2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship Begins with Top Players Competing

The 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs are set to commence on Thursday at 8:10 a.m. ET with the FedEx St. Jude Championship taking place at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. This event features the top 70 players from the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 50 advancing to the BMW Championship.

The championship boasts a purse of $20 million, with points awarded at quadruple the standard rate, allowing for significant shifts in standings. Scottie Scheffler leads the odds at +480, followed by Rory McIlroy at +1300 and Xander Schauffele at +1800. Scheffler and McIlroy will tee off together at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Mike McClure's model has simulated the tournament 10,000 times, producing unexpected predictions. Notably, Schauffele, despite being a favorite, is not projected to finish in the top 10. Conversely, Sam Burns is highlighted as a top-3 contender with odds of +2000, having performed well in recent major events.