MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 13: Scottie Scheffler of the United States hits a tee shot on the 16th hole during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 14, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
PGA TOURScottie Scheffler’s 2026 season has been sub-par by his standards, yet most professional golfers would absolutely love to experience a season like Scheffler’s to date.
Coming into the St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Scheffler had one just one tournament, the American Express back in January, with no major titles to his name. Scheffler has been a fixture near the top of the leaderboard, but his struggles of getting over the finish line first have been well-documented.
It might not be a major championship, but Scheffler certainly proved what he’s capable of against the Top 70 golfers this year. The St. Jude Championship saw Scheffler dominate the field by way of an eight shot victory. Scheffler posted 68-61-68-66 for a final score of -17 under par. That was eight shots better than Si Woo Kim who finished in solo second place.
The golfers who made it to the next leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship, are the Top 50 golfers in the game. Of course, players like Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have already punched their tickets to the next two rounds of the playoffs, but it will be another week of high drama as the tour season comes to a close.
Time to review our picks and predictions from the St. Jude Championship.
Let’s take a look at who was projected to be contending, based on pre-tournament odds.
2026 St. Jude Championship Odds
- Scottie Scheffler (+450)
- Rory McIlroy (+1000)
- Cameron Young (+1800)
- Xander Schauffele (+1800)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1950)
When it comes to picks for this event, I’d start with my favorite and long shot picks. The favorite pick is the winner pick I like the most. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Here are my favorite and long shot picks for the 2026 St. Jude Championship:
Favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+450) - HIT
It was only a matter of time before Scottie Scheffler won another tournament. The past two years golf fans could bet Scheffler to win every tournament he is in the field, and they would win more than they lose. But this year hasn’t been that way, with Scheffler only winning one other tournament this season. Nonetheless, it was good to get the win, even if it’s only +450 odds.
Long Shot: Viktor Hovland (+3600) - MISS
Hovland had a good tournament, but finished T19, so our streak of not hitting a long shot play continues. However, when you get the favorite pick right it doesn’t sting as bad.
Top 5 Bets For The St. Jude Championship 2026
- Rory McIlroy (+200) - MISS
Most would suggest McIlroy is still in his prime, but there is something odd about how he approaches the game these days. Outside of major championships, Rory doesn’t seem to care very much. After the tournament, where he finished 66th, he suggested how he hadn’t had many “reps” leading up to the tournament and he couldn’t find his swing. McIlroy clearly doesn’t care about the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Meanwhile, we were way off with this Top 5 pick.
- Scottie Scheffler (-106) - HIT
It was minus odds (-106), but even though it was close to even odds it was worth making the play. Scheffler Top 5 would give you back what you put in. If you placed a $10 bet, you would have made just shy of that same amount. Scheffler winning cashes this Top 5 pick.
Top 10 Picks For The St. Jude Championship 2026
- Colin Morikawa (+200) - MISS
Morikawa’s season continues to have plenty of peaks and valleys, and him finished T52 in this tournament isn’t something I expected coming into the tournament at TPC Southwind. Morikawa will be in the Top 30, but not sure if he’ll be a play moving forward.
- Ludvig Aberg (+190) - HIT
Aberg has a weird knack for falling apart on the weekends of tournaments, and it looked like the same was going to happen when Aberg posted a 74 on Saturday. However, he played well on Sunday to finish T7 and help us cash the Top 10 pick at +190 odds.
Top 20 Value Picks For The St. Jude Championship 2026
- Rickie Fowler (+150) - MISS
Fowler was my “gut pick” of the week, and my gut didn’t pan out for me. Fowler had been playing good golf heading into the playoffs, and he had a hot start to the St. Jude Championship. However, the weekend wasn’t kind to him and he finished T34.
- Wyndham Clark (+132) - HIT
When I saw Wyndham Clark getting +132 odds to be a Top 20 finish, it felt like a no-brainer. Clark is still one of the top golfers this season, and he helped prove our theory right with a T5 finish.
Best Prop Bets, Parlays And Bonus Plays For The 2026 St. Jude Championship
For bonus plays, these are picks which I don’t necessarily hang my hat on, but still provide value for some who want more exotic plays outside of the aforementioned picks. Sometimes bonus plays are parlays, double chances, triple chances, and even some fun plays for that particular event.
Here are the bonus plays for the 2026 St. Jude Championship:
Big Guns (+110) vs. the Field: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Aberg to win - HIT
Margin of Victory: 2 Shots (+355) - MISS
Tournament Review:
Outright Plays: 4/8
Bonus Plays: 1/2
This article was originally published on Forbes.com