We head to TPC Southwind (par 70, 7,288 yards, Bermuda greens) in Memphis, Tennessee for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. This is the first of three tournaments for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and there are 69 players competing this week with no cut. Following the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the BMW Championship next week, then the top 30 players following that tournament move onto the TOUR Championship in two weeks.
Below, I have featured two of my favorite longshot outright bets to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Brian Harman (+8000)
Harman has carded two top-10 finishes at TPC Southwind, most recently with a T3 in 2022. Plus, the veteran has been the mix for a win twice recently, finishing T8th at the Travelers Championship in June and T10th at the Open Championship in July in his most recent start. These are just two of Harman’s four top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR this season. Most notably, the former Georgia Bulldog won the Valero Texas Open by three shots in April, which marked Harman’s fourth career win.
While Harman isn’t a favorite given his slow play, the 38-year-old is a very underrated player with the ability to contend in world-class fields, with the best example being his dominating six-stroke win at the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Harman is an accurate course manager that knows how to navigate TPC Southwind well and taking a chance on him at this long +8000 price has merit with Harman in compelling form.
Sungjae Im (+8000)
While Im has had an inconsistent season, he has also flashed great upside at times with three top-five finishes, including a T5 at the Masters. Im’s main issue this season has been his iron play as he ranks 174th of 177 qualifying players in SG APP.
However, Im showed some positive signs in that department during his T27 finish at last week’s Wyndham Championship. At Sedgefield Country Club, the 27-year-old gained strokes on approach for the first time since March and stuck 73.6% of greens in regulation.
If Im can maintain this form with his irons to complement his elite short game — he ranks second in SG ARG this season — Im contending at TPC Southwind this week is a possibility. Im has been in the mix at TPC Southwind before with a T12 in 2022 and a T6 in 2023, and with this par 70 featuring some of the smallest greens on the PGA TOUR, being a crafty player in those areas is a must at TPC Southwind. Of the last five winners at this course, three have finished the event top-six in SG ARG.
