The PGA Tour schedule resumes after a week off for the men’s Olympic golf competition.
Starting on Thursday, Aug. 5, 66 of the world’s best golfers will compete at TPC Southwind in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Justin Thomas returns from the Olympics to defend his 2020 title along with 47 other golfers ranked in the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 50. Fifteen countries will be represented in Memphis this year, and the winner will walk away with 550 FedExCup points.
Here’s what you need to know about the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf betting odds and the key statistics for the competition.
Course Information
- Course: TPC Southwind
- Location: Memphis, TN
- Date: Aug. 5-8, 2021
- Par: 70 / Yardage 7,233
- Purse: $10.5 Million / Winner $1.82 M
- Fairways/Rough: Zoysia / bermudagrass
- Greens: Champion ultradwarf bermudagrass
The conditions going into the competition look prime; no rain is expected, daytime highs will push 90 degrees, and there’s only a slight breeze.
At 7,233 yards, TPC Southwind is 44 yards shorter than it was last year; the par-3 13th isn’t playing longer than 195 yards this year.
Putting surfaces average only 4,300 square feet, which means hitting greens in regulation, landing with precision, and quality scrambling is more of a priority than putting. Consider that defending champion, Justin Thomas, ranked 55th in Strokes Gained: Putting, and gave away the most strokes on the greens en route to his three-stroke title win here last year.
Key Statistics
Before getting into the key statistics that will influence your betting selections, keep the following points in mind:
- World No. 1, Jon Rahm, will not be competing after a positive COVID-19 test.
- Many players are returning from the Olympics in Tokyo, including defending champion, Thomas. So, consider the fatigue factor.
- Look at the previous success of players at TPC Southwind. It has proven to be an indicator of success on this course.
These are the five key metrics for TPC Southwind:
Strokes Gained: Approach
You don’t have to be an absolute bomber to compete at TPC Southwind, given that it is a relatively short course. Justin Thomas gained 7.7 strokes on the approach and just 2.3 off the tee in his victory here last year. Of course, it doesn’t just take one skill to win here, but Strokes Gained: Approach is certainly one of the most important indicators of success this week.
Collin Morikawa, Paul Casey, Daniel Berger, Louis Oosthuizen, and Rory McIlroy all come into this competition with strong SG: App over their last 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
Golfers that spray the ball off the tee are going to get into serious trouble at TPC Southwind. Bermuda rough, over 70 bunkers, and 10 water hazards make keeping the ball in play, along with a solid approach, an absolute necessity here.
The ball strikers to keep an eye out for include: Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Viktor Hovland, and Paul Casey.
Greens in Regulation: Gained
The scoring this week is going to be relatively difficult and if history has shown us anything at TPC Southwind, it’s that players who have good control of the ball will thrive. Fairway and precise green play are going to be key.
Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Louis Oosthuizen, Corey Connors, and Paul Casey come into the competition in good GIR form.
Par 4: 450-500
Between 450-500 yards is the most common par-4 distance on the course, with six of these holes at TPC Southwind.
The course looks ripe for players like Jordan Spieth, Abraham Ancer, Brian Harman, Viktor Hovland, and Tyrrell Hatton.
Bogey Avoidance
Holes 5, 7, 12, 14, 17, and 18 all have bogey percentages above 18%. These are the holes that will give the field some trouble. Par is a good score for these holes, therefore finding the players that can avoid scorecard blemishes is important.
Louis Oosthuizen, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, and Justin Thomas have been solid in avoiding bogeys leading up to this tournament.
WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Betting Odds
- B. Koepka +1100
- C. Morikawa +1200
- X. Shauffele +1400
- D. Johnson +1600
- J. Spieth +1600
- J. Thomas +1800
- L. Oosthuizen +2000
- R. McIIroy +2000
- D. Berger +2200
You can see the golf betting odds for the whole field at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational here.
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