FedEx St. Jude Championship Score Predictions (How Will Top Players Fare at TPC Southwind?)
The first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs has historically been the Northern Trust, but moving forward, it will be the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.
Last year, the tournament served as a WGC event, but it'll now be a FedEx Cup playoff tournament.
With that in mind, it might be tricky to predict the winning score this week, but I'm going to try, regardless.
Let's dive into my winning score prediction, as well as where some of the top golfers on the odds list will finish. All odds listed below are via WynnBET Sportsbook.
FedEx St. Jude Championship Score Predictions
Winning Score: -18
The best example we can use to predict a winning score at the event this year, is to look at last year's WGC version of it.
Abraham Ancer won a three-man playoff between Hideki Matsuyama and Sam Burns. After 72 holes, the three golfers were tied at 16-under par.
So, since that's all we have to go off of, I'll predict a similar score this week but I think it'll be slightly lower.
Rory McIlroy Score Prediction: -15
Rory McIlroy should be well-suited this week, and he enters the event ranking first on the Tour in total strokes gained. His biggest concern should be his driving accuracy. It can get wayward at times, and if that happens at TPC Southwind, it's going to cost you a few strokes.
Scottie Scheffler Score Prediction: -14
Mr. Consistent should have another good showing this week. The only reason I'm not picking him to score lower than 14-under par, is he may have a little bit of rust. He hasn't competed since the Open Championship, almost an entire month ago.
Cameron Smith Score Prediction: -17
Fresh off his win at the Open Championship, I expect Cameron Smith to be in contention once again. Much like Rory, he does need to be careful with his occasional errant-drive. The rough at TPC Southwind is no joke.
Xander Schauffele Score Prediction: -10
Xander Schauffele enters the event hot, but it's a strong field he's competing in this week and he had a poor showing here last season, finishing T46.
Patrick Cantlay Score Prediction: -15
Last year's FedEx Cup champion will look to turn things up in the playoffs once again. He caught fire at this time last season, and I wouldn't be shocked if we see a similar result from him again this year.
Jon Rahm Score Prediction: -8
Jon Rahm hasn't lived up to expectations this PGA Tour season, and he's struggled heavily at times with his short game. It's now or never if he wants to give himself a chance to win the FedEx Cup. He enters the tournament ranking 16th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Justin Thomas Score Prediction: -10
Justin Thomas won this event back in 2020, but his poor driving accuracy and rough form as of late has me concerned. His last three starts have finished T37, missed cut, and T53. He'll need to do better than that to compete this week.
Matt Fitzpatrick Score Prediction: -18
As I wrote in my betting preview, I think Matt Fitzpatrick is the man to beat this week. He somehow isn't getting the respect he deserves after winning the U.S. Open, and his game is too complete to not give him some serious consideration.
Tony Finau Score Prediction: -6
Yes, Tony Finau is coming off back-to-back wins, but let's not forget how weak those fields were. He'll make the cut, but I expect him to dwindle as the tournament hits the weekend.
Will Zalatoris Score Prediction: -15
Will Zalatoris has a new caddie on his bag, and now he returns to a course where he finished T8 at last year. He's truly the best ball striker on Tour, and he's going to keep being in contention on an almost weekly basis.
You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.