FedEx St. Jude Championship Betting Preview: Picks, Predictions, Odds for TPC Southwind

Our expert likes Xander Schauffele to get his first win of the year in the playoff opener.

Xander Schauffele is one of the betting picks for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. / Matt Stone-Imagn Images

Scottie Scheffler, fresh off his British Open win and second major of the year, leads the betting oddsboard for the FedEx St. Jude Championship by a wide margin heading into the first event of the PGA Tour playoffs. No surprise. 

Rory McIlroy, the 2025 Masters champion, opted to skip the first leg of the FedExCup playoffs knowing he’s already secured a ticket to the Tour Championship. That has made Scheffler an even larger favorite than normal over some other big names like Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. 

That said, betting Scheffler might not be the play. I have one bet involving him in the winner without Scheffler market, but no money on Scottie heading into the tournament. Perhaps a mistake given his amazing season, but I prefer to bet on people will higher than +300 odds to win in golf. Call me crazy. 

Let’s get into my betting preview of the FedEx St Jude Championship with odds, information and picks below. All odds are from FanDuel unless otherwise noted. 

FedEx St Jude Championship Odds

• Scottie Scheffler +280
• Xander Schauffele +1600
• Justin Thomas +2200
• Tommy Fleetwood +2500
• Ludvig Åberg +2800
• Viktor Hovland +3000
• Russell Henley +3000
• Collin Morikawa +3000
• Matt Fitzpatrick +3300
• Patrick Cantlay +3300
• Sam Burns +3500
• Cameron Young +3500
• Ben Griffin +4000
• Sepp Straka +4000
• Corey Conners +4000
• Hideki Matsuyama +4500
• Harris English +4500
• Keegan Bradley +4500

FedEx St Jude Championship how to watch

• Thursday: 3:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
• Friday: 3:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
• Saturday: 1 p.m.–3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.–6 p.m. ET (NBC)
• Sunday: 1 p.m.–3 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.–6 p.m. ET (NBC)

FedEx St Jude Championship purse

• Date: Thursday, Aug. 7–Sunday, Aug. 10
• Where: TPC Southwind
• Purse: $20,000,000
• 2024 champion: Hideki Matsuyama

FedEx St Jude Championship notable golfers

I already mentioned Scheffler above, but everything starts with him, especially when Rory’s out. He won the Tour Championship last year and was fourth at the FedEx St Jude Championship. He’s on an insane run where his worst finish was a T8 since the Masters, during which time he has picked up four wins, including the British and PGA Championship. Would a win here surprise a single soul in the golf world? No. Does it mean it’s guaranteed? Also, no. 

Amidst Scheffler’s crazy run, Xander Schauffele has quietly found his form. Hindered by a rib injury earlier this year, Xander is coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Scottish and British Opens and was also T12 at the U.S. Open and T8 at the Masters. He’s second on the odds board here for a reason—he was T2 last year and T6 in 2020. He’s already a lock for the Ryder Cup team, but will look to finish this season off on a strong note to build momentum for next year as he returns to the form that won him two majors in 2024. 

FedEx St Jude Championship best bets

Harris English Top 20 (including ties) +100 (FanDuel) 

English has been on a tear recently, finishing runner-up to Scheffler at the British and T4 at the Travelers in late June. His approach game and putting were phenomenal in those starts, which are two strong metrics when projecting success at TPC Southwind. He has two top 10s at this event and seems poised for a strong finish to one of his best seasons on Tour. 

Winner without Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg: Russell Henley +2000 (FanDuel) 

I stumbled upon this little number and thought it quite the steal, especially considering Henley’s winner w/o Scheffler odds are +2200. So we get to take away five other golfers and his odds only drop +200? Sign me up. Another Georgia Bulldog, Henley hasn’t placed outside the top 10 in his last four events, during which he had two T10s at the U.S. Open and British Open. Strong approach and putter, I like his makeup for this course. 

Winner without Scottie Scheffler: Viktor Hovland +2500 (FanDuel)

Second here last year and no worse than T20 in the last three years, Hovland has a history of turning it on late. He faded at the British Open, finishing T63, but was T11 at the Scottish and third at the U.S. Open. TPC Southwind favors accuracy on approach above everything and Hovland’s strength is just that. This is a little hedge in case Scheffler runs away with it.

FedEx St Jude Championship prediction 

Xander Schauffele +1600 (FanDuel) 

I’m going to ride Schauffele all the way through the Tour Championship until he wins. I just don’t see him not getting a W this season, especially with the way he’s been playing the last few weeks. T8 at the Scottish, T7 at the British with improvement in shots-gained approach and off the tee, he’s clearly rounding into form. Scheffler is in a league of his own, but if there’s one person in this event who won’t blink staring down the World No. 1, it’s X. That said, I’ll also bet him at +1200 in the winner w/o Scheffler market as a hedge, but I do think Schauffele wins at least one event before the Ryder Cup. 

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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