Scottie Scheffler plays a shot from the 8th tee during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

A look at odds for the FedEx St. Jude Championship with reigning champion sidelined

It had been a crazy season of golf in 2022 when the FedEx Cup playoffs kicked off with the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Will Zalatoris won the event that weekend, while the world's top two golfers, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, both missed the cut. That proved to be just a bump in the road as both golfers battled all the way to the PGA Tour Championship, where Scheffler stumbled in the final round and McIlroy was crowned champion -- and took over as world No. 1 in the official world golf ranking. 

Now the 2023 rendition of the FedEx St. Jude Championship is ready to tee off and McIlroy is back in the playoffs after another crazy season -- both on and off the links. But is he the favorite to top the leaderboard as the FedEx Cup playoffs get underway?

As of Monday, DraftKings lists McIlroy at 8-1 to top the leaderboard at TPC Southwind and has an even better chance of finishing in the top 10 at 20-21 (-105 in American odds.) But Scheffler is the current favorite to win the event, listed at 13-2 at the start of the week.

Other notable competitors with decent odds include Jon Rahm (8-1), Patrick Cantlay (14-1), Xander Schauffele (16-1) and Viktor Hovland (18-1). 

Sadly, Zalatoris will not be able to defend his 2022 victory as he is still sidelined from having back surgery in April. He is expected to return to Tour events in the fall.

The FedEx St. Jude Championship tees off on Thursday, August 10.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Orioles manager explains Craig Kimbrel's new role
Rays activate key bullpen arm from injured list
Former NBA big man sentenced to 40 months in prison
Nuggets coach got heated with Timberwolves fans
Nuggets make incredible NBA history with Game 3 win
Broncos release former Super Bowl champion WR
Steelers first-round pick has already 'apologized' to new locker mate
Giants place Gold Glove shortstop on IL
Suns to hire ex-NBA champion as new head coach
MVP Jokic, Nuggets blow out Timberwolves on road in Game 3
Panthers dominate Bruins again to take 2-1 series lead
ESPN has big plans for Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut
Angels superstar explains why he chose not to play through knee injury
Bears make big, but not surprising Caleb Williams announcement
Cardinals to sign WR who commanded extensive interest
Jayson Tatum refutes narrative that Celtics are a 'superteam'
Watch: Kyle Busch crashes in Truck Series race at Darlington
Oilers work overtime to tie Canucks at 1-1
Peyton Manning reveals Bill Belichick's role on 'ManningCast' for this season
NBA Hall of Famer questions Knicks longevity in face of high playoff workloads

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.