Golf: WGC Fed Ex St. Jude Invitational
Venue: TPC Southwind, Memphis.
Dates: Thursday 5th – Sunday 8th August 2021
Tournament Preview
Following on from Xander Schauffele remarkable victory at the Olympics last week, attention now turns to the PGA Tour money list with no majors on the agenda and the Ryder Cup looming. The St. Jude Invitational boasts most 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 some of the field acclimatises from Tokyo will have a huge bearing on the key contenders this week but here are some of the top picks with BetXchange:-
Former 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.
Open champion Collin Morikawa is riding the crest of a wave currently in every event he plays and having just missed out on an Olympic medal, he will be purring heading into this one.
Defending champion Justin Thomas hasn’t been in his best form in 2021 but is still very much a man to watch in any event he plays.
World number one Dustin Johnson is such a consistent performer in every tournament he plays and conditions here at TPC Southwind should suit him down to the ground.
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 15.
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:-
Three time major winner Jordan Spieth has been in sparkling form throughout 2021 and with a Ryder Cup spot to play for, he could get off to another flyer here.
Patrick Cantlay is enjoying another excellent year on the PGA Tour, and he has put in some solid displays in difficult conditions in recent weeks.
2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed has lacked his usual consistency in 2021 but he has a game of beating anybody on his day and he could be one to watch from the off here.
Top Ten 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 10 come Sunday:-
Fresh off his incredible gold medal triumph at the Tokyo Olympics, Xander Schauffele will be buoyant as he arrives in Memphis, and he could be in contention come Sunday afternoon.
The fiery Englishman hit is always up for any event he plays and with some good showings on the PGA Tour under his belt, he could well be in contention again this week.
Experienced Englishman Lee Westwood continues to perform both in Europe and USA and he could sneak under the radar here, in favourable conditions for his straight hitting game.
WGC Fed Ex St. Jude Invitational BetXchange Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Justin Thomas – 18/1
1st Round Leader: Jordan Spieth – 22/1
Top Ten Finish: Tyrrell Hatton – 7/2
