2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs predictions: Tom Kim among five sleepers set to contend at Tour Championship
The 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs look pretty easy. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are going to start the Tour Championship at 10 under and 9 under, respectively, and one of them is going to win the FedEx Cup with its $25 million first-place prize.
This only how far ahead Where they stand compared to all the other players competing in the first playoff event, this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
And while it’s unusual for someone to run from back to front in all three Playoff events, it has happened. In 2014, when there were four Playoff tournaments, Billy Horschel started the Playoffs ranked No. 69. He went into the second Playoff event — after missing the cut in the first — and was ranked No. 82. He then posted T2-1-1 finishes to win the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.
So, who’s ready to be Billy Horschel… or maybe Billy Horschel Lite (considering how hard it is to see one emerge) He (The oldest match in this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs)?
Five of the best players in the world will compete this week at TPC Southwind and then next week at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado for the BMW Championship.
1. Corey Conners (FedEx standings: No. 30): Over the last 36 rounds, these are the golfers in the playoffs who have a better number of strokes gained than Connors: Scheffler, Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. That’s it! Connors has quietly made it to the top 27 nine times in a row, four of which were top 10. Is he really going to win the FedEx Cup? I’m not sure about that, but he’s certainly a contender to get a few top 10s early and get into the Tour Championship later on, especially if he can get a starting spot of 5 under or better. Odds: 100-1
2. Russell Henley (No. 13): Henley is probably ranked a little too high for this kind of sleeper discussion, but he’s been on a roll over the last several months, and he’s still very much a winner. He’s finished in the top 12 four times in his last seven starts, including two major championships, and he’s been a top 10 approach player in the last 36 rounds (Scheffler and Schauffele are the top two). His best FedEx Cup finish is 13th in 2017. He should surpass that this year. Odds: 80-1
3. Sungje Im (No. 9): Im’s resurgence hasn’t been discussed enough. After a terrible start to the year, he’s turned things around since the Masters. In that window, he had eight (!) top 12s in 11 starts and moved into the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings before heading into the playoffs. Only seven golfers have done better in the last 36 rounds, and Im nearly won at East Lake in 2022 when he finished T2. He’ll be interesting to follow in these first few events. Odds: 80-1
4. Tom Kim (No. 43): OK, now here’s a real sleeper. Kim struggled early in the year, but he’s been playing great lately. He finished second at the Travelers, T15 at the Scottish Open and tied for eighth at the Olympics. And he’s not even playing well. He’s ninth among players in playoffs from tee to green over his last 36 rounds and has gotten some mileage out of his iron play. His odds of winning are a little lower than I expected, but he’s still a player to watch over the next three weeks. Odds: 80-1
5. Patrick Cantlay (No. 11): This is purely an odds play. Cantlay has finished in the top 25 in each of his last three events (including two majors) and has finished in the top seven in each of his last three Tour Championships. He is 11th in the FedEx Cup standings before heading into the playoffs. He shouldn’t be 50-1 to win the FedEx Cup, even if it’s less about him and more about the position of Scheffler and Schauffele. I absolutely love those odds. Odds: 50-1
Who will win the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and which longshots will shock the golf world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard and best bets, all from a model that has won 13 golf majors and raised more than $9,500 since June 2020.
