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FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2024: Is it time for another Rory run? – Australian Golf Digest

FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2024: Is it time for another Rory run? – Australian Golf Digest

We are headed into the final stretch of the PGA Tour season – the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Three more chances to cash a winner. Or, in other words, three more weeks of betting on everyone not named Scottie Scheffler and watching Scottie Scheffler win.

No offense to Scottie, but let’s hope that’s not the case. We’d like to keep our hot streak running. We’ve now picked back-to-back winners at the Olympics and the Wyndham Championship, and we feel good about going for three straight in Memphis.

Our betting panel is comprised of a caddie reporting anonymously from the grounds of TPC Southwind, Pat Mayo of Underdog/Mayo Media Network, Brandon Gdula of numberFire/FanDuel, Andy Lack of RunPureSports.com, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line. Stewart, our newest member of the panel, is our new betting content partner as well.

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Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship.

FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2024: Our Experts’ Outright Predictions

Anonymous Caddie Picker of the week: Rory McIlroy (10-1, BetMGM) — Rory gears up for the FedEx Cup like no other. His driver and irons have been on, and he’ll be ultra-motivated to position himself for a Tour Championship run.

Pat Mayo, Underdog/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network analyst: Ludvig Aberg (22-1, FanDuel) — The first leg of the playoffs has always been a great reward for players who have been on the cusp of a great season but couldn’t quite break through. Think Finau, Zalatoris, Reed over past decade. Outside of the Open and PGA, Aberg has been a tee-to-green monster all year, and going back to a par 70 is perfect for the Swede as he sits third in the field in strokes-gained/par 70 courses over the past 24 rounds.

Brandon Gdula, FanDuel/numberFire managing editor: Hideki Matsuyama (25-1, FanDuel) — Matsuyama fits the profile that we should want for this week at TPC Southwind: a great ball-striker. Matsuyama’s putting on these greens has been solid historically, and the form right now makes him very intriguing this week.

Keith Stewart, Read The Line: Patrick Cantlay (25-1, BetMGM) — Patrick Cantlay likes the playoffs. The 2021 FedEx Cup champion has three career postseason wins and has finished inside the top 10 of the season-long standings each of the last three years. Currently outside that mark, Patrick has gained in five straight events with his irons. The 2023 St. Jude runner-up is excellent at plodding around a golf course and capitalizing with his putter. Much like the irons, his flat stick has also gained in three straight. Cantlay’s ability to capture fairways will allow him to attack with his approach game and putter. I doubt the Iceman will melt late on Sunday this year in Memphis.

Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest dep. managing editor: Collin Morikawa (12-1, FanDuel) — Morikawa’s irons keep getting better. He had his best approach week of the season at The Olympics, and we know Morikawa’s been trending toward a victory all year—ranking fifth in SG/total in 2024. I think the formula of great approach players/sub-standard putters winning at TPC Southwind (last three winners are Lucas Glover, Tony Finau and Willy Z) point to Morikawa finally getting his W in Memphis.

Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Ludvig Aberg (22-1, FanDuel) — The MC at the Open and the so-so finish at the Olympics have finally given us a small price break on Ludvig Aberg, who was consistently in the teens odds-wise all summer. Aberg’s game—long and straight off the tee, elite approach play—is the perfect recipe at Southwind.

Andy Lack, Run Pure Sports and Inside Golf podcast: Collin Morikawa (12-1, FanDuel) — Collin Morikawa has been the best player on tour in 2024 without a victory, and I believe that changes this week in Memphis. Morikawa has not finished outside the top 25 since prior to the Masters, and he is coming off his best approach week of the season at the Olympics. Now he travels to a golf course that heavily accentuates accuracy off the tee and middle iron play where he has finished top 15 in his last two appearances. This is a slam dunk.

Past results: We have ANOTHER winner, with Stephen Hennessey and Christopher Powers correctly predicting Aaron Rai’s stunning win at the Wyndham at 35-1. That gives Steve and CP three outright wins on the year, tied with Pat Mayo, who recently nailed Scottie Scheffler’s gold medal triumph (+400). Our anonymous caddie still leads the way with four wins. Andy Lack has one outright victory.

Listen to Golf Digest’s weekly betting podcast, “The Loop,” (below) where we interview the industry’s leading experts (and sometimes tour pros) to help you make your bets and pick your fantasy lineups. And be sure to subscribe to “The Loop” wherever you get your podcasts!

FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2024: Sleepers/Dark Horses Who Could Win

Caddie: Cameron Young (50-1, FanDuel) — The Wyndham isn’t really a great fit for Cam and he positioned himself well heading into Sunday. Similar to Will Zalatoris two years ago, Young can make this the statement win that everyone knows will happen soon.

Mayo: Davis Thompson (70-1, FanDuel) — With Straka and Glover’s success the past few years at Southwind, there’s some sort of crossover with Deere Run to be found. So, take the guy who won the John Deere this year. Going back to the U.S. Open, Thompson has four top-12 finishes in six starts and is only one of six players in the field who sit top 25 in both driving distance and accuracy.

Gdula: Sam Burns (55-1, FanDuel) — Burns is on Bermuda greens, where he does putt well long-term, and his irons are waking up of late, too. He finished T-12 at the 3M Open and quietly has four top-12 results in his last six starts with solid underlying data. He’s struck the ball well at TPC Southwind in four starts, too.

Stewart: Justin Thomas (40-1, BetMGM) — Throughout his career, Justin Thomas has been one of the best middle-iron players on the PGA Tour. That is why he has won two major championships, a Players and a FedEx Cup title. In elite events, JT has been known to thrive on courses that don’t favor length. The 2020 WGC St. Jude champion loves TPC Southwind. From Kentucky, Justin’s approach shots just jump off the Zoysia fairways. Considering he’s gained in three straight events with his putter and never finished worse than 26th here, I loved his value at 50-1 on Monday. Watching his odds drop further proves I’m not the only person who feels this way.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Sungjae Im (40-1, FanDuel) — Sungjae has been scorching hot. I’m willing to look past a bad weekend in the stop-and-start Wyndham Championship with Sungjae, who had been gaining strokes on approach in bunches over the past two months. He’s got great history at TPC Southwind (sixth last year, 12th and 16 the past two years), so I think this is a strong bet.

Powers, Golf Digest: Max Greyserman (90-1, BetRivers) — Not sure how you can pass up on a guy with consecutive runner-up finishes at 90-1. Some might cite the pain of last week as a reason to stay away, but I’d argue the opposite – this is a guy who is now even hungrier to get that first victory. And it wasn’t like his swing failed him last Sunday. He got an unlucky bounce off a cart path that led to an 8 and missed a few short putts in the dark. I think he keeps it rolling in Memphis.

Lack: Shane Lowry (60-1, FanDuel) — TPC Southwind is an ideal course fit for Shane Lowry, and I expect him to bounce back in a big way after his missed cut at the Wyndham Championship. Lowry is one of the more accurate drivers of the ball in this field and an excellent middle iron player. This is an appetizing number on the Irishman.

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FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2024: Players We’re Fading

Caddie: Scottie Scheffler (+330, FanDuel) — I haven’t faded Scottie as the guest picker all year, but he knows he’s in great shape for the Tour Championship, so if there’s ever a week for a letdown for the superstar, this could be it.

Mayo: Xander Schauffele (+700, DraftKings) — This has just never been his event. Something about the sightlines bother him off the tee. For his career Schauffele has gained 1.5 strokes off the tee per event. That’s gone up to 1.9 strokes in his past 20 starts. At Southwind? He’s lost in five of seven starts with the driver including over two strokes per start the last three years.

Gdula: Patrick Cantlay (22-1, FanDuel) — Cantlay has played well here in the past, namely the runner-up last year, but he’s been leaning a lot on his short game of late to rack up three straight top 25s. It’s not that the ball-striking has been bad, exactly, but the number is too short due to the great recent finishes.

Stewart: Russell Henley (30-1, DraftKings) — Russell Henley has never won an elite field event on the PGA Tour. I see the statistical data, appreciate the recent results in major championships, and I believe he is a great fit for TPC Southwind. As a placement bet, a matchup bet, or a core DFS play, I couldn’t agree more. The fact is Henley’s data-driven game is not staring down Xander or Scottie on Sunday and stealing this title. Yes, Russell may get close, but when it comes to winning, I’ll wait on Henley until the fall offseason.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Ludvig Aberg (18-1, BetMGM) — The drift in odds is happening on Aberg because it’s way easier to make a case for the other elites other than Aberg. The Swede is the only player with odds shorter than 70-1 making his debut at TPC Southwind, and everyone else is playing great golf—so I’m willing to wait and maybe dial him up at East Lake if we keep getting 20-1s.

Powers, Golf Digest: Viktor Hovland (30-1, DraftKings) — Hovland’s Tuesday presser didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Sounds like he’s still working through some swing demons. If he was 50 or 60-1, maybe, but not at 30-1.

Lack: Ludvig Aberg (18-1, BetMGM) — The top of the board is strong this week, but Ludvig Aberg is my least favorite option of the bunch. TPC Southwind is a typically a course where players need some semblance of experience to compete, and this will be Aberg’s first appearance at the Pritchard. His greatest weapon, the driver, has also not been operating at typical Aberg levels.

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FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2024: Matchups

Caddie: Tom Hoge (-110) over Max Homa (FanDuel) — Max is on the struggle bus right now. This is a tough place to find it. Hoge’s ball-striking has been great all year, and though he might not contend, he can finish top 20 here and edge Homa.

Mayo: Ludvig Aberg (+125) over Collin Morikawa (Bet365) — It’s tough to fade Morikawa at any course which is a pure accuracy and irons lay out, but Aberg basically does the same thing but with more power.

Gdula: Tom Hoge (-110) over Max Homa (FanDuel) — Hoge’s the much better iron player of the two here, and he’s also more accurate off the tee, an important angle for TPC Southwind.

Stewart: Corey Conners (-125) over Viktor Hovland (BetMGM) — Corey Conners has made 19 cuts in 19 starts this season. Fresh off eight straight top 30s, one of the best ball strikers on tour should be a lean to win this week in Memphis. Conners has gained an average of six strokes on the field over his last five starts. The defending FedEx Cup Champion Viktor Hovland has been far less consistent than Conners. With three missed cuts in majors and no top 20s since early June, Hovland’s around-the-green adventures are problematic. Over his last 10 starts, Viktor is losing 2.5 strokes to the field with his short game. Sure, he keeps it in play, but over 72 holes the field has been winning.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Davis Thompson (-130) over Wyndham Clark (DraftKings) — Clark has been very inconsistent the past couple of months, which you love targeting against in a matchup. He’s only had one week where he’s gained more than one stroke on approach since March, whereas DT has been in better form in the same stretch. The RickRunGood.com head-to-head predictor makes DT a heavy favorite in this matchup.

Powers, Golf Digest: Ludvig Aberg (-115) over Tommy Fleetwood (DraftKings) — Fully expect this one to come down to the back nine on Sunday, in which case I’d much rather have Aberg with his extremely consistent ball flight. As we saw at Le Golf National, Tommy Lad can get a little hooky when the pressure gest dialed up.

Lack: Ben Griffin (-125) over Justin Rose (DraftKings) — Ben Griffin continues to impress on approach, and he has now gained over a stroke on approach in six straight starts, culminating in his best iron week of the season at the Wyndham Championship. Rose is a far less reliable approach player now, and I’ll gladly lay the juice with Griffin.

Matchup Results from the Wyndham Championship: Lack: 1 for 1 (Harman (-110) over Lowry); Caddie: 1 for 1 (T. Moore (+125) over Spieth); Hennessey: 1 for 1 (Rai (+105) over Horschel); Gdula: 1 for 1 (Hughes (-115) over T. Moore); Powers: 1 for 1 (Rai (+105) over Horschel); Stewart: 1 for 1 (T. Moore (+125) over Spieth); Mayo: 0 for 1

Matchup Results from this season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Lack 20-10-2 (up 7.56 units); Caddie: 19-12-0 (up 5.38 units); Hennessey: 17-11-4 (up 4.45 units); Gdula: 17-12-3 (up 2.92 units); Powers: 16-13-2 (up 2.66 units); Mayo: 17-14-1 (up 2.61 units); Stewart: 13-18-1 (down 5.96 units)

FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2024: Top 10s

Caddie: Shane Lowry (+400, FanDuel) — Shane’s accuracy and approach play should give him a nice chance to attack TPC Southwind. Plus, he played great at Valhalla, which has the same Zoysia fairways.

Mayo: Cameron Davis (+550, FanDuel) — If his putter hadn’t gone into a coma following his win at Rocket Mortgage, Davis’ odds would have crumbled. Yes, he missed the cut at a delayed, water-logged Wyndham, but had gained at least 8.4 strokes tee-to-green in each of his three starts previous. Throw in a T-6 and T-13 the past two years in Memphis and he’s the sleeping giant from the bottom of the odds board.

Gdula: Russell Henley (+270, FanDuel) — Henley’s accurate off the tee and is a much better iron player than he gets credit for. We’ve also seen him play well at majors and in bigger events the past few years, so he seems primed for a strong showing this week.

Stewart: Tony Finau (+300, DraftKings) — Tony Finau is one of the few elite players in this field who has played stateside in the last month. With a 12th place at the 3M Open, Tony showed us he can keep the ball in play. TPC Twin Cities and TPC Southwind send more balls into the water than any other courses on tour. Outside of The Open, Tony has six straight top-20 results. Finau flushes it gaining an average of seven strokes over his last five starts against the field. Positive with the putter in four of his past five starts, don’t be surprised when Tony takes down another top 10.

Hennessey, Golf Digest: Sungjae Im (+300, DraftKings) — Like I outlined above, Sungjae’s irons had been on fire up until the weekend at Wyndham, but he gets to bounce back on a course where he’s played well the past few years.

Powers, Golf Digest: Corey Conners (+240, DraftKings) — A driving accuracy and irons test? Blind bet on the Canadian.

Lack: Patrick Cantlay (+200, DraftKings) — Patrick Cantlay always seems to play his best golf at this time of year, and he is coming off his best approach week of the season at the Open Championship. Now he returns to a golf course where he lost in a playoff last year, and I expect him to be firmly in the mix in Memphis once again.

Top-10 results from the Wyndham Championship: Everybody: 0 for 1

Top-10 results from this season: Hennessey: 11 for 32 (up 68.35 units); Mayo: 6 for 32 (down 4.5 units); Powers: 6 for 32 (down 4.6 units); Caddie: 6 for 31 (down 6.55 units); Stewart: 6 for 32 (down 7.42 units); Gdula: 5 for 32 (down 7.9 units); Lack: 6 for 32 (down 11.55 units)

About our experts

Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME. 

Brandon Gdula, managing editor and analyst for numberFire, a FanDuel daily-fantasy analysis company, recently won the 2018 FSWA Golf Writer of the Year. Gdula also co-hosts the DFS Heat Check podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @gdula13. 

Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor for Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith’s winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. As well as contributing to Golf Digest, Andy is also the head of golf content for Run Pure Sports, where he covers PGA Tour betting and daily fantasy. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports 

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com