The 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs appear to be fairly straightforward. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are going to start the Tour Championship at 10 under and 9 under, respectively, and one of them is going to win the FedEx Cup along with the $25 million first-place prize.
That's how far in frontthey stand compared to everyone else going into the first playoff event, this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
And while it is unusual for someone to race from the back of the pack to the front across the three playoff events, it has happened. In 2014, when there were four playoff tournaments, Billy Horschel started the playoffs ranked No. 69. He went into the second playoff event -- after missing the cut at the first -- and was ranked No. 82. Then he ripped off a T2-1-1 finish to take the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.
So, who is primed to be the Billy Horschel ... or perhaps the Billy Horschel Lite (given how difficult it is to see somebody emerging from that far back) ... of this year's FedEx Cup Playoffs?
There are five names that stick out as the best players in the world head to TPC Southwind this week and then Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado next week for the BMW Championship.
1. Corey Conners (FedEx standings: No. 30): Over the last 36 rounds, here are the golfers in the playoffs who have a better strokes gained number than Conners: Scheffler, Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. That's it! Conners quietly has nine consecutive top 27 finishes with four of those as top 10s. Is he going to actually go out and win the FedEx Cup? I'm not sure about that, but he's certainly a contender to rack up some top 10s early and be in the mix late at the Tour Championship, especially if he can secure a starting spot of 5 under or better. Odds: 100-1
2. Russell Henley (No. 13): Henley is probably ranked a bit too high for this type of sleeper discussion, but he has been tremendous for the last several months, and his odds are still low. He has four top 12s in his last seven starts, including two at major championships, and has been a top 10 approach player in the last 36 rounds everyone has played (Scheffler and Schauffele are the top two). His best FedEx Cup finish is 13th back in 2017. He should exceed that this year. Odds: 80-1
3. Sungjae Im (No. 9): Im's resurgence has not been discussed enough. After an awful start to the year, he has turned things around since the Masters. In that window, he has eight (!) top 12s in 11 starts and jumped into the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings going into the playoffs. Only seven golfers have been better overall over the last 36 rounds, and Im nearly won at East Lake in 2022 when he finished T2. He's going to be interesting to follow over these first few events. Odds: 80-1
4. Tom Kim (No. 43): OK, now here's a real sleeper. Kim struggled at the start of the year, but he has been terrific of late. He finished solo second at the Travelers, T15 at the Scottish Open and solo eighth at the Olympics. And he's not even putting well. He ranks ninth of the players in the playoffs from tee to green over his last 36 rounds and has found something with his iron play. His odds are a bit shorter than I would like, but he's still somebody to watch out for over the next three weeks. Odds: 80-1
5. Patrick Cantlay (No. 11): This is strictly an odds play. Cantlay has finished in the top 25 in wach of his last three events (including two majors) and has finished in the top seven in each of his last three Tour Championships. He's also 11th in the FedEx Cup standings going into the playoffs. He should not be 50-1 to win the FedEx Cup, even if it's less about him and more about where Scheffler and Schauffele stand. I absolutely love those odds.Odds: 50-1
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