FedEx St Jude Classic golf betting preview and tips

Recommended bets: 

1.5pts e.w. Phil Mickelson at 20/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5) - could well be highly focused to deliver after news of him skipping the US Open. Great course form

1pt e.w. Stewart Cink at 80/1 (1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) - veteran heading into form and boosted by Erin Hills qualification

1pt e.w. Camilo Villegas at 150/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5,6) - a fixture at this venue and return could spark an upturn in form at a nice price

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It is not difficult to envisage Rickie Fowler going well at Erin Hills in the US Open next week and he finishes of his competitive preparation as favourite for the FedEx St Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in Memphis. 

This will be his first visit since a debut top-15 finish three years ago and this year’s Honda Classic winner deserves his place at the head of affairs having been right in the mix once more at The Memorial last weekend.

His good friend Jason Dufner ultimately outstayed his rivals over the course of a weather-disrupted final round but Fowler was not unhappy with his performance and felt he hit enough quality shots – it just wasn’t his afternoon.  

His price for the second major of the year could come crashing down if he keeps up the momentum with another prominent performance but it is a familiar name who it seems won’t be in Wisconsin who receives the first vote of confidence. 

Phil Mickelson dropped a bit of a bombshell last week by revealing he is extremely unlikely to be at Erin Hills as it clashes with his daughter’s graduation.

The left-hander intimated there could be a slim chance of making the line-up with some sort of late tee-time or weather delay combination but I am working on the assumption it will take too much organisation for him to reach the starting line.    

He will be 47 then when he has another crack at trying to win the one major title that eludes him after six runner-up finishes but that might not stop him making a serious impact this week.

“I love the tournament. I love the golf course. I think it's a great venue,” he said at this event 12 months ago.

“TPC Southwind is one of the best courses we  have, one of my favourites and I look forward to coming back here every year.”

His love affair with Memphis has been reflected in a set of excellent recent results since 2013 with finishes of 2-11-3-2 so his chance seems relatively obvious anyway and another bold display must be a distinct possibility.

That could well be the case if you consider as well Mickelson feels he has been playing well but that has not reflected at the end of 72 holes. 

Another relatively promising start at the Memorial Tournament rather petered out by carding 72-73 over the weekend while a second round 75 previously at Colonial scuppered any opportunity there.

He added: “I've been playing what I feel is at a level much higher than the results have been bearing out and I need to start getting the results without forcing the issue.”

The latter part of that statement is important - with no upcoming US Open to act as a distraction, I get the impression we will see some good work from Phil as he attempts to get his head in front for the first time since the 2013 Open Championship. 

Another veteran who possesses the nous to go well is Stewart Cink as he continues to trend in the right direction.   

He bagged another top 30 at Muirfield Village on the back of a top 10 in the Dean & DeLuca Invitational and the 2009 Open champion is gradually returning to the sort of form that could put him in contention having spent time away from the game in 2016 while wife Lisa received treatment for cancer.

His good recent run continued after he qualified for Erin Hills by securing one of the 14 spots on offer from a very competitive sectional qualifying section in Columbus, Ohio on Monday.  

Cink was never a rampant winner in his pomp and will be probably best remembered for thwarting Tom Watson en route to lifting the Claret Jug but he looks in a good place currently and worth a chance to get involved at 80/1. 

A final selection I like is Colombian Camilo Villegas at big odds. 

His price reflects three dodgy efforts on the trot but it would not be a massive shock to see him get back on track at a venue he enjoys visiting.

He revealed: “It's a great golf course. Obviously, I'm a little biased and have been coming here a long time and playing good golf.”

Villegas has not missed a year since 2006 and has failed to make the weekend on only once occasion while posting seven top-20s along the way with a best of T3 back in 2011.

I am slightly more encouraged as well by his reasonable attempt to make it in to the US Open field on Monday in Ohio when he finished on -6 and two shots back of the required number. 

Although that did not work out, this looks an obvious place to start moving forward again having recorded a couple of eyecatching weeks in Texas and New Orleans not that far back in the calendar.  

Posted at 1400 BST on 06/06/17.