Patrick Cantlay vs. Sam Burns

Patrick Cantlay has won at East Lake before, and everything about his last two weeks says he's building toward doing it again. He climbed from 43rd in the FedExCup standings into the top 20 with a runner-up finish at BMW, and his history at this course, a title in 2021 plus four more finishes inside the top 20 since, is as good as almost anyone's in the field. Sam Burns has his own strong record here, with three straight finishes inside the top 12, and his putter has been one of the best on TOUR all season, which matters plenty at East Lake. That's a real case for Burns. But Cantlay is playing the best golf of anyone in this matchup right now; his approach game ranks inside the top five on TOUR, and a proven champion at this exact course carries extra weight in a head-to-head. Cantlay is the right side here.