The FedEx Cup Playoffs begin this week with the FedEx St. Jude Championship. For the third year in a row, this event will be played at TPC Southwind (par 70, 7,243 yards, Bermuda greens) in Memphis, Tennessee, which is a venue that has hosted a PGA TOUR event every year since 1958. Lucas Glover (-15) defeated Patrick Cantlay in a playoff to win last year’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, but Glover won’t be present to defend his title this week, as the veteran didn’t qualify for this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. Only the top-70 players in the FedEx Cup standings have gained an invite to compete at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and only the top-50 golfers in the standings following this event will be eligible for next week’s BMW Championship. For this week’s 70-player field, there will be no cut.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Drive the Green [$50K to 1st]
TPC Southwind is a tree-lined course that features narrow fairways, thick rough, tiny greens, 75 bunkers and water in player on 11 holes. While any length of player can contend at TPC Southwind, being accurate and finding the fairway is a big advantage at this track, with four of the last five winners at TPC Southwind ranking top-12 in driving accuracy during their victories. Also, with the greens at this par 70 being some of the smallest of any PGA TOUR course, not only do you need to be in strong form with your irons, you also need to be a crafty player around the greens. Including Glover last year, three of the past four winners at TPC Southwind have finished the event top 14 in both SG: Approach and SG: Around-the-Green. Last, but not least, targeting elite par-4 scorers is a must this week, which is always the case with a par 70. Each of the last five victors at TPC Southwind have finished the tournament top three in par-4 efficiency at TPC Southwind, and three of these players notably led their field in the category.
Below, I break down three of my favorite sub-$7.5K DraftKings bargain plays for the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Sepp Straka ($7,400) – Straka finished runner-up at TPC Southwind two years ago and returns to Memphis in encouraging form. The Austrian just finished T35th at the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition in Paris and prior to that, Straka finished T22nd at the Open Championship. In the difficult conditions at Royal Troon that week, the 31-year-old was one of only 11 players to gain strokes in every major category at the championship. Straka has produced 10 top-25 finishes in 20 starts on the PGA TOUR this season and ranks 14th in SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds.
Additionally, Straka leads in the entire PGA TOUR in driving accuracy this season, which bodes extremely for TPC Southwind where being in the fairway is imperative. The Austrian’s +6000 odds to win the St. Jude Championship on the DraftKings Sportsbook are excellent relative to his cheap DFS salary, and Straka is a superb bargain at only $7,400.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($7,300) – Bezuidenhout is an easy choice at this cheap price tag. The South African finished T22nd at the Wyndham Championship last week, including a 7-under 63 during the third round—one stroke shy of tying Bezuidenhout’s career low on the PGA TOUR. Including a T16 at the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition two weeks ago, the 30-year-old has impressively recorded 10 top-30 finishes in his last 13 starts worldwide and ranks top-18 in both SG: Approach and SG: Around-the-Green when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds.
Bezuidenhout finished T20th at TPC Southwind in 2020 and absolutely has the potential for another top-20 finish at the par 70 this weekend.
Max Greyserman ($6,900) – Despite never competing at TPC Southwind before, Greyserman is one of the best values available for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The 29-year-old is playing incredible golf right now, coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes at the 3M Open and the Wyndham Championship. Greyserman gained strokes in every major category during both of these near wins. During his runner-up at the Wyndham Championship last week, he carded a 10-under 60 in the second round, which was the lowest score of the tournament and marked Greyserman’s career low on the PGA TOUR.
The Duke product hasn’t finished worse than T31st at seven straight tournaments, plus this seven-start stretch has vaulted him up 94 spots in the world golf rankings to a career-best No.54. Greyserman ranks eighth in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, but he is only the 43rd most expensive golfer on DraftKings this week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $300K Drive the Green [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
