2014 St. Jude Classic Odds, Betting Predictions, and Preview
The field for the St. Jude Classic might be depleted a little with the U.S. Open a week away but we should see a few big names at TPC Southwind. Harris English is the defending champion at the St. Jude Classic but keep in mind that the United States has dominated this event. They’ve won all but five editions of the Classic since 1958.
The Course
TPC Southwind is in Memphis, which has always held the tournament, but TPC Southwind has been the home since 1989. The course comes in at 7,244 yards – give or take – and there are just two par-5s, one on each nine. They’re both reachable at 554 yards and 530 yards. There are also four par-3s, one coming in at 196 yards and one at 239 yards.
Who To Watch For
English should be back to defend his title in Memphis, along with former champions Dustin Johnson, Harrison Frazar and Brian Gay; the only former champ from the last five years to pass on the Classic is Englishman Lee Westwood, who is likely getting rested for the U.S. Open. The big name in this group is Johnson, who followed up a seventh-place result at the Byron Nelson with a 14th at Colonial, and he is a player that could overpower this course with his length off the tee. He is fourth in the FexEx Cup standings, and Johnson seems to be back on track after a tough April which included a missed cut at the Masters. Of course, Phil Mickelson is going to be a draw wherever he goes, but “Lefty” has been wildly inconsistent in 2014, alternating top-20 finishes with missed cuts or withdrawals over his last eight outings. He missed the cut at the Masters, and Mickelson has to be looking ahead to the U.S. Open, the one major he is missing on his sparkling resume.
Mike Weir is coming off a second-place finish at the Byron Nelson, his best result in a long, long time, and it was good to see the former Masters champion playing well, if even for a weekend. Now, he has to carry that over to a course that isn’t very long, so Weir can get around here and as one of the nicest guys on the PGA Tour, everyone wants to see him do well. At the same tournament, amateur Scottie Scheffler finished T-22 and shot under 70 in three of the four rounds, so folks will want to keep an eye on this kid, who turns 18 next month and has committed to Texas. He hit a hole-in-one at the Byron Nelson and has been touted as a very good golfer for the last year or so now, and after Jordan Spieth (another Texas kid) exploding onto the professional scene, people are starting to look at the younger players more and more. Another good result or two, and you might start to see articles with the words, “Scheffler” and “professional” more over the next couple of years.
