Weekly Fantasy Golf Preview: FedEx St. Jude Championship

FedEx St. Jude Championship 

TPC Southwind
Memphis, TN

The PGA Tour heads to Memphis to kick off the FedExCup Playoffs.

Another week and another career-altering win for a young golfer on the PGA Tour. This time it was Michael Brennan's turn and as we like to say around here, he did it the hard way by getting a lead and holding on. Luckily for Brennan, he didn't have any big names chasing him down the stretch, but nonetheless, a win the way he did it, by getting a lead and holding on, is impressive no matter who is breathing down your neck.

I mentioned this win is career altering and I say that for a couple reasons. First, he's a PGA Tour winner, that can't be taken from him, that will always be true, no matter what does or doesn't parlay this into, he'll always be a winner on the PGA Tour. Beyond that though, he not only gets everything that comes with the win, like the security of an exemption for the near future, but that win also vaulted him not only into the playoffs this week, but into good position to make it to the second round of the playoffs. A good performance this week or the next and suddenly he's in the TOUR Championship. It's up to Brennan to turn this win into something bigger, but at least now he's got the chance to do just that.

Speaking of the playoffs, well, they're finally here. It's been an interesting season to say the least. From the surprise winners of the majors, to Scottie Scheffler's inability to win a second event, to this recent run of youngsters winning on the PGA Tour, oh and the death of the LIV Tour (presumably), this might go down as one of the most interesting seasons on record. Heck, I didn't even mention Rory McIlroy's second Masters win! What a season. The beauty is, we still have three events left.

Sure, the golfing public doesn't get quite as amped up for the FedEx playoffs as they do a major, but it's still a fun way to close the season. Perhaps the best thing the PGA Tour has done in the past decade was to move up the playoffs as to not have to compete against the NFL, because the NFL simply swallows anything in its path.

What are we looking forward to over the next three weeks then? At the top of my list is whether Scheffler can get his second win this season. If he gets number two this week, then I wouldn't be shocked to see him get numbers three and four in the following weeks. Scheffler has been outstanding this season, but he's just been slightly off when it counts the most. I can't say with any certainty that he'll somehow figure everything out over the next three weeks, but again, it wouldn't shock me.

I'm also interested to see how these young guys, the winners of the past few events, fare during the playoffs. Getting your first PGA Tour win is great, but there's often a hangover associated with that, I'm curious to see if any of these guys up their game(s) and make a run during the playoffs.

There are many more storylines that I can't get to here, and many more that will emerge over the next three weeks, so let's sit back and enjoy the final stretch of the 2026 season.

We're at the TPC Southwind this week, which has hosted this event for the past four years, so we do have course history, but it's limited. Be careful when looking at the track records this week as anything prior to 2022 does not apply.

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FAVORITES

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 6:30 PM ET Tuesday.

Scottie Scheffler (+480) 

I'm not sure if we've ever seen a season like this. Scheffler was rightfully the favorite for his first start of the season, which he won and he's been the favorite ever since…but he hasn't won since early in the season. The betting public and odds makers certainly haven't given up on him and that's because even though he hasn't won in a while, he's been in the mix in almost every start this season. He's right there, but for whatever reason, he can't finish, or start I guess, although the starting issues seem to be a thing of the past. As for this week, Scheffler's track record here is good but not great, relatively. He's posted top-5s here the past two years, but he does have a MC on his resume as well. There's not enough value to make a play at his current number, but if his odds dip at some point, I might consider a move here.

Rory McIlroy (13-1)

A bit of a jump, all the way down to 13-1 for the second favorite. In recent months, McIlroy has generally come in closer to 10-1 than 15-1, but perhaps that's due to his inconsistent track record here. McIlroy did post a T3 here in 2024, but outside of that, he's played poorly at this event. McIlroy missed the cut here in 2022 and finished T68 in 2024. He skipped this event this past year, which perhaps showed that he doesn't think it's all that important getting points early in the playoffs, or maybe he just doesn't have a great feel for this course. Whatever the reason, his sketchy track record here is enough for me to pass on him.

Xander Schauffele (20-1)

A familiar face closes out the top-3 as Schauffele again joins Scheffler and McIlroy atop the odds chart. I should mention that Schauffele is actually tied with Sam Burns at 20-1, but I chose to put Schauffele here because he looks like the better play. It hasn't been a great season for Schauffele, he is currently 11th on the FedEx list, which is good, but not quite up to his standards. The reason he looks like a good play is his form. Schauffele posted a runner-up in Detroit two weeks ago, his best showing of this season. His track record here is pretty good, he's posted top-25s in his past three tries here, which includes a runner-up in 2024. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Schauffele make a run through the playoffs, starting in Memphis.  

Visit our golf betting section for the latest PGA odds and finishing props from multiple sportsbooks.

THE NEXT TIER

Tommy Fleetwood (22-1)

I realize that my first player in this section has odds similar to the third favorite, but that's because there is a large group of players in this range and I can't ignore all of them. Of that bunch, Fleetwood looks like the best play. Fleetwood is well off the pace he set last year, but that doesn't mean that this season has been a disappointment. Fleetwood is on track to have the second highest earnings number of his career this season, and he's primed to build on that this week. Fleetwood enters this week on streak of five consecutive top-15s, the most recent of which was a top-5 at the Open Championship. His track record here is solid as well with two top-3s in three tries at the TPC Southwind.

Matt Fitzpatrick (27-1)

A bit of a leap of faith to go with Fitzpatrick in this spot, but one thing you like to see out of any player you choose with a win ticket, is the proven ability to win on the PGA Tour and Fitzpatrick certainly has that. His form is the biggest question right now as he didn't look great when we last saw him at the Open Championship, but that was a few weeks ago and he's had plenty of time to get things in order. Then again, how much stock can we put into a poor showing at the Open Championship? TPC Southwind is not exactly a good comp for Royal Birkdale, so perhaps we can just say that he struggled on a particular links-style course and that shouldn't carry over to a course like Southwind. Fitzpatrick's track record here isn't great, but he did post a T5 in 2022, so he can get around this track.

Viktor Hovland (33-1)

Hovland was trending in the right direction about a month ago and then the wheels fell off at the Open Championship. I don't think one bad outing on a links-style course should throw us off his scent though as prior to that, Hovland was playing really well. Hovland won the Travelers Championship in late-June and followed that up with a top-15 at the Scottish Open. He also posted a T3 at the RBD Canadian Open a week prior to the Travelers. In fact, he's been really good at the non-majors over the past couple months, and the St. Jude is, of course, not a major. His track record here is also strong, with three top-20s in four starts, which includes a runner-up in 2024.

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LONG SHOTS

Wyndham Clark (45-1)

Clark was the hottest player on the planet earlier this summer and then like so many others on this list, he teed it up at the Open Championship and lost all momentum. Clark also struggled in his return to the states, which is probably why he's in long-shot territory, but I think he might have another run in him. Clark was on an insane heater from the end of May through the end of June, but like all heaters, it had to come to an end. The question is, has he had enough time to reset? I think the answer is yes and although his track record here isn't great, he did post a T7 in 2024, which shows he can get around this course if his game is on.

Akshay Bhatia (60-1)    

There is no denying that Bhatia's form is poor right now. He missed the cut at the Open Championship and followed that up with another MC at the Rocket Classic. That however is why he's a long shot this week. He's still in the midst of his best season on the PGA Tour and he's not that far removed from a good showing at the Travelers Championship. The month of July is the strangest one of the schedule as it contains two links-style events mixed with a handful of non-signature events, so it's hard to get a good rhythm going in July. The FedEx then can serve as a bit of a reset and that's exactly what Bhatia needs. His track record here is solid, with top-15s in both of his starts here, so that should help as well.          

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Tommy Fleetwood – The purse is up, so everyone is back in play, the question is, who's left? I have to assume that most OAD players have used Scheffler and McIlroy, and if they have Schauffele left, they're probably saving him for the TOUR Championship, so that leaves Fleetwood as the best option. There's a lot to like about Fleetwood this week and considering the time of the season, there's not a huge worry about running into high ownership on anybody. With that in mind, Fleetwood seems like a solid play this week.  

Moderately-Chosen Pick: Viktor Hovland – I get why some OAD players would be wary of Hovland as he hasn't been the most reliable player this season, but as mentioned earlier, most of his struggles have come at the majors this season. Outside of the majors, Hovland has played pretty well. In fact, Hovland hasn't missed a cut at a non-major since the middle of March. Look for Hovland to make a run during the playoffs, a run that starts in Memphis.     

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Akshay Bhatia – Bhatia made a huge splash early in the season and that's probably when most OAD players jumped on board. Since then, his play has dropped and he's currently off the radar for most OAD players. The thing is, he's too good to play this poorly and he will turn it around at some point. Maybe it's this week, maybe it isn't, but if you do happen to take him this week and he turns it around, it's going to pay off big time as not many OAD players will be on him.    

Buyer Beware: Rory McIlroy – I'm not shy about putting big names in this section, but I have to say, this one makes me nervous. With that said, I don't think things are lined-up well for McIlroy this week. He didn't exactly go through a post-Masters funk this season, like he did last season, but he has just two top-10s since the Masters and while part of that is due to his limited schedule, the other part is that he hasn't been quite as sharp in recent months. Now he's back at the St. Jude, an event he skipped this past year and we're expecting him to flip a switch? His track record indicates that it takes McIlroy a little time to ease into the playoffs, so with that in mind, I think he's a reasonable fade.   

My Pick: Viktor Hovland – One thing everyone needs to do now, if you haven't already, is make sure you have some viable options for East Lake. You don't want to get to the final week of the season only to discover you're forced to take someone you don't want to because you burned your best top-30 option the first week of the playoffs. I've already done my check, and I have a handful of options that look decent, so I can use Hovland in this spot. Hovland has played well this season outside of the majors and I'm expecting that trend to continue throughout the playoffs. His track record at the TPC Southwind is solid, with three top-20s in four starts, including a runner-up in 2024.            

Previous Results

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FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Tommy Fleetwood($11,900)
Middle Range: Viktor Hovland ($10,100)
Lower Range: Akshay Bhatia ($8,600)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

Previous Results