A strong post-Olympics field is set to tee off Thursday in the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind near Memphis, Tenn. Xander Schauffele, fresh off his gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is among the favorites, along with fellow Team USA stars Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas. The 2021 St. Jude Invitational field includes 48 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Thomas is the defending FedEx St. Jude Invitational champion and also won the event in 2018.

Caesars Sportsbook lists 2019 winner Brooks Koepka as the 12-1 favorite in its latest 2021 FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf odds, followed by Morikawa (14-1) and Schauffele (14-1). Among the other strong contenders from this loaded St. Jude Invitational field are Thomas (16-1), Jordan Spieth (16-1) and Rory McIlroy (18-1). Before you consider your 2021 FedEx St. Jude Invitational picks or make any PGA Tour predictions, you need to see what proven golf insider Sal Johnson has to say.

Before you consider your 2021 FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf picks or make any PGA Tour predictions, you HAVE TO see who golf insider Sal Johnson is backing.

A media legend and consummate golf insider, Johnson knows what it takes to win on the biggest stage. Before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics golf competition, he listed Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama among his top five golfers. 

Schauffele gutted it out on the final holes to win the gold medal at 18 under par, while the other three went 15 under and competed in the seven-man playoff won by C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei.      

Johnson also has a strong feel for when momentum will propel a player to great finish. Before the 3M Open two weeks ago, the golf guru locked Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen into his three picks to win. 

Oosthuizen had never played the event, while Schwartzel came in with just two top-10 finishes in 23 events this season. Neither golfer shot worse than 69 all week and finished in a three-way tie for second. 

Johnson has been on fire all season! Before the British Open, he said  Morikawa would win if he could "overcome his poor putting." He did just that, saving par several times to win his second major championship.   

And before the U.S. Open, he tabbed  Rahm among his best bets to win and touted Oosthuizen at 45-1 as his top long-shot candidate. Rahm and Oosthuizen battled to the finish, with Rahm surging to his first major title. Anyone who has followed Johnson's advice has cashed in HUGE!  

Now Johnson, the first producer of "Inside the PGA Tour," a longtime ABC Sports golf producer who worked with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman, and the founder of the world's top golf stats database, has released his highly confident 2021 St. Jude Invitational golf picks, and they will surprise you. (For golf updates and news, click here)  

Shockingly, the golf expert is slightly fading Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele! The combination of the emotional victory in Tokyo and the long trip back make it unlikely the 27-year-old will be at the top of his game. It also was his first win since January 2019, so the likelihood of him contending again this week is slim. Johnson has several other options with more sustained track records!  

Instead, Johnson is backing a long shot who comes in at higher than 30-1 odds! This golfer is great from tee-to-green and can make all the putts he needs. He might be overlooked, but he has a real chance to stun this stacked field!  Anyone who backs this underdog could cash in HUGE!

Who wins the 2021 St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind? Where do Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas finish? And which MONSTER long shot is a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine now to see Sal Johnson's top predictions and analysis for 2021 St. Jude Invitational golf, all from the insider who knows how to win on golf's biggest stages!