This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
FedEx St. Jude Classic
Memphis, TN
TPC Southwind - Par 70, 7,244 yards
Field - 156 Entrants
Purse - $6.40 million
Secrets to Southwind
As many of the game's elite-level performers take the week off in order to prepare for the U.S. Open, a below-average field won't have an easy task conquering TPC Southwind. The par-70 track is home to tight fairways that lead into small and undulating greens. Although a mixture of players have won in the past, tee-to-green connoisseurs will have the upper hand this week. There are just two par-fives, so a premium will be placed on par-four performance and bogey avoidance as plenty of short-to-mid irons will be hit into these greens. There doesn't appear to be any rain in the forecast for Memphis throughout the tournament, but temperatures are expected to heat up on Saturday and Sunday.
Past Champions
2016 - Daniel Berger
2015 - Fabian Gomez
2014 - Ben Crane
2013 - Harris English
2012 - Dustin Johnson
2011 - Harrison Frazar
2010 - Lee Westwood
2009 - Brian Gay
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Brooks Koepka - $18,000
Adam Scott - $17,600
Francesco Molinari - $17,100
Phil Mickelson - $16,900
Cash-game Target (50/50s, Double-Ups): Despite earning headlines for his decision to skip next week's U.S. Open in order to attend his daughter's high school graduation, Mickelson is a safe deployment at the top of cash-game lineups this week. He hasn't missed a single cut all season and has produced four consecutive quality results at this event with finishes of T2-T11-T3-T2 since 2013. A win at the U.S. Open would have given Mickelson the Career Grand Slam, but knowing that pressure won't be on his shoulders next week could result in added focus at TPC Southwind while plenty of his competitors have Erin Hills in the back of their minds.
GPP Weapon: It's extremely rare to see Molinari as the fourth-highest priced player in a field, which will hopefully keep his ownership low as gamers focus on the similarly-priced household names in Mickelson, Koepka, and Scott. Molinari's track record here is shady with just a T34 during his lone attempt at the event, but his game fits the course. The 16th-ranked player in the world is one of the better ball-strikers on Tour, currently second in driving accuracy, fourth in SG: tee-to-green and 35th in GIR percentage. He's also fifth in par-four scoring average, and if he happens to miss a couple fairways in Memphis, he's fourth in average proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards out of the rough, a key distance on those par-fours.
Second-Level Studs
Kevin Chappell - $15,800
Charl Schwartzel - $15,800
Kyle Stanley - $15,700
Ian Poulter - $15,100
Cash-game Target:Poulter's occasionally sporadic play usually slates the Englishman as more of a GPP option on a weekly basis, but he has been money on his approach shots from 150-175 yards out and is coming off a runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS followed by a T35 at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Poulter tied for sixth in his last appearance at Southwind and is currently top-10 on Tour in both SG: approach and SG: around-the-green.
GPP Weapon: Sometimes it's mathematically smart to fade a golfer everyone is talking about, but if there's one guy due for a win, it's Kyle Stanley, especially given the weaker field. He finished top-six in two of his last three events, including an impressive T4 at THE PLAYERS. Stanley is a ball-striking machine, currently second on Tour in GIR percentage and seventh in both SG: off-the-tee and SG: approach-the-green. He takes advantage of the par-fives and ranks ninth in par-four scoring. After failing to earn $600K in three consecutive seasons, Stanley is playing some of the best golf of his career -- he has already made $1.6 million during the current campaign.
Mid-Tier Glue Guys
Seung-yul Noh - $14,700
Brian Gay - $14,200
Stewart Cink - $14,100
Harold Varner III - $13,900
Cash-game Target:Cink's resurrection has been quite a sight, as he posted nine top-30s throughout his past 12 events. He only tallied one top-10 in that span, but at his price the steady veteran doesn't need to be at the very top of leaderboards, especially in cash-game formats. Despite struggling with accuracy off the tee, Cink is hitting nearly 70 percent of his greens in regulation, good enough for 12th on Tour. He also does most of his damage on the par-fours with a 3.98 scoring average.
GPP Weapon:Noh finished T7 or better in three of his last four appearances at TPC Southwind, but his ownership could be down this year after he withdrew from his previous start at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. He placed top-25 at THE PLAYERS not too long ago and posted a T5 the previous week at the Wells Fargo Championship. Noh's scrambling inside 20 yards has stood out this season, so he should still be able to avoid bunches of bogeys if he misses the small greens.
Hidden Gems
Chad Campbell - $13,000
Camilo Villegas - $12,700
John Huh - $12,600
Tom Hoge - $12,100
Inside Scoop:Campbell hasn't missed a cut here in seven consecutive appearances while notching two top-10s in that same stretch. He recently bounced back from a MC at THE PLAYERS with a top-15 at the AT&T Byron Nelson, which he followed up with a T34 at the DEAN & DELUCA. He's top-45 on Tour in both driving accuracy and GIR percentage, which will be key for hitting tight fairways and small greens. Villegas is also a fan of the course, posting seven top-20s since 2006. He made the cut at last week's Memorial Tournament, but struggled throughout the weekend and fell down the leaderboard. Huh will be making his debut at the St. Jude Classic, but he has the skill set to produce a quality result thanks to his accuracy off the tee and an ability to hit greens. Hoge has only missed one cut in 2017, and he's actually first on Tour in both proximity to the hole from 150-175 yards out and par-three scoring. For a course that has twice the amount of par-threes as par-fives, any small advantage could come in handy. Hoge went T34-T12 the last two years in Memphis, so he might be a popular sleeper pick at such a cheap price.
