A scintillating finish! What else can be said about Aaron Rai as he clinched his first win amid a storm-struck tournament, the last PGA Tour event before the playoffs?! Yes, the FedEx Cup playoffs are finally here, with their first contest set to take place at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Only the top golfers of this season will tee off at the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship on Thursday, August 15.

The athletes, meanwhile, will hope to emerge victorious to rake in the 2000 FedEx Cup points that will be awarded to the champion. They will also look to receive the winner’s cut of the mind-boggling $20 million that is set aside for the tournament as the prize purse. However, only one will be able to emerge at the top of the scoreboard.

Top contenders for the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship

The FedEx St. Jude Championship will witness a total of 70 PGA Tour pros, as per the official FedEx Cup standings, teeing it off for the rewards. The field will include the likes of the top professionals who have dished out their best over the long season of the men’s circuit, spanning 36 events from the Sentry to the Wyndham Championship. And there are bound to be some fan favorites to win the event this time around as well. Unfortunately, 2023 champ Lucas Glover will not be teeing off owing to his position in the standings at T77 (projected).

1. Scottie Scheffler: “I’m playing The Open, the Olympics, and then the last three playoff events,” said the hopeful 28-year-old after his win at the 2024 Travelers Championship. And he sure did not disappoint. Although he finished T7 at Royal Troon, the American clinched the gold medal at the Paris Games that followed soon after. Consequently, the golfer now boasts a total of 15 top-10 finishes from the 17 starts that he made, including seven victories. He might very well be the most dangerous professional out there at Memphis, seeing as how he is No. 1 on the FedEx standings.

2. Xander Schauffele: If there’s anyone who has even remotely come close to the 2024 Masters champ in finishes, it’s his American teammate at the Olympics. Out of the 18 starts the golfer made this year, including the quadrennial event, he has finished 13 times inside the top 10. Moreover, his winning the PGA Championship and the Open this year marks the highlight of his season on the PGA Tour. Although Schauffele is behind Scheffler on the FedEx standings by 1,935.417 points, the athlete will surely look to increase his win tally at the St. Jude Championship.

3. Rory McIlroy: Will he replicate his Wells Fargo Championship glory in the playoffs? Well, that is something which the fans can only wait patiently to find out. Even so, many would be hoping for the Northern Irishman to come out on top of the leaderboard, especially after a close miss at the 2024 U.S. Open. What’s more, he would be even more desperate for a win after failing to clinch a medal at the Olympics with a T5 finish, which propelled his top-10 tally (PGA Tour and DPWT) to a whopping nine, including two wins.

4. Sungjae Im: The South Korean professional is one of the five Asian players who have made it into the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Currently tied with the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala, and Collin Morikawa in the number of top-10 finishes at 7, Im’s best finish came at the Travelers Championship when he finished T3 with a figure of 20-under. With his eyes on a possible third PGA Tour win, he’s surely a fan favorite to emerge victorious at Memphis.

5. Collin Morikawa: The 27-year-old’s consistency on the greens sure did dish out results. The golfer was able to represent his country at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris by jumping from the 13th spot at the start of the year to the 6th spot on the OWGR. He did so by raking in a total of 7 top-10 placements, including a runner-up finish at the Memorial Tournament Presented by Workday. He will be sure to display his best golf at TPC Southwind this weekend.

The Memphis test for the golfers at St. Jude Championship

Ron Prichard knew what he was doing while designing the TPC Southwind. Each of the holes at the par-70 layout has been meticulously created so as to balance strategy with playability. Consequently, many have expressed their admiration for the same, including Fuzzy Zoeller, a consultant on the design of the ground, and Hubert Green, “The first thing that comes to mind is the variety of the holes and how they can be difficult for pros and yet fun for the membership. There’s a lot of character to the golf course.”

From the tough 165-yard par-3 11th hole to the 461-yard par-4 finishing hole, the latter of which requires the tee shot to be driven alongside a water hazard, the layout does boast a challenging test for the athletes. But the fans need only wait a few more days to find out who will take home the trophy after conquering the course!