Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
The 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Fantasy Preview
They say that a week is a long time in golf, so two weeks is akin to a lifetime on the circuit.
You may just have forgotten Cameron Champ’s victory at the 3M Open two weeks ago. The long hitter battled sickness down the closing stretch to just about claim victory over clubhouse leader Louis Oosthuizen. It was the third title of what is fast becoming a very promising PGA TOUR career indeed for Champ.
And then last week the TOUR had a vacation as some – not all – of the world’s best golfers headed off to Japan for the Olympic Games. As if winning a gold medal for your country wasn’t enough, some in the field had extra motivation….like Xander Schauffele, who is half-Japanese.
He had the support of the home crowd as he closed out a famous victory, clinching gold for the United States and making the Japanese faithful very happy indeed as well. The silver medal went to Rory Sabbatini, the South African representing Slovakia who fired a final round of 61. And bronze was awarded to C.T. Pan, who overcame a seven-man play-off to defeat Collin Morikawa last up and secure his own slice of golfing history.
It’s a long old schlep from Saitama to Memphis, but that’s a journey that a number of the players in the Olympic field will be making this week as they head to Tennessee for the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
We ran with Louis O as our top-dog in the last event and he certainly didn’t disappoint. The South African came in T2 and racked up 103 DFS points as a result.
This marks our 4th runner up picked this season along with the 9 winners picked so far.
The 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Field
Just 66 hardy souls will make the trip to TPC Southwind this week, but with 48 of the world’s top 50 in town there’s no shortage of quality on show.
Jon Rahm is still recovering from his positive Covid test and misses out, while the South African Christian Bezuidenhout has decided not to make the trip.
Otherwise, it’s the best in the business with Dustin Johnson, McIlroy, Koepka, Morikawa and DeChambeau all in the mix.
The defending champion, Justin Thomas, will be looking to retain his title, while Xander Schauffele will have to shake-off the most monumental comedown to compete.
This Week’s Course Preview
After weeks of wide-open score-fests on the PGA TOUR, it’s good to get back to the nitty gritty.
And that’s exactly what TPC Southwind provides. Designed by Ron Pritchard, this is a fantastic test of all-round golfing ability, with every single facet of a player’s armor under the microscope.
Measuring 7,237 yards for its Par 70, TPC Southwind is a decent stretch although the fast-running fairways will at least minimize some of the distances required – in fact, it’s not uncommon for many to club down knowing how many extra yards these Zoysia greens will provide on the roll.
One of the chief defenses of the layout are the small Bermuda greens – these are, approximately, the fourth smallest greens on the PGA TOUR, and they are super-fast too….meaning that holding onto the putting surface on approach is a feat in itself.
Despite there not being a huge amount of trees on the real estate, a number of the fairways are doglegging in nature and can reward those able to shape their shots – primarily from right to left.
Water is in play on ten holes too, and so TPC Southwind will provide an excellent examination of the players this week.
Weather Forecast for Memphis, TN
The weather at this event 12 months ago was almost Biblical at times, with four seasons in a day just par for the course in a manic week in Memphis.
This time around it should be a lot more settled, with sunny spells and generally quite becalmed winds presumably helping the scoring.
Thursday and Friday are one and the same according to the early forecast. It will be hot to say the least at around 91˚F, and with the wind at around 6mph on both days there will be little to cool the players.
Things start to get even more interesting over the course of the weekend. It’s going to get hotter, believe it or not, according to the predictions, and the wind will pick up gradually until it hits around 12mph on Sunday.
If correct, TPC Southwind could play as firm and as fast as you could possibly imagine.
Last Year’s Results from the 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
It was Justin Thomas who continued the upward trajectory of his career with a three-shot victory at last year’s WGC-FedEx St Jude.
In the process, JT notched his third win of the season and his thirteenth all told – only some hackers called Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods achieved the same feat at a younger age.
Solid throughout, Thomas played consistently good golf and very rarely looked like being overhauled, and indeed he saved his best for last when birdieing two of the final four holes down the closing stretch to power over the finishing line.
There was a surprise name recording the joint lowest ever round at TPC Southwind – Tom Lewis, the Brit, carding a 61 that would ultimately see him finish T2 alongside Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger and Phil Mickelson.
Justin Thomas shoots 5-under 65 | Round 4 | WGC-FedEx St. Jude
In the final of the 2020 World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, Justin Thomas had some clutch moments to rise up the leaderboard to seal his 13th victory. SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Brooks Koepka returns to defend his WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational title at TPC Southwind in Memphis.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational this Week
These small field events mean there’s less variance to work with compared to 150-man tournaments, but even so there’s still plenty of mileage in WGC events where casual gamers end up drafting the big names that might not be best placed to thrive.
- PGA $1M Pitch and Putt: Even with the limitations of the WGC-FedEx St Jude as a DFS event, there’s still plenty of prize money on the table and this $20 entry contest yields a top prize of $250k. There’s a kitty of $750k in consolation payouts to win too.
- PGA $300k Drive the Green: If you want to keep your action a bit tighter this week, this $5 contest still offers a handy risk-reward ratio, with the winner clinching $50k and $250k in other prizes to be won.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
While a WGC event, which clearly raises the stakes somewhat, the last five winners at this course have been Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Daniel Berger (x2).
What that tells us is that you need to be very, very good to win this event, and have a dependency on all aspects of your game – this is not a bomber’s haven or a putter’s paradise.
Clearly you will need to strike the ball very well to succeed at TPC Southwind, but there has to be a bit of X Factor about your short game – even if, bizarrely, Thomas did not putt all that well on his way to victory 12 months ago.
With the course set to play firm and fast given the conditions, we’re expecting it to require more of a grinding effort this time around, with the small Bermuda greens hard to hold on approach. So chipping and putting are vital.
Look out for players that don’t make a heap of bogeys too. It’s always hard to post a winning score on Par 70 tracks when you’re making mistakes, but especially so at a layout like TPC Southwind that can yield but certainly won’t be blown apart – especially with the conditions set so fair as they are this week.
Shot shapers happy in the deep south and comfortable in the heat will thrive, and with the wind set to pick up on Sunday – that’s according to the forecast, so don’t shoot the messenger – being able to convert the win in a breeze will also be helpful.
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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
Top Tier Pick #1:
Brooks Koepka (Odds: 12/1, FPPG: 68.9, GPFP: 88.93 Salary: $10,600)
These may be famous last words, of course, but there is surely an edge to be had in not drafting those who flew halfway around the world for the Olympic Games.
Of the group that stayed behind, Brooks Koepka has been in outstanding form of late and, given the WGC status of this event, may even break out of second gear in an attempt to win the damn thing.
With a win and a pair of runners-up finishes at TPC Southwind, this is not only a course Koepka loves but one he probably expects to win at on an annual basis.
With three finishes of T6 or better in his last three starts – two of those majors – we fully expect Brooks to keep the momentum rolling at one of his favorite stop-offs on the TOUR.
Key Stats:
- Scoring Average – 5th
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 10th
- SG: Approach – 10th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Louis Oosthuizen (Odds: 25/1, FPPG: 78.1, GPFP: 77.31 Salary: $9,600)
Everything about TPC Southwind sets up nicely for Louis Oosthuizen.
It will allow his smooth-swinging ball striking to shine, and don’t forget that the South African is one of the most improved players in the world with the putter these days.
Even the grass types will be to his liking, with the Zoysia lining the fairways native to South Africa and Bermuda a putting surface he has enjoyed plenty in the past.
In his best form for some time, Oosthuizen is playing a lot at the minute and that can mean only one thing – he’s loving his golf right now.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 1st
- Scoring Average – 2nd
- SG: Around-the-Green – 12th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Jason Kokrak (Odds: 60/1, FPPG: 70.0, GPFP: 82.66 Salary: $7,800)
A doglegging course on Bermuda….of course Jason Kokrak is on the radar this week.
He doesn’t have much of a record at TPC Southwind, but this is a layout that plays to his strengths and should – hopefully – yield to another excellent week for the 36-year-old.
A winner of the Charles Schwab Challenge in May, Kokrak has followed up with T12 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a top-30 in the British Open, so we know his game is in a great place right now.
And it’s plenty hard to resist the charms of an excellent putter whose tee-to-green game has been outstanding of late….
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 4th
- Greens in Regulation – 29th
- Scoring Average – 31st
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Harris English (Odds: 50/1, FPPG: 73.8, GPFP: 89.25 Salary: $7,600)
Although a difficult player to second-guess sometimes, Harris English should enjoy plotting his way around TPC Southwind.
He won here in 2013, which helps, but if anything his game has reached new heights since then thanks to his renaissance on TOUR – two wins have duly followed this term.
English will have no qualms about taking par and building a score at TPC Southwind, and that skillset alone is worth plenty at this stretch.
Key Stats:
- Scrambling – 18th
- SG: Putting – 18th
- Scoring Average – 24th
Low-Tier Pick:
Billy Horschel (Odds: 90/1, FPPG: 64.0, GPFP: 68.50 Salary: $7,100)
Players with no frills to their game have a habit of doing well at TPC Southwind, and so it’s no shock to see Billy Horschel has compiled five top-10 finishes here.
His method is simple – keep your ball in play off the tee and then grind your way to a score from there, with his Bermuda putting a very handy weapon in the arsenal.
It’s been a while between drinks for Horschel in strokeplay golf, but he made the cut at the British Open and was top-25 at the PGA Championship in positive signs prior to his return to a much-loved venue.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 52nd
- Driving Accuracy – 52nd
- Greens in Regulation – 85th
Sleeper Pick for the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
Matt Wolff (Odds: 120/1, FPPG: 58.5, GPFP: 46.82 Salary: $6,800)
Given the nature of this event, you might have to take some risks to get that optimum lineup.
And one of the more calculated chances you could try is Matt Wolff, who despite all his travails seems to have found something of late.
He was excellent out of nowhere in the US Open, and then at both the 3M Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic he showed enough to suggest that better times are around the corner.
Wolff at least kept the ball on this planet off the tee in those outings, and that’s helpful given that his iron play is yet to desert him.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 29th
- Birdie Average – 54th
- SG: Putting – 62nd
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
Lucas Glover (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 59.0, GPFP: 63.72 Salary: $6,400)
A victory that would have come as a surprise to some, Lucas Glover’s triumph at the John Deere Classic actually franked a decent run of form.
The veteran had banked a top-10 at the Charles Schwab Challenge and closed out the previous week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic with a round of 67, so the signs were there that he was closing in.
Glover’s putting had also improved, and as we know when quality ball-strikers find something on the greens good times tend to follow.
If Glover’s all-round game travels to Memphis, there’s no reason why he can’t be a feature again.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 44th
- Scoring Average – 57th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 60th
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2020-2021)
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