Cameron Young ended his long-awaited PGA Tour trophy hunt in emphatic style last week, cruising to a six-shot victory at the Wyndham Championship (which marked the end of the PGA Tour regular season).
2025 US PGA Tour
FedEx Cup Playoffs
FedEx St Jude Championship
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
7th-10th August
Cameron Young ended his long-awaited PGA Tour trophy hunt in emphatic style last week, cruising to a six-shot victory at the Wyndham Championship (which marked the end of the PGA Tour regular season). There was plenty of drama amongst the so-called ‘bubble boys’, with the likes of Gary Woodland and Keith Mitchell failing to do enough to book their place in the prestigious FedExCup Playoffs. Chris Kirk was the only man to play himself into the top 70 from outside the qualification zone, climbing to 61 in the rankings with a solid T5 at Sedgefield. Matti Schmid offered the best drama on Sunday, rolling in three straight birdies from 16-18 to hang onto 70th place in the FedExCup standings.
Originally known as the Memphis Open, the status of this event was upped considerably when it was elevated to WGC status in 2023. While the days of the WGC are a distant memory now, this event remains a vital part of the PGA Tour. It replaced the Northern Trust as the opening leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2022. 2023 saw further streamlining of the event, with the number of qualifiers reduced from 125 to 70. This number will get whittled down to 50 for next week’s BMW Championship. That number will then get narrowed down to the traditional 30 men at East Lake. Victory in this week’s event virtually guarantees a strong position in the season-ending Tour Championship.
Designed by Ron Pritchard- in consultation with Fuzzy Zoeller and Hubert Green- TPC Southwind was opened in 1988 and is a ball-strikers paradise. Long considered a stern test of golf, TPC Southwind was made even more difficult after the 2014 renovations. 125 trees and 15 bunkers were added while the par-5 5th was converted to a par 4 (reducing the par to 70). 200 yards were added to the length and the Zoyisa fairways were significantly narrowed. This is a course that has welcomed a wide variety of winners. The smaller-than-average Bermuda greens put a real emphasis on strong iron play. Over the last 15 years, only Ben Crane and Lucas Glover have ranked outside the top 10 for GIR (Matsuyama ranked 4th en route to victory last year). Also keep an eye out for strong scrambling stats, as players will invariably miss their targets from time to time this week (with Scheffler a possible exception). In 2023, Glover overcame average iron-play by topping the scrambling charts. I would also pay some attention to par 4 scoring stats: there are some formidable par 4’s out there.
Scottie Scheffler will be looking to extend his gigantic FedExCup lead this week, as he aims to join Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as the only men to win multiple FedExCup titles. The defending FedExCup champ has been resplendent this season, claiming two Major titles to underline his status as the most dominant post-Tiger player (peak-Tiger that is). Rory McIlroy will be the one man in the top 70 not teeing it up at TPC Southwind (which speaks to McIlroy’s post-Grand Slam disillusionment). Xander Schauffele hasn’t been able to replicate his 2024 form due to the aftereffects of a rib injury. The East Lake specialist is currently seeded 42nd and will need a result somewhere to ensure East Lake qualification. Russell Henley has been a bastion of consistency this season while Justin Thomas has enjoyed a minor career resurrection. Also, time is running out for any players looking to play themselves into Ryder Cup contention (the cutoff comes immediately following next week’s BMW Championship).
Past Winners
2024: Hideki Matsuyama (-17)
2023: Lucas Glover (-15) *playoff
2022: Will Zalatoris (-15) *playoff
2021: Abraham Ancer (-16) *playoff
2020: Justin Thomas (-13)
Betting Favourites (To Win): Scottie Scheffler (14/5), Xander Schauffele (14/1), Tommy Fleetwood (22/1), Ludvig Aberg (22/1), Justin Thomas (25/1)
Value Bets
Sepp Straka- To Win (35/1)
Sepp Straka could be an invaluable member of Luke Donald’s upcoming Ryder Cup side. He won titles at this year’s American Express and Truist Championships, highlighting his ability to dominate in American conditions. He has also excelled in some stellar fields, finishing 3rd at Memorial and 5th at the Arnold Palmer. He ranks 4th on approach and 8th in GIR this season (little wonder he finished runner-up here three years ago).
Daniel Berger- To Win (45/1)
Daniel Berger has arguably played this course as well as anyone over the years, winning the title in his two maiden appearances (in 2016 and 2017). He missed the cut in 2018 but would finish 2nd in 2020 and 5th in 2021. Berger hasn’t played since that 5th place finish but is fresh off finishing 30th in the regular FedExCup standings. He has played well on the Bermuda this year, finishing runner-up in Phoenix and 3rd at the RBC Heritage. He ranks 11th on approach and 23rd in par 4 scoring- a recipe for success around here.
The Man to Beat- Russell Henley- To Win (25/1)
Russell Henley has been a ninja this season, sneaking into the top five in the FedExCup standings and OWGR. The Arnold Palmer Invitational Champ arrives in brilliant form, picking up top-ten finishes in each of his last four events. He is a brilliant iron player with nine top-10 paydays this season (only Scheffler has more with 13). He has also played well in Memphis in the past, picking up two top 7’s in seven visits. Scheffler’s dominance is hard to ignore but does create nice little opportunities for in-form players. Henley at 25/1 is an excellent deal.
