The PGA Tour is on its annual winter break, but that’s not stopping us from looking ahead to the rest of the 2022-23 golf season.
The Sentry Tournament of Champions kicks off during the first week of January, and from there, it’s nearly non-stop PGA Tour golf until the FedEx Cup Playoffs in late August.
With that in mind, here’s a look at our favorite picks to take home the $18 million prize at the end of the FedEx Cup.
2023 FedEx Cup predictions, picks, odds
Rory McIlroy (+650, Caesars Sportsbook)
Sometimes the most favored is the way to go. Oddsmakers have McIlroy, the defending FedEx Cup champion, as the favorite to take home this year’s title at a consensus near +550. He’s the only golfer that comes in better than 8/1.
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It’s for good reason, though. Last year the Northern Ireland native became the first player to win three FedEx Cup titles, winning three tournaments and finishing in the top ten of 16 starts, including all four Major tournaments.
McIlroy is already off to a strong start to the season, too, winning his only tournament appearance at the CJ Cup in South Carolina in late October. While he hasn’t won a Major since 2014, McIlroy comes into this season with his eyes on the Masters – the only tournament he needs to complete the career Grand Slam.
As the oddsmakers have shown, McIlroy is as good of a bet as any – even if the payout won’t be as sexy.
Scottie Scheffler (+1200, Caesars Sportsbook)
Golf’s newest superstar is looking to continue an incredible run into 2023. Scheffler came roaring onto the golf scene last season, winning four tournaments, including the Masters, and finishing in the top five in 10 of his 25 events.
The 26-year-old held the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings from early spring up until the final tournament, when McIlroy passed him up with a win at the TOUR Championship on the season’s last day.
After his heartbreaking finish last season, oddsmakers are expecting Scheffler to be right in the mix again this season, with the third-best odds to take home the title behind McIlroy and Jon Rahm.
Save for a comeback TOUR Championship win from McIlroy, Scheffler would likely be the betting favorite coming into this year. We shouldn’t hold one day of bad golf against a young player in his prime coming off one of the best seasons in recent memory.
Matt Fitzpatrick (+2000, Caesars Sportsbook)
Fitzpatrick had a special season himself last year, even if his FedEx Cup rank didn’t reflect that.
The Englishman took home the U.S. Open trophy for his first career Major title. Fitzpatrick also finished top ten in 10 different PGA Tour contests, which trailed only Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay. By Total Strokes Gained, only McIlroy was better than Fitzpatrick. One wonders how he ended the 2021-22 season with only a single win under his belt.
Fitzpatrick played like one of the five best golfers in the world last season, but he comes into this one with the ninth-best odds to win the FedEx Cup.
He’s only played in one tournament so far this season, finishing T-13th at the CJ Cup. If he plays with a bit more frequency, Fitzpatrick should be right in the mix come next fall.
Tom Kim (+2800, Caesars Sportsbook)
At just 20 years old, Kim burst onto the PGA Tour scene last season with a win at the Wyndham Championship and another couple of top-ten finishes.
Still not able to legally drink (he turns 21 in June), Kim has started this season right where he left off, winning the Shriners Children’s Open in October and finishing in the top 25 in his two other PGA Tour events. It’s still early, but he is sixth so far this season in Total Strokes Gained. If he stays around that range, these odds should plummet.
We might be a year or two premature with this pick, but it’s widely believed that Kim will be one of the best golfers in the world in the next half-decade or so. With his Shriners win, he became the first player since Tiger Woods to multiple PGA Tour events before turning 21.
If he pulls it off, Kim would become the youngest to win the FedEx Cup, passing Jordan Spieth, who won it as a 22-year-old in 2015. He’s the type of talent you don’t want to bet against. Maybe he’ll arrive a bit early for us this year.
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Seamus Power (+7000, Caesars Sportsbook)
This is a fun one, albeit extremely unlikely. Power is actually first in the FedEx Cup standings during the (very) early-going thanks to a dominant three-tournament stretch.
Power has finished in the top five in each of his last three starts, including a win at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship — only his second career PGA Tour victory.
He’s already played in six tournaments — a high number for this point in the season — which partially explains his top ranking. But Power’s frequency of play could be a boon for him going forward. The more players like him take the course, the more likely they’ll stay near the top of the rankings.
He also flashed the ability to compete in Majors late last season, finishing in the top 15 in both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. After his impressive early start, another couple of strong finishes at Majors this season will keep him right in the thick of the FedEx Cup race heading into the playoffs. At these long odds, it’s worth sprinkling a few bucks Power’s way.