2023 FedEx St Jude Championship Preview, Picks & Analysis

AS he recovers at home from back surgery, defending FedEx St Jude champion Will Zalatoris will be reflecting on how quickly things can change.

Twelve months ago he was being widely tipped as a major champion in waiting but he has spent much of 2023 in rehab, hoping that surgery has saved his career.

In his absence, the FedEx Cup playoffs begin this week with yet another tweak to the way things are done. The top 70 players in the standings will head to TPC Southwind for the FedEx St Jude Championship.

Unbelievably, that means there are just three tournaments left in the regular season. Where on earth has that gone?

It is looking like a battle between Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy for the big money at The Tour Championship, but much can still happen. There is a lot to play for this week, with 20 players being eliminated and just 50 going forward to next week’s BMW Championship before that is whittled down to 30 for East Lake and the season finale.

If McIlroy, who is third in the standings, is to have a chance of winning the FedEx Cup again then he is going to need a couple of big weeks. Rahm has led the way for most of the season, with world number one Scheffler snapping at his heels.

Things can change very quickly over the next couple of weeks. Players received 500 points for winning regular PGA Tour events but the winner this week will collect 2,000 points along with a cool $4m. What that means is that even somebody who barely squeezes into the field this week could end up winning the whole shooting match with two wins. Stranger things have happened in the past.

Rahm has led the way for much of the season after winning the Tournament of Champions, American Express, Genesis Invitational and The Masters. As astonishing as all of that was, he hasn’t won again since April but he bounced back to something approaching his best when finishing joint second at The Open.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

The Open was remarkable for something else - it was the first time since November 2022 that Scheffler had finished outside the top 12. In 108 starts on the PGA Tour, Scheffler has recorded 41 top-10 finishes. It is a remarkable record.

This year he has won the Phoenix Open and the Players Championship. He also finished tied 10th at The Masters, tied second at the US PGA and third at the US Open. By his own incredible standards, his tied 23rd at The Open was a huge disappointment. He has had 13 top-five finishes this season. Nobody comes close.

And what of McIlroy? He won the CJ Cup and the Scottish Open but he will not be happy with his performances in the majors. He missed the cut at The Masters, tied seventh at the US PGA, went agonisingly close at the US Open, where he missed out by a single shot as hit putting touch deserted him in the final round and tied sixth at The Open at Royal Liverpool, where he won in 2014.

It is good to see Rickie Fowler back in the big time. His victory at the Rocket Mortgage guarantees his place at East Lake. Fowler has emerged from a career slump. His victory has been a long time in the making but it was clear that he was nearly back to his very best at the US Open, where he led after an opening round of 62 before finishing in a tie for fifth. He now looks like a good bet to secure his place in Zach Johnson’s US Ryder Cup team.

Another who is looking to get back to his best is Collin Morikawa. He lost in a playoff to Fowler at the Rocket Mortgage and was also second at the Tournament of Champions in January. He has also missed six cuts, which is not like him. Morikawa has built his reputation on consistency. He has five PGA Tour wins to his name, but the most recent of those came when he claimed The Open in 2021. He needs to pick up another winner’s cheque soon.

There will be some notable absentees this week, including Justin Thomas, who finished 71st in the standings, Shane Lowry and Alex Noren.

Tournament Winners

It was won in 2015 by Jason Day, in 2016 and 2019 by Patrick Reed, in 2017 and 2020 by Dustin Johnson, in 2018 by Bryson DeChambeau, in 2021 by Tony Finau and last year by Will Zalatoris.

Form Guide

Scottie Scheffler will definitely be in the mix as he goes in search of his third title of the year. And who would bet against him? Rory McIlroy has been reeling off top-10 finishes all season and finally got back into the winners’ circle at the Scottish Open. He would love to win the FedEx Cup again - and you wouldn’t bet against him either.

The Course

TPC Southwind was redesigned by Ron Prichard. It is a par 70 measuring 7,244 yards. It features undulating fairways and a heap of water hazards that have to be avoided.

To Win:

Scottie Scheffler. Due another win

Each Way:

Rory McIlroy. Can never be ignored

Each Way:

Rickie Fowler. Looking for a big finish to the season

Five to Follow:

Scottie Scheffler. He is number one in the world for a reason

Rory McIlroy. If he drives well he will be very hard to beat

Rickie Fowler. Back to his absolute best

Jon Rahm. Not quite the player he was at the beginning of the year

Patrick Cantlay. Course is made for his patient approach