The FedEx Cup Playoffs begin this week with the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which will be played at TPC Southwind (par 70, 7,288 yards, Bermuda greens) in Memphis, Tennessee. This is the fourth consecutive year TPC Southwind has hosted the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and the course has hosted a PGA TOUR event every season since 1958.
A year ago, Hideki Matsuyama (-17) won this event by two shots. The top-70 players in the FedEx Cup standings have qualified for the FedEx St. Jude Championship this week, but with Rory McIlroy opting to skip the event, there will only be 69 golfers competing with no cut. The top 50 players in the standings following the FedEx St. Jude Championship will qualify for next week’s BMW Championship and then, the top 30 players following that event will qualify for the TOUR Championship.
TPC Southwind is a long par 70 that features very small greens, narrow fairways, thick rough, 75 bunkers and water in play on 11 holes. While a longer course, both short and long hitters can succeed at TPC Southwind. Being in the fairway is more important than length at this track, as three of the last five winners at TPC Southwind have finished the event top-12 in driving accuracy.
With the greens at this par 70 the third-smallest of all PGA TOUR venues this season, strong form with your irons is a must at TPC Southwind. Efficiency around the greens is vital as well, as missing these tiny putting surfaces is inevitable. Of the last five winners at TPC Southwind, three have finished the tournament top-15 in both SG APP and SG ARG. As a traditional par 70 with 12 par fours, scoring on the par fours is unsurprisingly the most crucial at TPC Southwind — each of the last five victors at this track have finished the tournament top-three in par four efficiency.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
Top DraftKings PGA TOUR DFS Bargain Plays for the FedEx St. Jude Championship
Shane Lowry ($7,400): After being priced up to $9,300 for his last start, Lowry’s salary has dropped to a season-low $7,400 makes him a must-play at this price point. Lowry has carded three top-30 finishes in five starts at TPC Southwind — most notably with a T6 in 2020 — and this season, he has produced nine top-25 finishes in 16 solo starts, including runner-up finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and at the Truist Championship in May. Both of these tournaments were Signature Events that featured the PGA TOUR’s best players competing for a $20 million purse, which is the same exact challenge Lowry faces this week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
This season, Lowry ranks 15th in total strokes gained and he has been one of the top iron plays on the PGA TOUR, ranking third in SG APP. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the 38-year-old carries +5000 odds to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which are the best odds among all the players priced under $7.5k in DFS this week.
J.T. Poston ($7,100): Poston has made 17 of 21 solo cuts this season with seven top-25 finishes and the veteran is on the heels of an excellent showing at last week’s Wyndham Championship. During the veteran’s T11 finish at Sedgefield CC, Poston finished top-13 in both SG APP and SGP, and he closed the event with a 4-under 66.
Poston will need to have another great performance this week if he wants to advance to next week’s BMW Championship, as he currently ranks 51st in the FedEx Cup standings. Poston has finished T33rd or better in five of his six starts at TPC Southwind and the highly motivated veteran is an excellent bargain at this low salary.
Lucas Glover ($7,000): While Glover missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship last week, TPC Southwind is the perfect place for him to get back on track. Glover has been brilliant in his last two starts at this course. After finishing T3rd at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship, the veteran won this playoff event the next year. During that victory two years ago, Glover posted a 6-under 64 in the second round.
Glover had finished T5th, T9th and T23rd in his previous three starts before missing the cut last week, and he ranks top-35 in both SG APP and SG ARG this season. Glover could get overlooked coming off the missed cut and has top-20 upside.
Akshay Bhatia ($7,000): Bhatia finished T12th in his first attempt at TPC Southwind last season and the 23-year-old must have another strong showing at the par 70 again this week if he wants to advance to next week’s BMW Championship. Currently, Bhatia is 45th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Bhatia has been consistent this season with nine top-30 finishes in 20 solo starts. He also ranks top-20 in both SG APP and SGP this season, and he is without question one of the best values on the board at only $7,000.
