Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – 2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the FedEx St. Jude Classic

The 2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic Preview

This week’s event marks the final tune-up before the season’s second major, the U.S. Open, will be played at beautiful Chambers Bay.  All eyes will be on Phil Mickelson this week as the lefty continues to search for his first win since 2013.  Phil was runner-up here two years ago and also made a nice run last year where he finished T11.

Dustin Johnson has been playing some decent golf lately and is certainly a contender for a victory next week at Chambers Bay but his inconsistency has left fantasy players scratching their heads on whether or not to pay the high price tag for him each week.  DJ won the 2012 edition of the FedEx St. Jude Classic and comes into this week with six Top 10s this season.

Look for a fiercely competitive field this week as there is still a chance one more person can sneak into the U.S. Open by getting into the Top 60 in OWGR with a nice showing here at TPC Southwind.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Our horse pick Jordan Spieth finished T3 last week which marks our 48th Top 3 pick this season.  In all, we lost two selections to the short cut line but Spieth and Na (T13) helped our Premium Members earn some quality points in their DraftKings and other fantasy leagues last week.

On the season we now have an unprecedented 156 made cuts out of 189 picks (7 per event, 27 events, including sleeper selections).  Additionally, YTD we have a total of seven winners picked with three of those selections coming in over the last nice weeks (33.3% win percentage).

This season’s (2014-2015) Golficity fantasy picks winners to date now include:

• Jimmy Walker (Sony Open)
• Jason Day (Farmers Insurance Open)
• Jordan Spieth (Valspar Championship)
• Jimmy Walker (Valero Houston Open)
• Jordan Spieth (Masters)
• Justin Rose (Zurich Classic)
• Rory McIlroy (Wells Fargo Championship)

The Field

The two headlining names this week will be Dustin Johnson (who was victorious here in 2012) and Phil Mickelson.  With them comes a field of six total entrants among the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Fantasy favorite Brooks Koepka who already won this year in Phoenix was recently added to the roster to give the event seven of this season’s PGA TOUR winners.  Also in the field will be two-time St. Jude champion David Toms who sits on top of the all-time earnings list in Memphis.

Other big names in the field this week include Ryan Palmer, Charl Schwarztel, and Luke Donald, who sits on the cusp of the magic number 60 rank to make the U.S. Open field.

The Course

TPC Southwind measures in at 7,239 yards and plays as a par 70. This track was originally built on a dairy farm and has grown to become the home of this event since 1989.

The course was designed by Ron Prichard alongside U.S. Open champions Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller and offers natural lakes and ponds to present just the right amount of challenge for the field.  The course was upgraded in 2004 with the removal of trees and the replacement of bentgrass with Bermuda.

It has been said that Southwind’s par-3 11th compares favorably to the inconic 17th at TPC Sawgrass…so look out for some action around that green all week.

PGA Professional tips on playing TPC Southwind

No Description

Weather Forecast for Memphis, TN

Isolated thunderstorms are expected during the opening round with some scattered storms possibly rolling in over the weekend.  The course will see plenty of hot sunny days during the practice rounds on Monday-Wednesday, which should give the players enough time to study the course.

TPC Southwind has plenty of challenges of its own and this week’s weather should present a little bit more as the event goes on.  Look out for some delays this week for sure.

Last Year’s FedEx St. Jude Classic Results

Last year it was golf’s funny boy Ben Crane who surprised the field by going wire-to-wire, taking home trophy and reviving his career in the process.  Crane opened with an impressive 63 and survived a long 30-hole Sunday caused by rain delays from the previous rounds.

Thunderstorm delays hampered play in the the first three days, but Crane overcame the layover with a final 12 holes of a third-round 69 on Sunday and went back out to play a phenomenal 4th round later that day.  The victory was Crane’s first win since the 2011 McGladrey Classic and the fifth of his PGA TOUR career.  He also ended a two and a half year winless drought with his win over Troy Merritt.

Here’s what happened at last year’s FedEx St. Jude Classic in case you missed it:

Ben Crane’s wire-to-wire win at FedEx St. Jude | Highlights

In the final round of the 2014 FedEx St. Jude Classic, Ben Crane cards 3 bogeys and 15 pars with zero birdies to win by just one stroke. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR.

This Week’s Broadcast Schedule

• Television Broadcasts 
  • Thursday – Friday 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST (Golf Channel)
  • Saturday – Sunday  3:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST (CBS)
• Radio Broadcasts (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM)
  • Thursday – Friday 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST
  • Saturday – Sunday  1:00pm – 6:00 pm EST
• Mobile Broadcasts
  • Simultaneous coverage on The Golf Live Extra App for iPhone and Android.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf this Week

Here are a few fantasy leagues we recommend this week for their nice payouts and inexpensive entry fees:

• Summer Gm33: PGA $100K Best Ball event on DraftKings – This $10 entry event can earn you  the big$10K prize and, even if you come in 2384th place, you’ll still double your money with a $20 prize.  Then, you can parlay that $20 into the big event for the US Open.  Not a bad idea right?
• DraftKings PGA $2.5M Millionaire Maker – There’s only one week until the big event!  This year’s DraftKings U.S. Open contest is set to pay out $2.5 million dollars in cash prizes.  Of course this event will contain tons of entrants, but remember, just one guy took home the big prize at The Masters $1m event back in April so it can be done.

This Week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic Fantasy Notes

We’re weighing key stats like power, putting, accuracy, and short game skill into our Golficity Projected Fantasy Points (GPFP) calculations this week to help you select the best players for the money.   If you’re playing DraftKings this week, you’ll need to find a way to spread $50,000 in salary over just six players.  We’ll pick our horse pick as usual and based on what we know about TPC Southwind and our stats projector, we’ll offer some quality mid-range and sleeper picks to help round out the roster.

Be on the lookout for the 17th hole at TPC Southwind as pros are talking about the challenge that comes with it.  It’s  a booming par 4 playing to almost 500 yards this week, and the tiny green is surrounded by a half-dozen bunkers—did we mention the creek they need to carry to get onto that surrounded green?  Par will act like a birdie here and bogey will be just as good as par on 17 this week.  This is why we’re putting a bigger emphasis on power this week while keeping accuracy stats close behind.

Another hole that historically has offered plenty of drama throughout the event is the 453 yard par-4 18th which is a gruesome dog leg left with plenty of water and bunkers down the right side.  Given the challenge down the stretch we feel this event could come down to the wire and another playoff could be in store.

[membership level=”0″]

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the FedEx St. Jude Classic

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member?  Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1,2,3″]

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the FedEx St. Jude Classic

• Dustin Johnson (Golficity Odds 6/1 FPPG 80.1 GPFP 103.32 Salary $13,000): DJ is clear favorite this week, as he should be.  We love Phil but Lefty is clearly overpriced and it doesn’t seem the like the right venue for us to hop on the Mickelson train…yet.  DJ’s also pricey this week, but has the best odds to win this event for sure.  He won here in 2012 and then added a T10 in 2013 and a T24 last year—so clearly he’s a horse for the course.  He also comes into Memphis with Top 15s at TPC Four Seasons and Muirfield Village.  DJ currently ranks 9th in Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green, 8th in Strokes Gained Total, 6th in Birdie Average….actually we can go on and on here but you get the picture.  Note that he ranks the highest in our Golficity Projected Fantasy Points this week with 103.32.
• Ryan Palmer  (Golficity Odds 12/1 FPPG 70.9 GPFP 85.81 Salary $11,600): We wanted to run with Billy Horschel at this price level but our indicators were steering us towards Palmer.  Even though “Billy Ho” is starting to heat up, we’re sticking with Palmer on this course.  Let’s forget about his MC at Colonial for a second because Palmer tied for 10th at TPC Four Seasons before that and has top fives here in 2012 and 2013.  He ranks 5th in scoring average and 13th in the All-Around.  Indicators are definitely pointing towards Palmer this week.
• Webb Simpson (Golficity Odds 18/1 FPPG 80.1 GPFP 83.5 Salary $11,100): Webb can certainly play unstoppable golf when his game is firing on all cylinders.  He had a T3 here last year and a T2 in last start at Quail Hollow not long ago.  He currently ranks fourth in Strokes Gained Tee-To-Green and 3rd in the All-Around.  Loving his 83.5 GPFP this week and his price tag is more than appropriate.
• Shawn Stefani (Golficity Odds 28/1 FPPG 70.1 GPFP 82 Salary $8,200): This spot was a tough decision as it was difficult to determine a decent player in the $9,000 range this week.  Stefani has been quiet but has produced solid fantasy numbers due to his nine Top 25 finishes this season.  He currently sits at 19th in adjusted scoring and 8th in the All-Around and has the ability to win just about every week…yes, he’s that good.  It’s also worth mentioning that Stefani knows the course as well as evidenced by his T7 here in 2013.
• George McNeill  (Golficity Odds 35/1 FPPG 63.5 GPFP 50.82 Salary $8,700): You won’t see many fantasy players take McNeill this week which could give you the edge if ends up producing the way we think he will.  He’s coming off of his career-best at Colonial (T5) and Muirfield Village (T13) just a few days ago.  He also has top 20s in five of his last seven starts and ranks 18th on TOUR in Total Putting.

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the FedEx St. Jude Classic

• Jason Bohn (Golficity Odds 6/1 FPPG 65.9 GPFP 52.73 Salary $7,900): We’ve been rewarded this season with our Jason Bohn picks and we’re happy to let it ride a little longer.  Bohn has four Top 10s including two Runner-Up finishes and ranks fifth in a very important category this week: Driving Accuracy.  He’s also finished in the Top 25 here the last two years and at $7,900 he comes with a great price tag for sure.

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the FedEx St. Jude Classic

• Cameron Tringale (Golficity Odds 50/1 FPPG 57.6 GPFP 46.11 Salary $7,800): So far not a bad season for Cam, and given that he’s sitting close to the bubble for the top 60 in OWGR to make the U.S. Open, you have to think he’s coming prepared to play this week.  Tringale has faired well here at TPC Southwind with a T8 in 2011 and consistent scores in all of his attempts here.  You can’t be overly excited with his stats but this is why you pick sleepers, to gain a competitive edge, and we feel this guy can give you that lightning in a bottle this week.

[/membership]

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Memorial Tournament

• Jordan Spieth (Golficity Odds 4/1): T3 ($359,600)
• Jason Day (Golficity Odds 8/1): MC
• Kevin Na (Golficity Odds 16/1): T13 ($116,250)
• Patrick Reed (Golficity Odds 28/1): T26 ($45,880)
• Charley Hoffman (Golficity Odds 38/1): WD

Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the Memorial Tournamnet

• Brooks Koepka (Golficity Odds 44/1): T52 ($14,458)

Salary Cap League Sleeper Pick/Odds to Win the Memorial Tournament

• Russell Henley (Golficity Odds 50/1): MC

Fantasy Golf Predictions YTD Stats

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”13.22%” bar_text=”25 out of 189 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”25.39%” bar_text=”48 out of 189 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”25.92%” bar_text=”7 out of 27 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”40.74%” bar_text=”11 out of 27 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”82.53%” bar_text=”156 out of 189 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Major Winners Picked” percent=”100%” bar_text=”1 out of 1 event” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit the The Clubhouse and our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the 2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic with other Premium Members.

Want even more fantasy golf picks for this week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic?  If so be sure to check out our Tuesday Sleeper Report for more selections to round out your fantasy roster.

Cover Photo by Sean Davis on Flickr