The PGA TOUR heads to Memphis, Tennessee, this week for the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs — the FedEx St. Jude Championship. TPC Southwind will be the host, and measures as a 7,288-yard par 70 with Bermuda greens.
The field this week features the top 69 players in the FedExCup standings, headlined by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Rory McIlroy is the only qualified player not in the field. Additionally, there will be no cut this week—or for the remainder of the FedExCup Playoffs—meaning all players are guaranteed four rounds.
Below, I have outlined three of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,700)
Fitzpatrick’s season got off to a rocky start, with four missed cuts and no finishes better than T22 in his first 10 appearances of 2025. But something seemed to click at the Truist Championship in May—since his T23 finish there, he’s gone on an impressive run, recording five top-eight finishes across his last eight starts, including four straight heading into this week.
During that stretch, Fitzpatrick notched impressive finishes of T8 at the PGA Championship and T4 at The Open Championship, proving his ability to excel in a variety of conditions. He’s been consistently strong across all facets of his game during this run, ranking no worse than 22nd in any major Strokes Gained category. Over his past 24 rounds in this field, he sits fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green, third in SG: Putting, and third in Total Strokes Gained—behind only Scottie Scheffler and Chris Gotterup.
Fitzpatrick has a strong affinity for TPC Southwind as well, having played here six times and earning three top-six finishes, including a T18 last year. He’s currently playing some of the best golf of anyone in the world, and at under $10,000 on DraftKings this week, he’s one of the easiest clicks on the board. No need to overthink this one.
Hideki Matsuyama ($8,800)
Matsuyama has had a curious season so far. He opened the year in impressive fashion with a win at The Sentry back in January, but surprisingly, he hasn’t recorded a single top-10 finish since. While he hasn’t played poorly—registering eight finishes inside the top 21—his quiet stretch following such a dominant season debut raises questions. For a player of his caliber, the sudden drop-off in contention has been extremely unexpected.
Having said that, Matsuyama appears to be rounding back into form, with finishes of T13, T16, and T19 in his last three starts. During that stretch, the Japan native ranks 11th in this field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, fourth in Strokes Gained: Approach, and eighth in Total Strokes Gained. While he continues to struggle off the tee, his iron play has been dialed in—an encouraging sign that he’s well-positioned for a strong performance this week in Memphis.
Maybe burying the lede a bit here, but Matsuyama is no stranger to TPC Southwind, having won this event just one year ago. He also boasts an overall strong track record at this course, with finishes of T16, T2, and T20 in his three prior appearances.
Given his recent return to form, excellent course history, and promising rolling numbers, Matsuyama shapes up as a strong play this week at $8,800 as he looks to defend his title.
Denny McCarthy ($7,400)
McCarthy was featured in this article last week, and he didn’t disappoint, delivering a T11 finish at just $8,100. This week, he sees a $700 price drop for some reason—an odd decision considering his strong course history at TPC Southwind. In four career starts here, he’s finished T20 or better three times, including a solo ninth-place finish last year.
That success should come as no surprise, however, as McCarthy tends to thrive when the conditions are most difficult. His best career finishes have come at some of the toughest tracks on the PGA TOUR, including the Memorial (T2, T5), U.S. Open (T7), PGA Championship (T8), Genesis Invitational (T5), and Wells Fargo Championship (T6). The tougher the course, the better he seems to play.
McCarthy is arguably the best putter in the world, which gives him a real edge in events like this, as his ability to consistently save par keeps him in contention. Just last week in Greensboro, he gained an impressive 7.9 strokes on the greens alone, while also adding 2.31 strokes on approach. When his irons are even slightly dialed in, his elite short game makes him a serious threat.
If he can simply avoid bleeding strokes off the tee and keep the ball out of the water, there’s no reason McCarthy can’t post another top-10 finish this week given how sharp the rest of his game looks right now.