The first round of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup playoffs is set to get underway from TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee on Thursday. Unlike recent years, where the top 125-ranked golfers in the FedExCup rankings qualified for this tournament, the field has been reduced to the top 70, eliminating big names like Justin Thomas and Adam Scott from contention. The stakes are at their highest now, as the top 50 will advance to the BMW Championship for the second FedExCup playoff event, with the Tour Championship featuring the top-30 golfers in the FedExCup rankings for the third and final playoff event from East Lake GC in Atlanta, Georgia.

There will not be an enforced cut line at TPC Southwind, so golfers have four rounds to string together a scorecard low enough to climb the FedExCup rankings without the lingering pressure of a missed cut during the first two rounds. Despite the absence of a cut line, there’s still pressure on players to perform well enough to move into the top 50 in the FedExCup rankings to advance to the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields CC in Olympia Fields, Illinois.

From a DFS perspective, we’re getting insane value on some of the PGA Tour’s best players, compared to recent events with less star power and higher salaries. Of course, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the FedExCup rankings, are the most expensive to roster on DraftKings and FanDuel. These two have combined for six outright wins and Scheffler just saw his seven-event T5 finish or better streak snapped during a T23 at The Open Championship. Comparatively, we’re getting Brian Harman at only $10,000 on FanDuel, over $2,000 cheaper than Scheffler and Rahm, despite winning his last event and first major at Royal Liverpool a couple of weeks ago.

There’s a lot to get into this week, so without further ado, let’s check out previous winners, relevant betting stats, and dive into a course overview of TPC Southwind. Afterwards, we’ll reveal the six players to prioritize during DFS roster construction and explain why each deserves a spot in our lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round from Memphis, Tennessee.

PGA DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Primer: FedEx St. Jude Championship (2023)

Previous Winners

• 2022 – Will Zalatoris (-15)
• 2021 – Tony Finau (-20)
• 2020 – Dustin Johnson (-30)
• 2019 – Patrick Reed (-16)
• 2018 – Bryson DeChambeau (-13)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Approaching the Green
• Greens in Regulation percentage
• Scrambling
• Total Driving
• Sand Save percentage
• Birdie Average

Course Overview

TPC Southwind is a par 70 course that runs over 7,200 yards in length. Designed by Ron Prichard in 1987, it features Zoysiagrass fairways, alongside Bermudagrass rough and greens. Speaking of the greens, these are some of the smallest in terms of average square footage, measuring at just 4,400 square feet and creating difficulty finding greens in regulation. Scorecards have fluctuated between -15-under-par and -30-under-par, but there are plenty of hazards and difficult lies to overcome in order to reach the top of the leaderboard.

There are way more water hazards at TPC Southwind than we saw at Wyndham last week, with plenty of undulations and tiered greens to create difficult lies, even with precise shots. Doglegged fairways are lined with rows of trees, including three-inch Bermudagrass rough, with dozens of sand traps scattered around the greens and along the fairways to demand accuracy off the tee and on approach. It’s a ball strikers course, no doubt, but anyone who has a consistent putter will gain an edge over the rest of the field this week. Total driving, which accounts for distance and accuracy, form other key betting stats to consider when constructing DFS rosters.

Recommended Plays: DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Xander Schauffele: $10,000
After a disappointing T57 at TPC Southwind last year, we’re landing a big discount on Xander Schauffele this year. He’s one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour, ranking 12th strokes gained tee-to-green, fifth approaching the green, and seventh putting. The California native also finds greens in regulation on 68.4 percent of attempts, which ranks inside the top 25. He’s produced four T24 finishes, including a T10, across four of his previous five events, so at $10,000, we’re obligated to roster Schauffele as a high-floor blue-chip prospect at a nice discounted value.

Lucas Glover: $7,400
Arguably the hottest golfer on the PGA Tour right now, Lucas Glover enters TPC Southwind with momentum after securing his first outright win of the season at Wyndham to climb into the top 70 of the FedExCup rankings. Glover has worked on his putter a lot this season and its paid dividends. The 43-year-old native of South Carolina has recorded 21-24 birdies in four of his past five events, resulting in T6 finishes and an outright win. Last year, Glover produced a T3 finish at this event, so at $7,400, this is a potentially massive ROI player to insert into our DraftKings lineups this week.

Keith Mitchell: $7,100
Keith Mitchell ended his cold streak with a T5 finish during his last outing at the 3M Open, sinking 20 birdies and contending for the title on Sunday. Last year at TPC Southwind, Mitchell recorded a T31 finish, down from a T8 finish here in 2021, but he’s an extremely cheap commodity who offers a solid floor with the potential to give us a high ceiling as well. Ranked fifth in strokes gained off-the-tee and first in total driving, Mitchell frequently finds fairways, which is key to performing well at TPC Southwind. Let’s roster him with confidence.

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Recommended Plays: FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000

Jon Rahm: $12,100
Whether it’s four wins, including his first Masters victory, or ranking inside the top-ten in nearly every statistical category, Jon Rahm is poised for a dominant run at TPC Southwind this week. The 28-year-old Spaniard has recorded three consecutive T6 finishes or better since 2020 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which means we need to be willing to pay whatever it costs to roster him in our lineups. $12,100 is steep on FanDuel, but compared to Scheffler, who has not cracked a T40 finish here in his previous two outings, this is still rock solid value.

Brian Harman: $10,000
We haven’t seen Brian Harman since his dominant multi-stroke win at The Open Championship, where he put on a clinic with his entire bag to secure his first major win. The Georgia native has performed well at TPC Southwind in previous years, recording finishes of T3, MC, and T11, while ranking first in scrambling, eighth in driving accuracy, and second in distance from edge of fairway. 31st hole proximity isn’t too shabby, either. $10,000 is absurdly cheap for a player who has logged four consecutive T12 finishes or better, so don’t hesitate to lock Harman into FanDuel lineups at this price.

Cam Davis: $9,300
Cam Davis squeaked into the FedExCup playoffs with a strong close to his regular season events, going T10 at the 3M Open and T7 at Wyndham. The Aussie has recorded 17-25 birdies in four of his past five events, plus he ranks ninth in strokes gained off-the-tee, 31st tee-to-green, and top-20 on approach shots from 150-200 yards out. Davis has logged finishes of T29, T31, and T13 at TPC Southwind since 2020, while usually dominating the final round to provide a late surge of fantasy points. At $9,300, let’s lock Davis into our lineups as a quality anchor to help us cash out contests.

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Whether you’re new to daily fantasy golf or a seasoned professional, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Golf Glossary. You can get started with The Stats That Matter Most or head to a more advanced strategy – like How To Use Vegas Odds To Generate Your Lineup  – to learn more.

Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.