A week after the season’s final major, the PGA Tour plays another major event with the fourth installment of the World Golf Championships taking place this week in Memphis, Tenn. As one of the top non-major events, the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational has attracted a stellar field as the tournament gets a status upgrade. TPC Southwind hosted the St. Jude Classic for 30 years and will continue that relationship this week with a number of tantalizing matchups on tap. Open Championship winner Shane Lowry has withdrawn leaving 45 of the top 50 ranked players in the world in attendance. Odds for those head-to-head battles are available at online sportsbooks.
WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Eddie Pepperell +120 vs. Keegan Bradley -150
Billy Horschel -130 vs. Matt Wallace +100
Phil Mickelson -113 vs. Alex Noren -117
Tyrrell Hatton -116 vs. Marc Leishman -114
Justin Rose -120 vs. Tommy Fleetwood -110
Matthew Fitzpatrick -132 vs. Danny Willett +102
Jon Rahm -125 vs. Patrick Cantlay -105
Rafael Cabrera Bello -128 vs. Andrew Putnam -102
Tony Finau -105 vs. Hideki Matsuyama -125
Adam Scott -115 vs. Bryson Dechambeau -115
Henrik Stenson -135 vs. Jordan Spieth +105
Kevin Kisner -112 vs. Ian Poulter -118
Justin Rose -128 vs. Xander Schauffele -102
Matthew Wolff -117 vs. Cameron Smith -113
Sergio Garcia -140 vs. Brandt Snedeker +110
Gary Woodland -120 vs. Chez Reavie -110
Matt Kuchar -114 vs. Webb Simpson -116
Jason Day -131 vs. Patrick Reed +101
Rory McIlroy -133 vs. Brooks Koepka +103
Jon Rahm -136 vs. Justin Thomas +106
Dustin Johnson -109 vs. Rory McIlroy -121
Brooks Koepka +103 vs. Jon Rahm -133
Justin Thomas +102 vs. Patrick Cantlay -132
Xander Schauffele -103 vs. Tommy Fleetwood -127
Justin Rose -142 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +112
Bryson Dechambeau -140 vs. Tony Finau +110
Henrik Stenson -126 vs. Jason Day -104
Adam Scott -178 vs. Jordan Spieth +141
Matt Kuchar -162 vs. Patrick Reed +129
Webb Simpson -130 vs. Gary Woodland +100
Paul Casey -143 vs. Chez Reavie +113
Louis Oosthuizen -159 vs. Matthew Wolff +127
Brandt Snedeker +123 vs. Tyrrell Hatton -154
Billy Horschel -121 vs. Rafael Cabrera Bello -109
Kevin Kisner -115 vs. Matt Wallace -115
Phil Mickelson -116 vs. Danny Willett -114
Matthew Fitzpatrick -114 vs. Marc Leishman -116
Ian Poulter -139 vs. Thorbjorn Olesen +109
Cameron Smith +165 vs. Sergio Garcia -210
Alex Noren -102 vs. Haotong Li -128
Keegan Bradley -203 vs. JB Holmes +160
Eddie Pepperell +107 vs. Kevin Na -137
Bubba Watson +123 vs. Jim Furyk -154
Lucas Bjerregaard +103 vs. Justin Harding -133
Keith Mitchell -115 vs. Nate Lashley -115
Kevin Tway -103 vs. C.T. Pan -127
Corey Conners -145 vs. Sung Kang +115
Max Homa -136 vs. Aaron Rai +106
Adam Long -113 vs. Shugo Imahira -117
Need to Know
It was a good week for my matchup picks at The Open cashing in a 3-1 record with a tie. Fading U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland proved wise and profitable with Irishman Graeme McDowell getting me a victory at +146. After a couple of off weeks I’m allowed to gloat. It’s back to business with a number of quality battles in a strong field of players. After seeing new courses the last few events the Tour goes back to a familiar track in TPC Southwind. The old dairy farm will take players through a natural stretch of lakes, ponds and creeks, so accuracy to stay out of the drink is critical. With a field over twice as large last year the average round was 70.52, and there’s a good chance that number declines.
WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational Matchup Picks
Phil Mickelson -113 vs. Alex Noren
Mickelson needs something positive to happen after some severe struggles over the last few months, and a visit to a course he raves about could be the turning point. Lefty missed the cut last week for the fourth time in five starts. The other result in that span was a T52, so it’s obvious Phil is all over the place. However, he’s mastered Southwind finishing among the top-12 in each of his last six starts here with a pair of runner-up showings. Over those 24 rounds he’s been par or better 21 times. This could be Lefty’s breakthrough.
Jon Rahm -125 vs. Patrick Cantlay
Opening with a flourish at Royal Portrush, it looked like Rahm was going to have a good week. It still was, but not as good as the Spaniard was hoping for. A T11 was his best Open showing and he’s one of the hottest golfers entering the week with a T3-T2-Win in three starts prior to The Open. Rahm is debuting at Southwind, but his approach stats have been off the charts and this track shouldn’t be too difficult for him.
Rory McIlroy -121 vs. Dustin Johnson
This is an interesting matchup with D.J. the favorite to win the tournament. However, he’s getting shorter odds against McIlroy and I’ll take Rory now that he doesn’t have to worry about pleasing an entire country. McIlroy followed his unsightly first round 79 at The Open with a 68, but it wasn’t good enough to make it to the weekend. That does tell me his game is still where it’s been all season. DJ, meanwhile, has struggled and I’ll fade him until he works out the kinks.
Tony Finau +110 vs. Bryson Dechambeau
Is it time to buy stock in Finau? Some recent woes pushed a lot of backers away but he quietly snuck up on the field and was the top American finisher at The Open. After a solo second at the Charles Schwab, Finau missed the cut in his next three starts. A T23 at the 3M Open was a positive step followed by his solo third at Royal Portrush. It looks like Finau has regained his form.
Billy Horschel -121 vs. Rafael Cabrera Bello
He’s been consistently good all season but rarely has Horschel been in contention. He’s looking for that little something to get him over the hump and solid play at TPC Southwind could be what does it. He has three top-10s in his last four starts here and a MC last week gives him a little headstart on the rest of the field in terms of rest and preparation. I like Horschel to take a comfortable approach and win this head-to-head matchup.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational is scheduled for July 25-28 and can be seen on Golf Channel and CBS.
