2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship Sleeper Picks: Bet on Patrick Cantlay, Victor Hovland at TPC Southwind

2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship Sleepers: Can Patrick Cantlay, Victor Hovland Compete at TPC Southwind?

Scottie Scheffler enters the opening playoff event as the clear +550 favorite, followed by Rory McIlroy at +1300 and Xander Schauffele at +2000. Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Sam Burns are all clustered at +2200, creating much more appealing prices once the board moves beyond that leading tier.

TPC Southwind is a par-70 layout measuring 7,288 yards, with water hazards creating trouble throughout the course. Accuracy becomes particularly important with water affecting 11 of 18 holes, while strong approach play and the ability to avoid large numbers can matter more than pure driving distance. Three players priced at +3250 or longer stand out because of either recent form, exceptional course history or both.

2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship Odds

2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship Date, Time, and Where to Watch

• Date: Thursday, August 13th - Sunday, August 16th, 2026
• Time: 7:30 AM ET
• Where to Watch: Golf Channel, CBS, ESPN

Click here for complete 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship Odds

3 Best FedEx St. Jude Championship Sleepers

Hideki Matsuyama (+3250) Check out the best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

Few players in this price range can match Matsuyama's history at TPC Southwind. He won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in 2024 at 17-under, surviving a wild final nine holes before birdieing Nos. 17 and 18 to secure a two-shot victory. That was not his first close call in Memphis either, as Matsuyama also lost in a playoff at TPC Southwind in 2021. He returned last season and finished T17, giving him another respectable result at a course that clearly fits his game.

The current form provides additional support. Matsuyama finished T14 at The Open and followed that with a T19 at the Wyndham Championship, while he has already accumulated five top-10 finishes during the 2026 season. His recent results have not produced another victory, but there has been enough consistency to believe a return to one of his strongest venues could unlock another contention run.

TPC Southwind's emphasis on approach play is also ideal for Matsuyama when his irons are sharp. He does not need to overpower the course, and his previous victory demonstrated his ability to navigate the dangerous closing stretch when pressure and water hazards begin influencing decisions. At +3250, the former champion offers a much better price than the elite names while carrying legitimate evidence that he can win this exact event.

Patrick Cantlay (+3300) Check out the best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

Cantlay has quietly assembled one of the strongest TPC Southwind records in the field. He finished runner-up in 2023 after losing to Lucas Glover in a playoff, followed with a T12 in 2024 and then finished T9 last season. That gives Cantlay three consecutive top-12 finishes in Memphis and makes +3300 especially interesting for a player historically known for elevating his game once the FedExCup Playoffs arrive.

His form also improved immediately before the postseason. Cantlay finished T8 at the Rocket Classic after rounds of 64, 66, 70 and 68, his strongest result in several months. He had previously finished T14 at the Travelers Championship before a T28 at The Open, so the overall summer has been inconsistent, but the most recent performance points toward a player finding his swing at exactly the right time.

Cantlay's style is extremely well suited for a playoff event where patience matters. He rarely needs to chase reckless birdies, controls his golf ball well and has repeatedly shown that he can stay around the lead at Southwind through all four rounds. The outright drought is the obvious concern, but +3300 compensates for that uncertainty when a golfer has finished second, 12th and ninth in his past three trips to this course.

Viktor Hovland (+4000) Check out the best odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

Hovland offers the biggest price of the three despite owning both recent winning form and elite course history. He won the Travelers Championship in June, defeating Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to earn his eighth PGA TOUR victory. That win was particularly significant because it ended a lengthy TOUR victory drought and provided evidence that his ball-striking game is again capable of holding up against the strongest fields.

TPC Southwind has also produced some of Hovland's better playoff golf. He finished T2 behind Matsuyama in 2024 after closing with consecutive 66s, finished T13 in 2023 and T20 in 2022. The 2024 performance was especially impressive, as Hovland entered the final round six strokes behind Matsuyama and briefly worked his way into serious contention before the eventual champion birdied the final two holes.

Hovland's approach play remains the foundation of the case. He ranks 15th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach this season, exactly the type of strength required at a course where misplaced shots can quickly find water and produce double bogeys. At +4000, there is considerably more upside than the market offers on several players above him, particularly considering Hovland has already won a major-strength event this summer and has come within two shots of winning at Southwind.

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