Bet on Scottie Scheffler to Win the FedEx Cup Before the U.S. Open
Scottie Scheffler heads into the U.S. Open as the betting favorite for the third major of 2023, but he's second by the FedEx Cup odds. Read on as we make the case to bet on Scheffler to win the FedEx Cup.
Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite by the 2023 U.S. Open odds while entering the week perched atop the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
However, he remains second in the FedEx Cup standings and is second by the FedEx Cup odds. This is why bettors should act now to bet on Scheffler to win the FedEx Cup as the PGA Tour's ultimate prize of the 2022-23 season.
Below, we make the case to bet on Scheffler to win the FedEx Cup and why bettors need to act now (odds via Caesars as of Tuesday, June 13).
FedEx Cup odds
Why we're betting on Scottie Scheffler to win the FedEx Cup
After picking up each of his first four PGA Tour victories within the first four months of 2022, culminating with the Masters, it's a shame that Scheffler has just two victories since, both coming in 2023.
But both wins this year were in elevated events - the WM Phoenix Open in February and The Players Championship exactly one month later. Since that second win, Scheffler hasn't finished worse than T-11 in any of seven events, including a T-2 showing in the PGA Championship. His streak of top-15 finishes is now up to an absurd 16 consecutive events, including top 10s in each of the first two majors of the year.
All this is while Scheffler ranks 148th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting for the 2022-23 season. Furthermore, since Scheffler's top-15 streak began - in November (!!!) — he is losing 0.14 strokes per round with his putter. That's after ranking 58th last season.
Since the start of November, Scheffler ranks among the top three qualified golfers in SG: around-the-green, SG: approach, SG: off-the-tee, and SG: tee-to-green per round. And he's first in scoring average at 68.750 strokes per round over 60 rounds this season.
Even just slightly improved play with the flat stick could lead to a Tiger Woods-esque run of dominance from Scheffler. He finished third in the Memorial Tournament despite ranking last among those who made the weekend with 2.13 strokes lost on the greens per round. He gained just 0.38 strokes per round with the putter in the PGA Championship and still tied for second, while Brooks Koepka won his third Wanamaker Trophy with 1.03 SG: putting per round.
Make the bet before the U.S. Open
As mentioned above, Scheffler is a heavy consensus favorite for the U.S. Open. It's easy to see why based on the above statistics.
Given Jon Rahm's narrowing lead atop the FedEx Cup standings, Scheffler could take over that top spot by the end of this week, and he'd thus become the favorite for the year-end award. Even though Rahm is among my top U.S. Open picks, I'm partially hedging that bet with a futures ticket on Scheffler to win the FedEx Cup.
Any confidence gained with the putter this week could propel Scheffler through the final portion of the season, which includes next week's Travelers Championship and The Open Championship, which both come with elevated FedEx Cup points.
Around those events, we may not see much of the world's top golfers. The golf schedule is always very front-loaded, and the likes of Scheffler, Rahm, and others could opt to skip more events in preparation for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Scottie Scheffler & the Tour Championship
The FedEx Cup Playoffs are comprised of three events culminating with the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, GA, in late August. Scheffler has made it to the season finale each of the past three years with finishes of fifth, T-22, and last year's runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy. He averaged 2.02 true strokes gained on the field per round in those events.
And then there's the redemption angle. McIlroy beat Scheffler by 10 strokes over the weekend last year, including a seven-stroke margin while paired together in the final round. That'll be fresh in Scheffler's mind should he enter the Tour Championship at 10-under par and atop the leaderboard once again.
Expect a much more aggressive playing style through all four rounds.
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