With all the drama surrounding the world of golf at the moment, there is actually golf to be played this week! The FedEx St. Jude Championship takes place this week in Memphis, Tennessee, at TPC Southwind.
This course has gone through many interactions as to the actual event it is hosting. However, I am not going to get into the history, but it is important to note that this is the first time it is hosting a FedEx Cup playoff event.
We have a major caliber field this week, as literally 19 out of the top 20 golfers in the official world golf rankings will be teeing it up. The only one missing from that list is, of course, Dustin Johnson. So we will be seeing Rory, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, and many others fighting for first place.
After three weeks of underwhelming events in terms of field strength, we are certainly in for a good week. This makes way for excellent prices on golfers in DFS and outright betting. Golfers we are used to seeing in the 10K range are in the 8K range, and it will make for a very interesting week.
TPC Southwind has been a course that has seemed to reward golfers with excellent ball striking that have sometimes struggled with the flat stick. Daniel Berger is a two-time champ with another top 3 finish just last year. We have also seen Justin Thomas win here by losing strokes putting. There are many water hazards that can derail someone’s round with one swing.
Outright: Will Zalatoris +2500 (BetMGM)
I truly believe that this is the perfect opportunity for Zalatoris to get his first PGA Tour victory. It holds all the key elements that set up for him to succeed here. Elite field, challenging course that rewards ball striking, his recent form, a new caddy, and past success. The stars will align for Will Z this week, and he will be a PGA Tour winner.
Will finished T8 at this event last year in only his first appearance. He was able to figure out these fast Bermuda greens as he gained 3.7 strokes putting. He has shown continued success putting at the same places, so I think this is another spot to back him.
Will ranks 3rd in proximity from 150-175 yards and 9th in greens in regulation percentage. I think it would be very fitting for arguably the best iron player on tour to win at a place where Berger and JT have won.
I also like the fact that he consistently elevated himself in stronger fields which we certainly have this week. The golfing gods owe him a win after this season, and I really think that it comes this week at the first FedEx Cup event.
Top 10: Sungjae Im +330 (Betrivers)
This price on a golfer that has finished inside the top 2 in his last two starts is a no-brainer for me. I believe that Sungjae Im will be in contention this week in Memphis.
As I stated before, Sungjae has finished t2 in his last two starts. He has gained a staggering amount of strokes ball striking in those two events. 6.3 at the Wyndham and over 10 strokes at the 3M Open. These are outstanding numbers. I like most that he is returning to his favorite and best-putting surface this week, Bermuda.
Sungjae admittedly does not have the best course history at this event; however, I don’t think that is very important. Hideki didn’t, and it was Burns’s first time at this event, and they both finish in a playoff last year.
Top 20: Scott Stallings +330 (DraftKings)
I wrote up Scott as my favorite top 20 play last week, and he easily came through for us. He has now cashed a top 20 ticket in four straight starts on the PGA Tour. So if books are willing to float another +330 price in front of this, I have no problem going back.
Scott continues his great form of being excellent on approach. He gained 3.7 strokes in that category last week. He also ranks 10th in SG: Approach over the past 24 rounds in this elite field.
Scott also resides in Tennessee and had past course history at this event. His best result had come in 2013, but we saw Harris English win that year, and he was leading this event until the back nine just a year ago. We have to keep riding Scott until he lets us down.
Top 40: Wyndham Clark +200 (Fanduel)
If you have read this article before, you know that I am a big fan of Wyndham Clark and have written him up many times. We are going right back to him this week at +200 for a top 40. Given the reduced field, I think this is a really excellent price for a guy who finished 8th in his last start on tour.
Propelled by gaining 4.9 strokes OTT and 3.9 strokes putting, I think can be a blueprint for success this week. He can club down and get to the average driving distance of around 280 and be dialed with his approach. I foresee a big end-of-the-season push for Clark. This is a great price and spot for him.
Matchup: Aaron Wise -130 over Chris Kirk (DraftKings)
I am willing to eat a little juice here because I absolutely love Aaron Wise this week. Wise is coming off a 13th place finish at the Wyndham Championship, where he gained a staggering 5.6 strokes OTT. He was able able to gain over two strokes putting. Aaron is known as a ball-striker that struggles with the putter. I really like to see that he is showing signs of life with the flat stick.
Aaron Wise just finished runner-up at the Memorial Championship, which also featured a stacked field and average scoring conditions. I trust his ability to show up in big events.
Not that I have much bad to say about Kirk, but I think the odds are telling us something here and that Wise is a slam dunk play.
Featured Image: Eakin Howard – Getty Images