The race for FedEx Cup glory begins at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The march to East Lake and the Tour Championship will once again begin in Memphis, Tennessee, as 70 of the season's best look to survive and advance.
Over the next three weeks, 70 will become 50 before the top 30 in the FedEx Cup earn a coveted spot at East Lake and the 2026 Tour Championship. TPC Southwind (Par-70, 7,288 yards) has hosted the first leg of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs since 2022, and it has often provided a stern test of the top 70 players in the season-long standings, with winning scores ranging between 15- and 17-under par in each of the last four editions.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and Masters champion Rory McIlroy headline an elite field of 69 who will tee it up at the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship. This includes all 10 of the top 10 OWGR-ranked players, and defending champion Justin Rose, who returns looking to become just the eighth player in tournament history to have won multiple times.
The top 50 in the FedEx Cup after the FedEx St. Jude Championship will move on to the second leg of the playoffs at the BMW Championship. Several notables currently on the outside looking in include Jordan Spieth (54th), Max Homa (52nd), and Harris English (51st), all of whom will need to get off to a fast start if they want to keep their season alive. Who's set to make some noise in the postseason? Let's get into some picks and predictions for the first leg of the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs.
2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship picks and predictions
Top 20 pick for the FedEx St. Jude Championship: Jordan Spieth (+182)
Spieth begins his postseason campaign just outside of the top 50 in the FedEx Cup. He will need another strong result at TPC Southwind if he wants to keep his season alive. The three-time major champion returns to the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he has a couple of strong results, including finishing tied for sixth here in 2023. He has had a strong season with eight top-20 finishes in 2026, including a T19 result at the Wyndham Championship last time out.
Sleeper pick for the FedEx St. Jude Championship: Jacob Bridgeman (+9400)
Bridgeman has cooled down since an electric start to the year, which saw him finish T18 or better in each of his first eight events. The 2026 Genesis Invitational winner has gained strokes on approach in every start dating back to the Memorial Tournament in June and has finished tied for 28th or better in each of his last three starts.
An elite putter, 12th in the field over the last month, per Data Golf, Bridgeman could be on the verge of contending again if he can find some more fairways. He finished T17 at the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Pick to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship: Collin Morikawa (+2800)
Morikawa will tee it up for the first time since The Open Championship, where he finished tied for 18th, his third consecutive T18 finish or better since the U.S. Open in June. A winner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, the two-time major champion isn't too far from contending again.
He notched his fourth top-five finish of the season two starts ago at the Travelers Championship and now returns to TPC Southwind, where he has finished T22 or better in every start at the FedEx St. Jude Championship since 2022.
Pick to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship: Scottie Scheffler (+450)
The world No.1 returns to the FedEx St. Jude Championship having finished fourth and tied for third in his last two appearances at TPC Southwind. The 2024 FedEx Cup Champion won at The American Express in January and, since then, has finished runner-up in an astonishing five events, dating back to The Masters in April.
Scheffler ranks first in the field from tee to green over the last three months and second in approach. Coming off his fifth runner-up finish of the year last time out at the 3M Open, it would be a surprise not to see him win again in the playoffs.
All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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