Steve Palmer's free FedEx St Jude Championship predictions & golf betting tips

When to bet on the FedEx St Jude Championship

By 1.20pm on Thursday

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Where can I watch the FedEx St Jude Championship

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's FedEx St Jude Championship predictions

Patrick Cantlay
4pts each-way 22-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Hideki Matsuyama
3pts each-way 25-1 bet365

Adam Scott
1pt each-way 60-1 bet365

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Steve Palmer's FedEx St Jude Championship preview

The FedEx Cup playoffs start in Memphis with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele well clear of the rest in the FedEx standings. The two outstanding performers of 2024 are looking good for the top two places on the starting grid for the season-ending Tour Championship.

A handicap system will be in operation for the Tour Championship, based on FedEx position, so Scheffler and Schauffele know that they will have a golden chance of FedEx Cup glory if they maintain their positions over the next fortnight. There is a significant points gap to Rory McIlroy in third place.

Scheffler and Schauffele are entitled to switch off a bit mentally in the St Jude Championship and BMW Championship, knowing that they will have a strong chance of Tour Championship success whatever happens in the first two playoff events. Neither has a particularly good Southwind record.

McIlroy is more tempting at bigger odds given his excellent Southwind credentials, but a double-bogey at the 15th hole of the final round in the Olympics cost him a medal last time out. From the US PGA onwards, McIlroy rounds have been full of drama and trauma, and he may not be in the right frame of mind to challenge for a fourth FedEx Cup victory over the next three weeks.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Patrick Cantlay 22-1

While Scheffler and Schauffele may struggle to concentrate this week, Patrick Cantlay carries a fierce determination to end a PGA Tour victory drought which is almost up to the two-year mark.

Cantlay's last success came in the FedEx Cup playoffs – the 2022 BMW Championship – and his playoffs record generally is magnificent. He won the 2021 BMW Championship, then the 2021 Tour Championship and FedEx Cup, banking the $15m bonus cheque.

Cantlay, seemingly motivated by money, seems to always bring full focus to the mega-bucks playoff events. From his current position of 11th in the FedEx standings, the Californian knows that he needs a strong fortnight in Memphis and the BMW to give himself serious hope of a second FedEx crown.

Cantlay will be thrilled with how he has found form coming into the playoffs. He was third in the US Open in June, then fifth in the Travelers Championship and 25th in the Open. Patty Ice finished 12th on his Southwind debut in 2019, gained some more experience at the track, then almost won there last year.

Cantlay closed with a 64 to force a playoff against Lucas Glover 12 months ago. Glover, who had won the Wyndham Championship the previous week, completed back-to-back triumphs. Cantlay may be primed to get revenge on Glover and the rest of his rivals this week.

Next best bet

Hideki Matsuyama 25-1

There was immense relief on the face of Hideki Matsuyama when he won an Olympic medal last time out. He had so much pressure on his shoulders in the 2020 Japan Olympics, eventually finishing in an agonising fourth place in Tokyo, so the bronze medal in Paris last time out meant much to the Japanese ace.

Matsuyama played some brilliant golf in Paris, as he has done so often this year, and he should be a leading FedEx Cup contender. His Sunday 62 to win the Genesis Invitational by three shots in February was one of the rounds of the year. He followed up with sixth place at Sawgrass, eighth in the Memorial and sixth in the US Open.

The former Masters champion remains one of the best in the business when he is healthy – and he seems fully fit at the moment. Progressive WGC Southwind form figures of 43-20-2 were followed by 16th place last year on his only subsequent start at the track. He was a playoff loser to Abraham Ancer in the 2021 WGC and Matsuyama's ever-reliable approach play is a huge asset coming into the small Southwind greens.

Other selection

Adam Scott 60-1

The best outsider this week is arguably Adam Scott, who still has bundles to offer at the age of 44. The former world number one and Masters champion has been swinging superbly in the lead-up to the playoffs.

Scott has always loved teeing up at Southwind. He was seventh on his debut in 2007 in the St Jude Classic, then tenth on his second appearance in 2017. Subsequent results of 40-36-5 underline that the Aussie has the long-game class to handle Southwind.

Scott, who has twice won a FedEx Cup playoffs event, was a hugely unfortunate runner-up in the Scottish Open last month. Had Robert MacIntyre not been given a free drop from beside a sprinkler head in the heavy rough on the 16th hole of round four, Scott would probably have won that tournament. He followed up with tenth place in the Open at Troon.

Course guide for the FedEx St Jude Championship

• Course TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
• Prize money $20m ($3.6m to the winner)
• Length 7,243 yards
• Par 70 – two par-fives; 12 par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 70 (no cut)
• Playoff format This is the first of three FedEx Cup playoff events. The top 50 in the standings will progress to next week's BMW Championship, before the top 30 qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship. 
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Xander Schauffele (2), Rory McIlroy (3), Ludvig Aberg (4), Wyndham Clark (5)
• Course records - 72 holes 258 John Cook (1996) 18 holes 61 Jay Delsing (1993), Bob Estes (2001), Tom Lewis (2020), Justin Rose (2023)
• Course winners taking part Harris English, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris, Lucas Glover
• When to bet By 2pm on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday
• Time difference Tennessee is six hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – Wyndham Championship 1 A Rai (35-1), 2 M Greyserman (100-1), T3 JJ Spaun (100-1), R Hisatsune (200-1), 5 L Clanton (55-1), 6 A Eckroat (90-1), T7 B Horschel (25-1), B Griffin (70-1), A Svensson (90-1), T Crowe (275-1), E Cole (60-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview The Ron Prichard-designed TPC Southwind has hosted a PGA Tour event since 1989, but the track had an extensive overhaul after the 2004 St Jude Classic. It has been perennially ranked as one of the most difficult on the PGA Tour since. The final St Jude Classic was in 2018, then the WGC-St Jude Invitational was at Southwind from 2019 through 2021, before the first FedEx St Jude Championship in 2022. The track has
  zoysia-grass fairways
• Story of last year Lucas Glover defeated Patrick Cantlay in a playoff after the pair tied at 15 under par after 72 holes
• Weather forecast Sunny, hot, with gentle breezes, temperatures peaking at 35C
• Type of player suited to the challenge This tight, fiddly, dangerous venue demands strong, accurate ball-striking. Finding greens in regulation is the main challenge
• Key attribute Accuracy

Steve Palmer's FedEx St Jude Championship key stat

Five of the last nine Southwind winners ranked first for strokes-gained tee-to-green

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For those looking for even more extensive golf coverage don't miss Palmer's extra pointers every Wednesday in the Racing Post newspaper.

As well as his tips and insight you will also get expert spotlight comments for all players in our extensive PGA Tour and DP Tour price comparison grids which include course and recent form, plus Palmer's unique attribute icons to help identify the type of players likely to be suited to conditions each week.