way to not think so much about the money and the FedExCup.” JASON DAY ( 1,440 POINTS)

Age: 28

Height, weight: 6- 0, 195 Career: 10 PGA Tour titles, including the 2015 PGA Championship, $ 35 million in earnings. Has won a major, a WGC event, The Players Championship and two FedExCup events. 2015- 16 PGA Tour season: 19 starts; five top- three finishes and 10 top- 10 finishes; won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the WGC- Dell Match Play and The Players Championship.

FedExCup this year: T4 in The Barclays; T15 in the Deutsche Bank Championship; withdrew from the BMW Championship. Chances to win FedExCup: If he wins The Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. He has a reasonable chance of winning with a second- place finish and can finish as low as T3 and still have a mathematical chance of winning.

The skinny: For a long stretch, Day was clearly the best player in the world. Dating to last year, when he won five times, including his first major in the PGA Championship, the Aussie had won seven of 17 starts when he lifted the hardware in this year’s Players Championship in May. His driver was the best weapon in golf. His putter was a close second. Then, he admitted, fatigue hit him, as did a few nagging injuries, and his potent driver went astray. The world No. 1 hasn’t been chopped liver since May — he has four top- 10s in nine starts since winning The Players, including a runner- up finish in the PGA Championship — but he clearly hasn’t been the Day of old. He tweaked his back two weeks ago during the final round of the BMW Championship and withdrew. He has won when he wasn’t 100%, but it’s a big challenge with his driver not cooperating. Thoughts on the $ 10 million: “I don’t know what I’d do with the $ 10 million. I don’t think I’d change much anyways. There wouldn’t be anything that I’d go out and buy because I don’t want anything right now. All I want is that trophy. That’s more exciting to me than any other thing that goes along with it. It’s obviously nice that the money’s there, but I really want the trophy.” PAUL CASEY ( 1,280 POINTS) Age: 39 Height, weight: 5- 10, 180 Career: One PGA Tour title ( 2009 Shell Houston Open), 13 European Tour titles, $ 17.7 million in earnings. 2015- 16 PGA Tour season: 21 starts; two top- two finishes; six top- 10 finishes. FedExCup this year: T31 in The Barclays; second in the Deutsche Bank Championship; second in the BMW Championship. Chances to win FedExCup: If he wins The Tour Championship, he wins the FedExCup. He could finish as low as a two- way tie for second and have a mathematical chance of winning.

The skinny: It’s hard to believe Casey, a solid ball striker with more than enough length and nerve, has won but one PGA Tour title. He’s been a force on the European Tour’s stages throughout his career. By giving up his European Tour membership — and thus not being able to play in the Ryder Cup — Casey’s concentration on the PGA Tour this season seems to be paying off as the world No. 15 rolls into East Lake with runner- up finishes to Rory McIlroy and Johnson in his last two starts. If he duplicates either of those efforts — he has shot 67 or better in six of his last eight rounds — Casey will be in contention this week for his second Tour title and first FedExCup championship. His thoughts on $ 10 million: “It’s not on my mind. It would give me security. I’d stash it away for Lex ( his son). I’ve lost enough money over the years. So I’d keep it.”