TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee once again hosts this week’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. An elite field of 66 is in attendance as Justin Thomas tries to defend his 2020 win. Below, we look at the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions to win.
Xander Schauffele is one of many in the field making the long trek back from the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He won gold but is still looking for his first PGA Tour win since Jan. 2019.
Jon Rahm, ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings, is the most notable absence among the eligible golfers this week. This is the second-to-last week before the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a weaker, alternate field participating in the Barracuda Championship.
Also see: Fantasy golf power rankings
2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational picks – Favorite
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 9:35 a.m. ET.
Brooks Koepka (+1100)
Koepka, back to No. 47 in the Golfweek rankings, won this event at TPC Southwind in 2019 and tied for second last year. He led last year’s field with 2.11 Strokes Gained: Approach per round but struggled on the greens and lost 0.68 strokes per round with the flat stick. He’s fifth in this field with 2.17 strokes gained per round over 28 career rounds at TPC Southwind.
Koepka has rung up three straight finishes of T-6 or better at the US Open, Travelers Championship and British Open and has a total of six top-10 finishes through 12 events in 2021. Three of those were in the year’s final three majors and another was against an elite field at the WGC-Workday Championship in February.
Additionally, Koepka is one of the top players who didn’t need to make the long trip back from Tokyo and has had two weeks off since the British Open.
2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational picks – Contender
Will Zalatoris (+4900)
Zalatoris is sixth among qualified golfers in SG: Approach for the season ahead of his professional debut at TPC Southwind. His putting and short game have been weaknesses of late, but he’s well-rested after a withdrawal from the British Open due to injury and a couple of weeks off.
Zalatoris is likely to be one of the most motivated golfers in the field as he still needs a win either this week or next to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs despite four top-10 finishes this year.
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2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational picks – Long shot
Kevin Kisner (+9900)
Kisner has averaged 0.95 strokes gained on the field over 20 career rounds at TPC Southwind, including a T-25 finish with 2.02 SG: Putting per round last year.
He also has a 2015 win and a 2020 runner-up finish at the RSM Classic at Sea Island Golf Club. While those events both had considerably weaker fields, the venues are highly comparable with both putting an emphasis on the approach game and play around the greens.
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