FedEx St Jude Championship: Brian Keogh looks to follow last week's big-priced winner

He's got the LIV Golf deal controversy hanging over his head, which might be given as a reason by many to avoid Cameron Smith at this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship, but let's not forget that he is still The Open champion.

The Australian finished tied-fifth at TPC Southwind last year, so he has good course form. Coupled with his brilliant putting, which has proved to be a significant factor in this event over the past few years, he looks a good trade at 21 ahead of shorter-priced rivals that include Rory McIlroy (12.5), Scottie Scheffler (16) and Patrick Cantlay (20).

Like Smith, McIlroy returns to action for the first time since The Open and has to be considered a live player. But with such a massive premium on putting in the FedEx Cup playoffs, his St Andrews nemesis Smith would clearly love to head to LIV Golf (should that be confirmed) with the $17 million FedEx Cup bonus in his back pocket.

As the leading player for birdie average, he's certainly not going to be far away come Sunday as he looks to claim the first of three Playoff events.

"I think it just suits my eye a little bit off the tee," Smith said in the build-up. "I feel as though my driver has let me down the last couple of years. This is as comfortable as I've felt with the driver and this has always been a course where I feel as though I've driven the ball pretty good, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that goes.

"The putting surfaces are so true here. Into the greens, the targets look so small and I love how precise you have to be."

Putting well is also a key goal for US PGA champion Justin Thomas, who won at TPC Southwind in 2020. He's ranked third in strokes gained tee-to-green, fifth for one-putt percentage and second for birdies this season, which makes him another interesting choice at 21 this week.

Talking of great putters, US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick (20) has two top-six finishes in his last three starts in Memphis. He finished tied-fourth in 2019, tied-sixth in 2020 and tied-57th last year, yet he's hitting the ball better than ever and ranks first for Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green.

He's also second for scrambling, which could be important again this year given the firmness at the venue considering the recent high temperatures and lack of rain.

Finally, the largely unconsidered Sam Burns is worth a speculative trade. He only lost to Abraham Ancer in a playoff last year and, while he's had just one top ten since he won the Charles Schwab Challenge in May, he's a great ball striker with the game to dominate a world-class field that features 22 of the top-25 players.

Burns will be looking to win for the fifth time in 34 starts, a remarkable strike-rate for one of the game's up-and-coming stars.

Recommended bets

Back Matthew Fitzpatrick @ 20
Back Cameron Smith @ 21
Back Justin Thomas @ 21
Back Sam Burns @ 34