The third round of the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship gets underway on Saturday at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
Scottie Scheffler holds a three-stroke lead over the rest of the field at 11-under par after the second round. With two days remaining, Scheffler likely holds a strong grip on this tournament.
Here are my picks and FedEx St. Jude Championship Round 3 best bets.
FedEx St. Jude Championship Round 3 Best Bets
Justin Thomas Top-20 (-130 at DraftKings)
After a disappointing opening round, Justin Thomas fired back with a 67 on Friday to finish T19. At -130, he is worth backing to maintain that momentum for the remainder of the week.
The greens at TPC Southwind are small and guarded by hazards, making them difficult to hit. Last year, the greens in regulation percentage at this venue was just 58.4%, roughly 8% lower than the PGA Tour average.
Therefore, those who excelled with their mid- to long irons separated themselves from the pack. In the 2025 edition of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, each of the top two finishers ranked inside the top eight in the field in strokes gained: approach.
No other strokes-gained category showed a similar trend.
This setup makes Thomas a strong target in this market.
A strong iron player, Thomas ranks in the 86th percentile in strokes gained: approach. It is therefore not surprising that he won here in 2020 and boasts two other top-15 finishes.
Thomas also entered this week in good form, posting seven top-20 finishes over his past nine tournaments.
Alex Smalley Top-20 (-128 at DraftKings)
Another golfer worth targeting in this market is Alex Smalley. Playing consistent golf, Smalley has posted a 68 on each of the first two days to enter the weekend T14.
At -128, it's also worth taking a shot on Smalley to maintain this momentum as the week progresses.
Like Thomas, Smalley fits this course well.
This season, he ranks in the 87th percentile in strokes gained: approach. Kim also handles his mid- to long irons well, which is key at TPC Southwind.
Last year, nearly 42% of approach shots came from the 150-200-yard range, well above the PGA Tour average. Entering this week, Smalley ranks in the 82nd percentile in strokes gained: approach from that distance.
Both Smalley and Thomas finished inside the top 20 at last week's Wyndham Championship, a trend that could continue this week.
