St. Jude Championship (Formerly the ‘Northern Trust’) Betting Guide
The FedEx St. Jude Championship is the first tournament of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The event has always been important to set the tone for the PGA season finale. The event was previously known as The Northern Trust but was renamed two years ago. It is the opening event of the playoffs, which sees a field of the top 125 players competing for important points. Betting on the event is exceptionally popular, and you can learn more about the competition here.
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Points for winning the first two playoff events, the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship, are worth four times that of a regular-season tournament. The incentive to play well at these events is high because golfers have a chance to improve their starting position for the FedEx Cup. Players who are atop the rankings are given the advantage of starting the tournament a certain number of strokes under par. For example, No.2 ranked-player will be eight under, No.1 will be ten under, and so on.
At this time of the year, everyone is thinking about the FedEx Cup — the culmination of a three-tournament playoff series that is the season-ending tournament on the PGA Tour calendar. And the journey begins with St. Jude Championship. The winner of the FedEx Cup goes home with a whopping $15 million, so you can expect all the big names to bring their A-game into the three playoff tournaments.
Grand Slams aside, the St. Jude Championship is one of the most significant tournaments on the PGA Tour. What this means for bettors is countless betting opportunities and more chances to win money. All top-tier sportsbooks will strive to take your attention by providing competitive odds and a plethora of betting markets. If you want to try beating them, you must learn everything about the competition. Therefore, pay close attention and hear out our professional golf tipsters.
About the St. Jude Championship
In 2007, the St. Jude Championship became one of the most significant events on the PGA Tour, after being enlisted as the first of the FedEx playoffs tournaments. Back then, the competition was called Barclays, after its main sponsor. In 2017, the financial services company called Northern Trust replaced Barclays as the title sponsor, after which the tournament name was formally changed. Since then, it has been re-named once more as the St. Jude Championship.
The 125 top-ranked players on the FedEx rankings are eligible to qualify for the tournament. Throughout history, many of the world’s best players have won the title at St. Jude Championship, including Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, and so on. Apart from the hefty prize fund, this competition is significant because it can provide valuable points for the FedEx playoffs race.
In 2019, the FedEx Cup introduced a new playoff format. The new format shortens playoffs to three events, giving players more opportunities to compete. After the St. Jude Championship is concluded, the top 70 in the FedEx rankings move on to the BMW Championship before the top 30 fight it out in the PGA season finale.
Early Days
The tournament underwent several name changes since its inception in 1967 when Jack Nicklaus won the first title. It was initially known as the Westchester Classic, and during its first several years, the event was hosted at Westchester Country Club in New York. In 1990, the tournament no longer contained the name of its location or host course and was renamed to Buick Classic.
The tournament was usually played in June each year, one week after the US Open. In 2001, when Tiger Woods took part in the event, the St. Jude Championship (Buick Classic) reached its highest attendance, despite several rain delays.
2023 St. Jude Championship
The 2023 edition of the tournament will be held August 7–13, 2023, at TPC Southwind. This course housed the 2022 edition of the event, which was won by Will Zalatoris after a pulsating playoff against Sepp Straka. Zalatoris eventually finished the event with a score of 265, as he finished 15 under par.
TPC Southwind was designed by Ron Pritchard, and is a par 70 course. Players will compete over a total distance of 7,244 yards and it has a rating of 75.6. The course is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and was completed in 1988. As well as holding the St. Jude Championship, it also hosted the St. Jude Classic between 1989 and 2018.
The course record is held by three players, with Jay Delsing (1993), Bob Estes (2001) and Tom Lewis (2003). All three players finished with course scores of 61.
St. Jude Championship Previous Winners
| Year | Winner | Score to Par |
| 2022 | Will Zalatoris | -15 |
| 2021 | Tony Finau | -20 |
| 2020 | Dustin Johnson | -30 |
| 2019 | Patrick Reed | -16 |
| 2018 | Bryson DeChambeau | -18 |
| 2017 | Dustin Johnson | -13 |
| 2016 | Patrick Reed | -9 |
| 2015 | Jason Day | -19 |
| 2014 | Hunter Mahan | -14 |
| 2013 | Adam Scott | -11 |
| 2012 | Nick Watney | -10 |
| 2011 | Dustin Johnson | -19 |
| 2010 | Matt Kuchar | -12 |
Most St. Jude Championship Career Wins
| Wins | Golfer | Years |
| 4 | Vijay Singh | 1993, 1995, 2006, 2008 |
| 2 | Jack Nicklaus | 1967, 1972 |
| 2 | Dustin Johnson | 2011, 2017 |
| 2 | Seve Ballesteros | 1983, 1988 |
| 2 | Ernie Els | 1996, 1997 |
| 2 | Sergio Garcia | 2001, 2004 |
| 2 | Patrick Reed | 2016, 2019 |
Highest Winning Scores at the St. Jude Championship
| Score | Golfer | Year |
| -30 | Dustin Johnson | 2020 |
| -20 | Tony Finau | 2021 |
| -19 | Johnny Miller | 1974 |
| -19 | Bob Gilder | 1982 |
| -19 | Dustin Johnson | 2011 |
| -19 | Jason Day | 2015 |
Betting Tips for 2023
Proper research is crucial to any betting predictions. The more you learn about the event and the participating players, the more likely you’ll make profitable bets. That said, you can find many money-making opportunities at the St. Jude Championship simply because many of the bettors are so clueless. So with your knowledge, our tips, and a little bit of luck, the sportsbooks don’t stand a chance.
Look for Sleepers
The great thing about betting is that you can win big if you predict when the lower-ranked players are going to have a breakthrough. That’s because there are several underrated players with a decent chance of winning (sleepers) at every event who’ll pay dividends if you can find them.
So how do you pick one? Well, there’s no magic formula to determine which underdog is going to make an upset and win the whole thing. However, you can look for mid-ranked players who have a game suited for TPC Southwind. That said, you don’t necessarily have to pick a hard-hitter because these courses are not particularly long.
The field at the St. Jude Championship consists of 125 players, but only 70 of them qualify for the BMW Championship. So, you should look for someone who is a decent golfer but may lose his spot at the FedEx Cup if they don’t perform well here.
Break Down the Statistics on Courses and Golfers
One great thing about the digital age that we live in is that now we have access to in-depth sports statistics. In fact, there are stats on just about anything you can think of — approaches from the right-hand rough, average driving distance, and so on.
Now compare these stats with your knowledge about the St. Jude Championship. You don’t need to study everything thoroughly, but the more you know about it, the better the chances of success you stand.
Check Out the Weather Forecast
One thing you must understand about golf is that not every golfer responds the same to different weather conditions. Some players can adjust to the rainy or windy conditions, while others can’t withstand the pressure. The weather in Boston at that time of the year is usually warm, with occasional rain. If rain happens to fall during the event, the course will be soaking wet, which favors players who are off the tee. So, make sure to check the weekly forecast before you make your St. Jude Championship predictions.
Analyze the Form
The current form is an excellent indicator of how a golfer is likely to perform in an upcoming tournament. Golfers usually play in streaks, so if a certain golfer has had several consecutive T10 finishes prior to the St. Jude Championship, you should consider them in your betting predictions. That said, you should also keep in mind that it’s the end of the season, and players are probably already exhausted and don’t have anything to prove once all the Majors are capped off.
All in all, you should be looking for a top 30 golfer who needs points to qualify for the FedEx Cup, has a game suited to TPC Southwind, can withstand rainy conditions, and is in a decent form.
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