Golf: 2019 WGC Fed Ex St. Jude Invitational
Venue: TPC Southwind, Memphis.
Dates: Thursday 25th – Sunday 28th July 2019
Tournament Preview
Following on from Shane Lowry’s remarkable victory at the Open Championship last week, attention now turns to the PGA Tour money list with no majors on the agenda until the Masters at Augusta next April. The St. Jude Invitational boasts 46 of the world’s top 50 players in its field and is notoriously one of the most prestigious events on the PGA Tour outside of the majors. With the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson amongst the previous winners of the event, it is certainly one of the biggest events on the calendar.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
How the field acclimatises from Royal Portrush will have a huge bearing on the key contenders this week but here are some of the top picks with BetXChange:-
World number one and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka continues to feature heavily in all the big events and comes into this one fresh off the back of a 4th place finish at the Open.
Young Spaniard Jon Rahm is another major player in all the big events and he will be looking to build on his 11th place finish in Northern Ireland last time out.
Defending champion Justin Thomas hasn’t kicked on like many predicted in 2019 but is still very much a man to watch and he too managed to finish in the top 12 at the Open last week.
Few players have displayed the levels of consistency Tony Finau has managed in the past few seasons and he will be looking for a tournament win here to break into the world’s top 10.
Danny Willett has endured a difficult few seasons since winning the Masters in 2016 but with three top 12 finishes in his last starts, he looks to be on the verge of returning to form.
1st Round Leader
Producing the goods over 72 holes is often the most difficult thing for any golfer to do therefore here are our first round leader picks:-
Patrick Cantlay is enjoying a breakthrough year on the PGA Tour and he has put in some solid displays in difficult conditions in recent weeks.
Three time major winner Jordan Spieth has struggled in recent seasons with an apparent lack of form but he looked in good nick in Northern Ireland and could be a leading candidate here.
2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed ended inside the top 10 at the Open Championships and the course at TPC Southwind seems to be a good fit for him.
Top Five Finish
With so many quality players assembled here in Memphis, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 5 come Sunday:-
2011 St Jude champion Adam Scott has found consistent form hard to come by of late but with top 10 finishes at the US Open and the Memorial, this event could be a good fit for him this week.
The fiery Englishman hit a purple patch on Sunday at the Open to finish in a tie for 6th and with a big game that is well suited to the conditions in Memphis; he could go well in Tennessee.
The consistent Swede is always a man to watch in any event he plays and his late run at Royal Portrush suggested he was getting his game together following a difficult few months.
BetXChange Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Brooks Koepka – 9.00
1st Round Leader: Jordan Spieth – 33.00
Top Five Finish: Tyrrell Hatton – 9.00
