FedEx St Jude Championship 2024 First-Round Leader Tips: Picks from 60/1 to 100/1

• 70/171.00 Alex Noren is bursting from the blocks this season

• 60/161.00 Will Zalatoris returns to the scene of his 2022 victory

• 100/1101.00 Emiliano Grillo has course and current R1 form

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Weather forecast for Thursday

It's going to be a very hot day with temperatures getting very close to 100 degrees. Humidity will be a touch over 60% and there is an outside chance of a thunderstorm. There will be little more than a slight breeze to keep everyone cool.

A low round will be required to take top spot. You have to go back to Harris English in 2013 for a first round leader who didn't break 66 - and the last five went sub-64.

Alex Noren @ 70/1

The Swede up in this week's Each-Way column and there good reason to double up and follow him in this market as well.

In the current PGA Tour season he has one solo first round lead (Bermuda), one shared (Palm Springs), two seconds (Craig Ranch and Quail Hollow), a fourth (Royal Troon), two sixths (Sea Island and Le Golf National), a seventh (Waialae) and an eighth (Renaissance).

The latter two would have been no use to us but they back up the notion that he's getting off to fast starts at the moment.

Moreover, three of them have come recently and at least five read well for this week.

Then there is his brief course record.

His second visit two years ago was curtailed after a first round 73. But on debut in 2019 he finished T12 with a first round 66 (tied seventh) and another 66 in round three.

He's an early starter at 8:00 and can fly from the blocks again.

Will Zalatoris @ 60/1

This has not been the comeback season the American wanted but this week might just prompt good enough memories to fuel a Thursday charge.

And for all that his results have been average in 2024, his round one positions have had their highs.

He was sharing fifth at Riviera, eighth at Bay Hill and ninth at Augusta National.

More recently, in June, he was second after a 64 at River Highlands and sharing fourth after a 66 at Detroit.

He had to withdraw that week and has missed three cuts since. But he did manage a 68 last Thursday at Sedgefield.

His course record is the clincher: eighth in 2021 and winner in 2022, he's got a 63, a 65, three 66s and a 67 in his eight laps.

He's in the second group out at 7:40.

Emiliano Grillo @ 100/1

The Argentine has been priced up among the also rans because he's managed only one top 10 finish since January - and even that came in March.

But those bare numbers might have overlooked his capacity to go low for 18 holes.

Because at the start of the month he carded a 66 at Le Golf National to sit tied third on the first round leaderboard in the Olympics and he added as second round 66 last week to ensure he made the cut in the Wyndham Championship.

Last year he opened this championship with a 65 to lie tied third and he backed it up with a 67. In his only other course visit he posted pre-cut rounds of 67-66.

His first round leads have come in India and Florida, his near misses in Mexico, Puerto Rico and more in Florida. All of them hot, humid and grainy grass which bodes well.

He begins his first round at 1:15 in the afternoon.

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