Join us as we dive into the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind! In this video, we discuss the top players to watch, including Scottie Scheffler, Lucas Glover, and Hideki Matsuyama. Learn about the course’s unique challenges, including its small greens and water hazards, and how these factors will impact player performance. We’ll also cover past champions and their strategies for success. Don’t miss our expert analysis and predictions for this exciting event in the FedExCup Playoffs!
The FedEx St. Jude Championship. A familiar challenge awaits. As the first event in the trio of FedEx Cup playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind presents a well-known challenge for the 69 players who have qualified. Since its inception in 1989, TQC Southwind has been a staple on the PGA Tour calendar, hosting an annual event every year. In 2024, Hideki Matsuyama plus 3500 claimed the championship, marking his place as the third player to win at TPC Southwind since the FedEx Cup playoffs relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. This marks his sixth appearance at this venue, where he faced elimination in a playoff in 2021 and finished tied for 16th in 2023. Notably, Matsuyama has consistently performed well here, finishing in the top 20 in four of his five visits and maintaining an impressive record of 15 out of 16 rounds at par or better, including four of his last five rounds at scores of 65 or 64. His previous three tournaments in Memphis have seen him accumulate an impressive total of 42 underpar. In 2023, Lucas Glover plus 6000 emerged victorious, finally breaking through on his sixth attempt after a strong solo third place finish in 2022. Despite his success, Glover, who was ranked number 78 in 2024, did not qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs and thus cannot defend his title. Remarkably, he has recorded eight consecutive rounds in the 60s and returns to a course where he excelled in scrambling and bogey avoidance, leading the field in these categories in 2023. Key competitors this week. The following players are competing this week along with their 2025 rankings and odds as provided by FanDuel Sportsbook. Rank player odds equals one is Scotty Sheffller + 280 2 Colin Morakawa plus 30,000 four Tommy Fleetwood plus 5,000 6 Keegan Bradley + 4,000 5 Straa 8 Russell Henley plus 3,000 10 Kurt Kittyama plus 6,000 11 Patrick Kentlay plus 3500 12 Siw Kim plus 9,000 000 13 Daniel Burgerer 15,000 14 JJ Spawn 15 Victor Havland 3500 TPC Southwind is not for the faint-hearted featuring landing areas that average just 25 yards with dog legs that curve both left and right and an abundance of water hazards that come into play off the tea. The Greens, which have been completely renovated, now average 4,500 square feet, making them the third smallest on the tour in 2025, following only Pebble Beach and Harbortown. The new Tiff Eagle Bermudar Grass has replaced the previous Champion Bermuda Grass on the expanded putting surfaces. Players must navigate carefully to avoid the water hazards which can lead to uncommitted shots landing in one of the 75 bunkers or the 3 in of Bermuda grass rough. With the new grass and hole placements, reaching the greens will be the most challenging aspect of the week. Mastering the bounce and spin on approach shots, whether from the rough or the fairway, will be crucial for scoring well. Historically, the last six champions ranked among the top nine in this category before the course changes made after the 2024 event. Daniel Berger, the only two-time champion among the competitors this week, Daniel Berger, plus 5,000, stands out as the only player to have won this tournament twice. He achieved victories in his first two appearances in 2016 and 2017, but fell short of a three repeat in 2018. After returning in 2020, he finished solo second, just three shots behind Justin Thomas, plus 2500, who has consistently performed well at this venue, never finishing outside the top 30 in his five appearances. In his last visit in 2021, Burgerer added four more rounds in the 60s to finish tied for fifth. Over his 18 rounds at TPC Southwind, he has recorded an impressive 14 rounds in the 60s, making him the only player in the field with more than three top five or top 10 finishes. Harris English plus 4500 joins the ranks of former champions competing this week alongside Thomas Matsyama Burger and Glover. English made a splash with his debut victory in 2013 and added a T10 finish in 2017. In the 2021 tournament, he led after the first three rounds, but faltered on the back nine, ultimately finishing fourth after hitting the water twice. In his previous two FedEx Cup playoffs events, he finished T61 and T-52 with only three of his last eight rounds being underpar. Matt Fitzpatrick plus 2200 made his debut in the 2019 edition, then known as the World Golf Championships FedEx St. Jude Invitational, where he posted four rounds in the 60s to finish tied for fourth. He returned the following year with another strong performance, finishing tied for sixth. In 2022, he continued his trend of success with another T5 finish, marking his third top six finish in four starts. As he prepares for his seventh appearance, he has finished T18 or better in four of those tournaments. Noteworthy aspects of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The field of 69 players featuring world number one Scotty Sheffller includes 46 of the top 50 players from the official world golf ranking, notably world number one. Two, Rory Mroy qualified but is not participating. All 10 players ranked just outside the qualifying spots for the BMW Championship next week at Caves Valley Golf Club. Positions number 45 to number 55 are competing as only the top 50 will advance. TPC Southwind transitioned to a par 70 layout in 2005. The record for the 72-hole tournament stands at 261 19 underpar set by Dustin Johnson who is not qualified in 2018. The course has been hosting events since 1989 with the course record of 61 last achieved by Justin Rose during round three of 2023. Unlike many tournaments, there will be no cut after 36 holes in any of the three FedEx Cup playoffs events. Two of the last three FedEx Cup St. Jude Championships have ended in a playoff. Players entered this week. Player rank rounds odds. Interceptions odds Harry Hall 1 + 6500. Odds Ben Griffin T242 + 4,000. Ryan Gerard T440 + 8500 Emmeiliano Grill T639 + 12,000 Scotty Sheffller T639 + 280 Sam Burns T10 38 + 4,000 T10 38 + 10,000 While the new hole placements and firm putting surfaces may make scoring more challenging, it is rare to see rounds in the 70s from the top players at TPC Southwind. In 2024, only three players in the top 30 recorded two rounds of 70 or worse. In 2023, nine rounds above 70 were logged by players in the top 30, while 2022 marked the inaugural year of the FedEx Cup Saint JW championship within the FedEx Cup playoffs. Notably, no players in the top 30 during either of those years had more than one round worse than PAR. The PAR 70 layout has consistently played underpar on average in recent editions, all of which featured limited fields, three each of FedEx Cup playoffs and World Golf Championships. Winning scores have varied, ranging from 17 underpar in 2024 to 13 underpar in 2020. The 2025 edition has added 45 yards to the scorecard with hole number five now measuring 529 yards par4, an increase from 485 yards in 2024. Insights from the odds makers. Scotty Sheffller plus 280. In his eighth appearance, he aims to build on a solo fourth finish in 2024, which is his best result to date. He has achieved three top 15 finishes in his last five tournaments. Xander Shelfley plus 1,800. The co-runner up from 2024 has added a second top 10 finish in 5 years, T6 in 2020. He has recorded 25 of 28 rounds at par or better over seven starts. Victor Havlin plus 3500. The co-runner up in 2024 has shown improvement over the previous season with finishes of T2, T13, T20, T36, and T-59. Sam Burns plus 4,000. After losing in a playoff in 2021, the Louisiana native finished T20 in 2022 and T5 in 2024. Patrick Kentlay plus 3500. He boasts a 24 underpart total with a T12 finish in 2024 and a playoff loss to Glover in 2023. Six of his last eight rounds have been 67 or better. Russell Henley plus 3000. In seven previous appearances, he has finished T30 or better four times, including T6 in 2023 and T7 in 2016. Tommy Fleetwood plus 2500. The English golfer shared fourth place in his debut in 2019 and shared third in 2023 before finishing T22 in 2024. If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please reach out for help by calling or texting 1800 gambler.
