Seton Hall
A preview of the St. Jude Classic
Date: June 6, 2018By Mat Mlodzinski
The FedEx St. Jude Classic kicks off this Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee. The 60th running of the tournament, originally known as the Memphis Open. As with any golf tournament, first and second round tee times are very interested to look at, and with a good field, this one certainly does not fall short.
The first notable tee time on Thursday comes at 8:40 A.M., as William McGirt joins Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka off the 10th tee. Stenson, who has six career PGA Tour victories, has not had the 2018 season he was hoping for. However, the he does boast the best irons on tour, and is coming off a T-13th finish at the Memorial. As for Koepka, after missing a lot of time due to injury, he most recently finished in second at the Fort Worth Invitational.
Right after this threesome comes the 8:50 A.M. tee time, also from the 10th tee. This one features Phil Mickelson and Tony Finau. Most people will recognize Finau as the guy who injured his ankle celebrating a hole-in-one at the Master's Par 3 contest in April. However, he is an exciting player to watch, currently second on the PGA Tour in average driving distance, at just over 315 yards. Mickelson is also a very big draw, as he currently sits alone in 9th place all time in PGA Tour wins.
Perhaps the most intriguing group comes at 1:50 P.M. on the first tee, which includes Dustin Justin and Daniel Berger. Johnson is currently tied for 12th in driving distance on tour, and sits in second in the World Golf Rankings. Berger, on the other hand, won the St. Jude Classic last year, and at only 25 years old, is one of many up and coming young golfers to keep an eye on.
Other notable tee times are Charl Schwartzel and Kevin Chappell (8:30 A.M., Hole 1), Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington (8:50 A.M., Hole 1), John Daly (1:10 P.M., Hole 10), and Brandt Snedeker (1:30 P.M., Hole 10).
Mat Mlodzinski can be reached at matthew.mlodzinski@student.shu.edu
