On the PGA Tour, there is little time to reflect on what happened the week before. As such, when Thursday rolls around, it will be time for the players taking part in the 2019 FedEx St. Jude Classic to forget about the British Open last weekend. It’s a quick turnaround for the players taking part last week to get from Ireland to the TPC Southwind Course in Memphis Tennessee for the opening of the St. Jude Classic, which will run from Thursday, July 25 through Sunday, July 28.
Dustin Johnson will come in as the defending champion and will be looking for his 3rd win at this event. He will have some serious competition, though, so let’s look at some of the odds favorites to win the 2019 FedEx St. Jude Classic.
2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Odds, Preview & Expert Pick
- When: July 25–28
- Location: Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
- Course: TPC Southwind
- Tour: PGA/European
- Par: 70
- Length: 7,244 yards
- Field: 63 players
- Prize fund: $10,250,000
- TV: Golf Channel / CBS (Final Two Rounds)
- Live Stream: GolfChannel.com
Dustin Johnson
As mentioned earlier, Dustin Johnson comes into this event as the defending champion, winning it last year, with his previous win at this tournament coming in 2012. With his win at the WGC-Mexico earlier this season, Johnson now has 20 wins on tour, but he is also a little off the blistering pace he set in the past few years when he sat at the #1 spot in the world.
His last two events have not gone well at all, missing the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and then finishing T51 at the British Open last weekend. Johnson does like this tournament, but he is not in particularly good form.
Brooks Koepka
It has been a meteoric rise to the top for Brooks Koepka over the last couple of seasons, to the point that he is now #1 in both the world rankings and the 2019 FedEx Cup. Koepka has 2 wins on the season, matching his career-best mark from last year, which suggests that he is certainly on pace to have a career year.
All told, Koepka has 7 top 10 finishes this year, which helps explain why he has been able to maintain his top-ranked status. He is coming off a solid performance at the British Open, finishing tied for 4th in Ireland. He looks to be the best bet in Tennessee this weekend.
Rory McIlroy
If you are looking for one of the most consistent players on the Tour this season, you need to be looking at Rory McIlroy, with the Irishman landing in the top 10 on 11 different occasions, which includes a pair of wins. His biggest win came at the Players Championship, but he also performed well at the US Open, landing in the top 10 there.
McIlroy did not play between the US and British open events, which may have reflected in his performance in Ireland where he failed to make the cut. He is one to look out for this weekend, as he may be looking at a bounce-back performance.
Jon Rahm
Rahm is another player who is always consistent and in the hunt for the lead, but while he lands in the top 10 frequently, he seems to have a tough time getting over the top and getting the win.
He has one win on the tour this year at the Zurich Classic at New Orleans, but he has also landed in the top 10 on no less than 9 occasions. Rahm finished T3 at the US Open and landed just outside the top 10 at the British Open, the last 2 tournaments he played in. It would not be a surprise to see him go top 5 here.
Last 10 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Winners
- 2018: Dustin Johnson
- 2017: Daniel Berger
- 2016: Daniel Berger
- 2015: Fabián Gómez
- 2014: Ben Crane
- 2013: Harris English
- 2012: Dustin Johnson
- 2011: Harrison Frazar
- 2010: Lee Westwood
- 2009: Brian Gay
