Niall Lyons has three tips for the Fedex St Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee.
2023 St Jude Championship winner
The final 70 left to fight out the Fedex prize travel to Memphis for the FedEx St Jude Championship and TPC Southwind is a venue we know extremely well. The course was toughened up with a redesign back in 2004 but it safe to say that the players have got a hold of it now with -15 or better needed to win four of the last five renewals.
FedEx St Jude Championship Tips | Niall Lyons Golf Betting Tips
It is far from a birdie best though and it will take a strong golfer from tee to green to come out on top here. The fairways aren't the hardest to hit but a degree of strategy is certainly needed from the tee with dog legs dotted throughout the course.
Long and accurate definitely helps as the greens are small and difficult to hit. Inevitably with small greens scrambling does become a part of the equation but I'll mainly be looking to tee to green experts when narrowing down my search for a winner.
Jon Rahm arrives in Southwind as the leader of the pack and he'll be looking to consolidate that position the closer he gets to East lake. Having finished 2nd to runaway winner Brian Harman at the Open he is a huge threat to land his fifth victory of the season.
The Spaniard has twice finished in the top seven here so holds major credentials with a victory almost sealing him the coveted top spot heading to the season finale.
Scottie Scheffler at 15/2
The week I got on board Scheffler at the Open it didn't work out but he showed once again what an animal he is from tee to green and I'm happy to wade back in with this winless streak surely set to be put to an end soon. He ranked 74th of the 76 on the greens of those who made the cut and that is despite ranking 14th on the greens on Sunday.
That final round effort with the putter will give him a base to build upon and a return to fast bermuda greens should suit. In five appearances here he has only broken the top 20 twice with his efforts here mirror imaging his game lately. The putter here has often been the problem for Scheffler with his tee to green game being imperious as usual.
You can separate yourself from the field here from tee to green with putting not holding too much importance. Zalatoris won here last year ranking 25th in the field and anything similar from the world number one should see him hard to beat.
5pts WIN S.Scheffler 15/2 Bet365
Tony Finau at 33/1 (Seven Places)
One of the juiciest bets out there this week around the 33/1 mark just has to be Tony Finau. This year's Mexican Open champion has struggled since that win but courtesy of another victory in Houston last November looks nailed on for his place at East Lake in a few weeks.
His putter has been the main culprit for his recent form but gaining strokes with that club two of his last three performances is encouraging. In contention all week last time out at Twin Cities is another huge positive for Finau with rounds of 66-66-67-70 seeing him post his first top 10 finish since that victory in Mexico in late April.
An in form Finau would take his place alongside the likes of Schauffele in this event and having not gone off much bigger than 33/1 in recent Majors he certainly catches the eye in this smaller field.
He gained shots through the bag at the 3M Open and he has twice produced performances in the past 10 months that if equalled again would win this event. He has improved the last three years her eon the trot with finishes reading 65-34-5. It's risky to believe fully that he's back to his best following that effort in Minnesota, but at 33/1 I'm more than happy to pay to find out.
2pts each-way T.Finau 33/1 (1/5 7) Skybet, Paddypower
Wyndham Clark at 33/1 (Eight Places)
I count myself very lucky to have landed Wyndham Clark twice this year at very nice odds and it is my belief that the market still hasn't shown him enough respect for producing two of the standout efforts of the season. Statistically his win at Quail Hollow was the best of the year, better than anything Scheffler has produced. His subsequent win at the US Open wasn't a million miles behind that either.
Clark hits the ball a mile and over the past few months has been extremely accurate into the bargain. That is a potent combination, especially around Southwind and given how well he has performed with the putter at times this year his rise in the game strikes a bearing resemblance to the way Schauffele arrived on the scene a number of years ago.
25th at the Scottish then 33rd at Hoylake were admirable efforts also for someone whose game wouldn't be perfectly suited to those tests just yet. He showed an incredible about of nerve and bottle to dispatch of first Xander at Quail then Rory at LA Country Club and those wins will certainly be no flash in the pan.
He has played his way into the Ryder Cup squad and warrants a good deal of respect here. Putted extremely well on this layout last year at first look on route to finishing 28th and has the capability to slay a few more of the world's best this week.
1.5pts each-way W.Clark 33/1 (1/5 8) Bet365 8 place market
