The PGA Tour ditching the regular season and diving headfirst into the playoffs—starting at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis is officially on. Critical notes and betting angles to watch as we cruise into the weekend:
1. Unsurprisingly, Scottie Scheffler is the man to beat.
He leads the FedEx Cup standings by a wide margin—4,806 points—followed by Rory McIlroy (3,444) and Sepp Straka (2,595). And despite his modest Round 1 at TPC Southwind-he shot a solid 67-he remains the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament.
2. Akshay Bhatia is turning heads.
The youngster is leading the tournament at −8 after Round 1, carding a sizzling 62 to jump ahead of the field . If he keeps this up, he’ll be making serious noise as the weekend unfolds.
3. Rory McIlroy’s strategic absence is stirring debate.
McIlroy, sitting second in points, skipped the Memphis event entirely. With the revamped playoff format rewarding season-long consistency and resetting at the Tour Championship, he’s opted to bypass this stage drawing criticism and raising concern among officials.
4. Betting highlights: sleepers and long shots with legs.
- High-profile value bets: Viktor Hovland, Russell Henley, and others are listed at +3000 in outright odds—solid for those seeking a surprise .
- Long-shot plays: Harry Hall (75/1), Brian Harman (90/1), and Justin Rose (100/1) are attracting attention thanks to recent form or course history .
- Smart picks at better value: According to TalkSport, Russell Henley and Harris English stand out—Henley for steady play; English for a win at TPC Southwind in 2013 and recent good form.
5. Stakes are sky-high this weekend.
The top 50 after Memphis move on to the BMW Championship, with only the top 30 eventually battling it out at East Lake. With $100 million on the line across the three-event playoff and each of the first two events paying out $3.6 million to the winner from a $20 million purse, every stroke counts .
Weekend Watchlist—Quick Picks:
- Scheffler remains the safest bet to dominate—consistency plus odds favor him heavily.
- Akshay Bhatia could be the feel-good story if his momentum continues.
- Henley and English give smart value for bettors looking for a mix of form and course experience.
- Hall, Harman, Rose belong in your long-shot whispers, especially in top‑10 or surprise-win pools.
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