After picking back-to-back winners on the site over the last two weeks, my attention turns to the 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs that will begin this week at the St Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee.
The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings have qualified for this event but 20 more will be eliminated before the BMW Championship next weekend.
For the playoffs, FedEx Cup points are quadrupled to ensure those currently ranked between 51-70 have a fighting chance of making it through to next week.
For some players, this weekend is about more than just ensuring qualification to the BMW Championship, but also about bridging the gap to Scottie Scheffler at the top of the standings.
Scheffler, who has won six PGA Tour events and the Olympic gold medal this season, is currently nearly 2,000 points clear of Xander Schaufelle in second place and more than 5,000 points clear of Victor Perez in 70th place.
With a stacked field set to tee it up this weekend around the par-70 course at TPC Southwind, here are our FedEx St Jude Championship betting tips.
FedEx St Jude Championship betting tips
How players perform on the 12 par fours this weekend will go a long way to deciding who comes out on top. Last year, the tournament champion, Lucas Glover, was eight-under-par for the week on par fours. This was better than everyone else in the field bar Patrick Cantlay whom Glover defeated in a playoff.
The importance of par-four scoring at TPC Southwind goes way beyond last season, too. Ten of the last eleven winners round here have ranked inside the top four for the week on par four scoring so targeting players who typically do their best work on these holes will be key.
Xander Schaufelle E/W (Eight places) – 7/1
Xander Schaufelle and Scottie Scheffler have been battling out this year on the PGA Tour to be considered the best golfer in the world. While Schaufelle isn't close to taking Scheffler's world number-one ranking off him, he has arguably had a better season considering he has won two of the four majors on offers.
Victory in the FedEx Cup playoffs would only strengthen his case and the signs are promising for the 30-year-old. Stats show that Schaufelle is the second-best par 4 scorer on the PGA Tour this season after you-know-who. He is -62 for the year on par fours and averages 3.92.
Ludvig Aberg E/W (Eight places) – 18/1
Ludvig Aberg is one of the most talented young players in the game and all season, it has felt like he is on the verge of a huge victory. He finished second at the Masters in April and finished inside the top-12 at both the Players Championship and US Open so he isn't far away by any stretch of the imagination.
Aberg could draw on inspiration from fellow Scandinavian, Viktor Hovland, who dominated the playoffs last year. Hovland won the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship last season and although he has had an indifferent 2024, Aberg could still learn a lot by how he attacked the playoffs.
Aberg's game is seemingly well set up for TPC Southwind. He ranks eighth on the season for par four performance at a score of -27 and tenth for birdie or better percentage on par fours.
Aaron Rai E/W (Eight places) – 35/1
There aren't many players in better form than Aaron Rai right now and there certainly isn't anyone who has performed better for me on my golf tips. We backed the Englishman to win last week at the Wyndham Championship at 25/1 and he came in clutch with a stunning final round.
That win was certainly on the cards given how well Rai has been playing in recent weeks. He recorded three consecutive top-seven finishes at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, John Deere Classic and Scottish Open across June and July and his game has never been in better shape.
Last year's winner, Lucas Glover, also won the Wyndham Championship prior to his victory which is a good omen for Rai. Additionally, his performances on par fours this season has been superb. He ranks sixth for par four scoring average and fourth for greens in regulation percentage.
FedEx St Jude Championship singles
- Xander Schaufelle E/W (Eight places) – 7/1 @ Betfred
- Ludvig Aberg E/W (Eight places) – 18/1 @ Betfred
- Aaron Rai E/W (Eight places)– 35/1 @ Betfred
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
