FedEx St Jude Championship

The last two editions of this event have been held at TPC Southwind and prior to that we know this course from holding the FedEx St Jude Classic since 1989. The tournament moved to WGC status in 2019 and from 2022 onwards has formed part of the FedEx playoff events. 

The top 70 in the FedEx rankings make their way to Memphis this week and in the stats table below I've included the last three years this course has held an event. Neither driving statistic rates prominently in the results here and even strokes gained off the tee doesn't feature a lot. 

Instead look to what happens from the second shot onwards with the leader in greens in regulation making the top five in two of the last three editions. The leader in scrambling has made the top five in each of the last three years so clearly precision with irons or an ability to save shots around the greens counts a lot more than strong driving this week. 

FedEx St Jude Championship Tips

 

Previous Winners / Winning Score:

  • 2023 - L.Glover (-15)
  • 2022 - W.Zalatoris (-15)
  • 2021 - T.Finau (-20)*
  • 2020 - D.Johnson (-30)**
  • 2019 - P.Reed (-16)*

 

*Held at Liberty National
**Held at TPC Boston

Patrick Cantlay @ 28/1 (Six Places)

It must be said we are getting towards the part of the season where value looks quite thin on the ground and it'll be a task to find many strong bets in the next three weeks. I wouldn't rule out the value being towards the front and I for one would have Scheffler and Schauffele a shade closer in the betting than what they actually are.

McIlroy looks short for my money and instead I'll opt for PATRICK CANTLAY who is a fair price at anything of 20/1 or above. Back in 2015 Cantlay sat 2nd at halfway only to be derailed by a 3rd round of 73. 

That was during the WGC years and then last year he was an unlucky loser being pipped in a playoff by Lucas Glover. It's this time of year Cantlay almost comes alive and his last nine FedEx Playoff events have yielded three victories, a runner up and a further two top 10 finishes. 

His stubbornness to hang around the lead at Pinehurst in June was an eye catching performance and it may prove the catalyst to a more successful stint in the big four in 2025. He has followed that with 5th at the Travelers and 25th at Royal Troon. 

This looks like the perfect opportunity to get back into the winners' circle after a two year drought. 

2pts each-way P.Cantlay  28/1 (1/5 6) Unibet, BetUk, LivescoreBet

Aaron Rai @ 50/1 (Eight Places)

There have been numerous examples down the years of golfers winning multiple events at this time of year and I'm happy to re-invest some of last week’s returns on AARON RAI.

The Englishman doesn't strike me as somebody who will get carried away celebrating the victory at the Wyndham and instead he will go in search of another victory and boost his chances of a higher finish in the season ending Tour Championship in a few weeks.

Rai has always been a tremendous ball striker and although his irons have improved a fair bit this season it is his performance on the greens that have made the difference. 

His finishes of 2-7-4 from the Rocket Mortgage through to the Scottish Open owed a lot to the putter and it was maybe only a matter of getting to the perfect venue to gain success, and Sedgefield looked like that last week. 

This on paper doesn't quite suit as much but his confidence will be sky high. He ranks inside the top 10 in strokes gained tee to green on the PGA Tour this season and looking at the stats tables above that bodes well for a solid effort here around TPC Southwind. 

1pt each-way A.Rai  50/1  (1/5 8) Bet365 8 place market

Jason Day @ 60/1 (Seven Places)

JASON DAY looks to be trending in the right direction and anything of 50/1 or above depending on place terms looks worth chancing. It had been a while between drinks for Day when he won the Byron Nelson last year and there's no doubt he has been a little difficult to predict since with a bit of a rollercoaster. 

His best efforts this year have come on Championship golf courses with top 10s at Pebble, Riviera and Quail Hollow. 13th at Royal Troon then 9th at the Olympics in Paris mean he can't be too far off a winning performance. He led the field in putting at Le Golf National and his putting has been extremely consistent all year, so much so he ranks inside the top 10 on tour on the greens. 

Short game often plays a fair part in the equation here around TPC Southwind and putting as well he is he just needs one good week with the irons to be a strong candidate for the win. Given how he is going it certainly looks worth the risk at the advised odds given he has taken fields of this quality down before.

1pt each-way J.Day 60/1  (1/5 7) Paddy Power, William Hill

Austin Eckroat @ 150/1 (Six Places)

Finally I can't resist a stab on AUSTIN ECKROAT at triple figures. The Honda has always been a fair correlation here as the two courses have plenty of water hazards to avoid. 

Eckroat's victory there and in particular the manner in which he dispatched the field that Monday suggested to me there is more to come and although this is a tall order in a field of this quality he could give a bold account. 

He has had a tough time of late, struggling in particular with the short game. He putted well last week at the Wyndham inside the top 10 in that statistic but he will no doubt need to improve around the greens should he wish to compete here. 

His 6th place last week was his best finish since that win at PGA National and I can't help but feel a throwaway bet on him at 150/1 is worthwhile given that performance last week and the Honda link.

0.75pt each-way A.Eckroat  150/1  (1/5 6) General