The PGA Tour travels 600 miles to Memphis, Tennessee this week for the second-biggest sporting event that will take place in the state this week. TPC Southwind will host the FedEx St. Jude Classic with the second major championship of the season now right around the corner. The field for this week’s tournament won’t be as loaded as last week’s Memorial Tournament as the majority of the world’s top golfers opt to rest for the U.S. Open the following week. However, there are a number of notable names that will compete in this year’s field with Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson at the top of the list.
Details
Event: FedEx St. Jude Classic
Category: PGA
Date: June 8-11
Location: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
Two of the last four winners at Southland were course debutants. That list includes last year’s winner Daniel Berger, who will look to successfully defend his title this week in Memphis. We will look at course form when evaluating the top contenders in this week’s field. However, it’s clear that experience won’t be the most important factor to look out for at the FedEx St. Jude Classic this week.
Past Five Winners
2016: Daniel Berger -13
2015: Fabian Gomez -13
2014: Ben Crane -10
2013: Harris English -12
2012: Dustin Johnson -9
What To Know About The Course
Harrison Fraser ranked second in Driving Distance when he won this event in 2011 and a couple of other contenders that excelled in that category have come close over the years. However, Driving Distance isn’t the most important stat to consider this week. Driving Accuracy hasn’t been much of a factor either. It is worth noting that five of the last six winners have ranked inside the top-10 for Greens In Regulation and seven of the last 10 ranked no worse than seventh in Scrambling. GIR and Scrambling stats will likely be key again this week.
The Field
Berger will be back to defend his title at +2800 odds. That is pretty decent value when you consider the names listed ahead of him according to the sportsbook odds. Rickie Fowler is the sports betting favorite to win this event at +805 odds followed by Brooks Koepka at +1200 and Adam Scott at +1400. Phil Mickelson is also expected to be in the mix along with Francesco Molinari as both golfers are listed at +1600 odds to win the FedEx St. Jude Classic outright.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Francesco Molinari over Brooks Koepka
There is decent value betting Molinari to take down Koepka in the head-to-head sports betting matchup for this week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic. Molinari delivered a top-five finish at The PLAYERS Championship and followed it up with a runner-up finish overseas in his last European Tour appearance. His consistency makes him an excellent pick this week, especially when you consider Koepka’s recent struggles. Koepka has finished outside of the top-30 in each of his last two appearances and while he has the potential to bounce back with a better result this week he likely won’t produce a better finish than Molinari at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
Top-Five Pick: Rickie Fowler
If there was any doubt about Fowler’s ability after a poor performance in the final round at The PLAYERS Championship he responded at The Memorial. Fowler used a second-round 66 to help him finish second at The Memorial tournament. The reality is that he would have had an even better chance to win that tournament f it wasn’t for a rain-delayed first round. Fowler will get another opportunity to pick up a win in his final tune-up for the US Open this week and a top-five finish isn’t an unrealistic expectation. He now has finished 16th or better in nine of his 12 starts this season.
Odds To Win 2017 St. Jude Classic
Rickie Fowler +805
Brooks Koepka +1150
Adam Scott +1250
Francesco Molinari +1550
Phil Mickelson +1650
Russell Henley +2250
Daniel Berger +2250
Billy Horschel +3250
Kevin Chappell +3250
Kyle Stanley +3250
Ryan Palmer +4050
Charl Schwartzel +3250
Danny Lee +4050
Ian Poulter +4550
Kevin Tway +5050
Graeme McDowell +5500
Peter Uihlein +5500
William McGirt +6550
Rafa Cabrera Bello +6550
JB Holmes +6550
Russell Knox +6550
Stewart Cink +6550
Brian Gay +6550
Seung Yul Noh +5500
Ben Martin +7050
Scott Piercy +6550
Smylie Kaufman +7550
Sung Kang +7550
Click here to get all of the latest golf betting lines at BetDSI including head-to-head matchups, props and odds to win each tournament!
