This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
FedEx St. Jude Championship
Memphis, Tennessee
TPC Southwind - Par 70 - 7,243 yards
Field - 70 entrants
Purse - $20M
The Preview
The first leg of the playoffs invites those within the top 70 of the FedExCup standings to extend their 2024 campaigns in Memphis with a trip to the upcoming BMW Championship on the line. The strongest field since The Open Championship will tee it up at TPC Southwind, where narrow fairways and tight doglegs guide these players into small, but simple bermuda greens. Due to the minuscule green sizes, funky bermuda rough and penalizing water hazards, GIR percentages fall more than six percent shy of the average PGA Tour venue. Roughly 48 percent of all approach shots come from the 150-200 yard range, though ample driving distance allows for a greater portion of short irons and full wedges. The course probably sounds tougher in written description than it actually is, while it remains fairly gettable if you're able to keep the ball in play. Muggy weather awaits, but a relatively calm breeze should help produce favorable scoring conditions throughout the week, so expect plenty of birdies despite only two par-5s appearing on the scorecard.
Recent Champions
-- FedEx St. Jude Championship --
2023 - Lucas Glover
2022 - Will Zalatoris
-- WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational --
2021 - Abraham Ancer
2020 - Justin Thomas
2019 - Brooks Koepka
-- FedEx St. Jude Classic --
2018 - Dustin Johnson
2017 - Daniel Berger
2016 - Daniel Berger
2015 - Fabian Gomez
2014 - Ben Crane
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Off-the-Tee
Prox: 150-200 yards
Par-4: 450-500 efficiency
Scrambling
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Scottie Scheffler - $45
Shorter than 4-1 to win outright this week, Scheffler's $45 Yahoo salary remains arguably the best deal on the best player in the world across the entire betting and DFS landscape. Scheffler has been awful on the greens at TPC Southwind the last two years, but hopefully the disappointing T31-MC stretch here since 2022 somewhat caps his significant projected ownership, though he'll likely still come in as the most popular selection.
Rory McIlroy - $43
Second to none in both SG: Off-the-Tee and driving distance over his past 50 measured rounds, McIlroy's elite driving prowess guided him to a T3 here in Memphis last year when he averaged a tournament-best 324.3 yards with the big stick en route to 20 total birdies and an eagle. He's a month removed from his early exit at The Open Championship, and McIlroy is now coming off a top-5 effort at the Olympic Men's Golf Competition.
Glue Guys
Tommy Fleetwood - $36
Fleetwood had his way on these bermuda greens with six strokes gained putting throughout his first three rounds alone here at TPC Southwind last year, ultimately tying the aforementioned McIlroy for third place at 14-under-par. The Englishman just fell one shot shy of forcing a playoff with Scheffler at the Olympics, and over his last 24 rounds, Fleetwood ranks top-8 in both Fairways Gained and Proximity from 175 to 200 yards, showcasing stout driving accuracy and mid-iron play.
Tony Finau - $33
Finau rebounded from a tough Round 2 and missed cut at The Open Championship by gaining five strokes with his irons at the 3M Open, where he racked up 21 total par-breakers on the way to a T12 result. He's placed T18 or better in six of seven starts dating to the PGA Championship, and Finau is top-5 in each of SG: APP, SG: Tee-to-Green and Opportunities Gained over his last 24 rounds.
Sungjae Im - $32
Im under-performed a bit as somewhat of a horse for the course last week at the Wyndham Championship, but he still gained a combined 6.5 strokes off the tee and with his putter, and he's now averaged 95.4 Yahoo fantasy points per event throughout his last five outings. He's fifth in Par-4 Efficiency over his past 24 rounds, and Im finished T6-12 the last two years at TPC Southwind.
Bargain Bin
Justin Thomas - $26
A volatile JT is certainly worth consideration in GPPs at just $26, which is much less of an investment than you'll find on his stock this week elsewhere in the market. Thomas' erratic driver is a concern at TPC Southwind, but his length is an advantage anywhere, and he's a not-so-bad 14th in SG: Tee-to-Green over his last 24 measured rounds despite a handful of inconsistent results.
Corey Conners - $24
This is a misprice on one of the better tee-to-green players on Tour, and Conners has even enjoyed a few spike weeks (three-plus SG: Putting) with the putter since the beginning of June. He's placed top-30 in eight straight starts dating back to the Wells Fargo Championship in early May, and he tied for sixth in Memphis last year when he gained 3.3 strokes on the greens.
Aaron Rai - $21
Some gamers might worry about going right back to Rai after the emotional highs of his maiden victory at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday night, but he's too much of a value at just $21 to ignore, especially considering he's fourth in driving accuracy, fourth in P4: 450-500 Efficiency and eighth in SG: T2G over his past 24 rounds. The Englishman has placed top-20 in six of seven starts dating to the RBC Canadian Open, and he finished on the positive side of SG: APP in each of his past two visits to TPC Southwind.
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