It’s postseason time.
The PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs begin with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., with the best in the world teeing up at TPC Southwind starting Thursday.
In the first of three playoff events, the top 70 in FedEx Cup points are in this week’s field, including all top-10 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Only 50 players will advance to next week’s BMW Championship at Olympia Fields. From there, the top 30 will head to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta to see who will be crowned the FedEx Cup champion.
The favorites this week should be no surprise, as they’re pretty much a reflection of the OWGR list, with the world’s No. 1 golfer leading the way. Scottie Scheffler is +650 to win in Memphis, according to BetMGM.
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Right behind him are Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. Both are +900 to win. McIlroy is the defending Tour champion, while Rahm leads the PGA in points.
FrontPageBets takes a look at golfers to watch in the first playoff event of 2023 from the par-70, 7,234-yard TPC Southwind course.
(All odds courtesy of BetMGM and are subject to change)
Pick to win: Scottie Scheffler (+650)
Scheffler’s T23 at the British Open was his worst finish in nearly a year.
Read that again.
The No. 1 player in the world finished in the top 25 at the Open Championship and it was the first time he finished outside the top 12 in 19 events since October 2022.
Scheffler has won twice this season, racked up 15 top-10s and 19 top-25s. He’s started 20 tournaments.
In fact, Scheffler’s season has been so good, he went seven tournaments in a row with a top-5 finish, including solo third at the U.S. Open and T2 at the PGA Championship.
Scheffler, the 2022 player of the year, leads nearly every major statistical category this season. He’s No. 1 in strokes gained total, strokes gained tee-to-green, strokes gained off the tee and strokes gained on approach to the green.
And while his putter has let him down – he’s 140th in strokes gained putting – the 27-year-old is No. 1 in greens in regulation, hitting the putting surface more than 74% of the time.
Top-5 pick: Rory McIlroy (+150)
McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in his last seven starts, including three majors (PGA Championship T7, U.S. Open solo second and British Open T6). He also won the Scottish Open in mid-July.
McIlroy leads the Tour in driving distance, is second in strokes gained off the tee and third in total strokes gained.
In six career events played at TPC Southwind, McIlroy has finished in the top 30 four times.
Top-10 pick: Viktor Hovland (+175)
Ranked No. 5 in the world, Viktor Hovland enters the St. Jude Championship seventh in FedEx Cup points.
He’s already won once this season (The Memorial in a playoff) and has seven top-10 finishes, including a T2 at the PGA Championship.
The 25-year-old Norwegian is in the top 10 on Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green and strokes gained off the tee.
Hovland finished 20th in last year’s St. Jude Championship and hasn’t missed the cut at TPC Southwind in three career starts.
Odds-on favorites to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship
Scottie Scheffler +650
Jon Rahm +900
Rory McIlroy +900
Patrick Cantlay +1600
Xander Schauffele +1800
Viktor Hovland +2000
Collin Morikawa +2500
Tyrrell Hatton +2500
Rickie Fowler +2800
Tommy Fleetwood +2800
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Mike Szvetitz is the General Manager and Content Director for FrontPageBets.com. Szvetitz is a 23-year veteran reporter and editor, including serving 17 years as a sports editor in Florida, Alabama and Virginia, covering everything from preps to pros. His "View From The Lazy Boy" column won multiple state and national awards. He can be reached at mszvetitz@timesdispatch.com.