2013 FexEx St. Jude Classic Discussion Thread

[mvmac]

The PGA Tour heads to Memphis this week for the Fedex St. Jude Classic !

Expert	Fantasy selections	Projected champion
Rob Bolton	Tim Clark, Charles Howell III, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker	Brandt Snedeker
Sneds is the no-brainer, but I’m not expecting DJ to get much love in an event devoid of chalk. That plays into my strategy of leaning on defending champs not quite firing on all cylinders.
Mike McAllister	Tim Clark, Freddie Jacobson, John Merrick, Brandt Snedeker	Freddie Jacobson
Jacobson hasn't played as well at TPC Southwind lately as he did early in his career, when he posted three consecutive top 10s (2003-05). Still, this is a course he obviously feels comfortable on, and he comes in riding a string of nine consecutive made cuts.
Chris Dunham	Trevor Immelman, Jeff Overton, Heath Slocum, Brandt Snedeker	Trevor Immelman
It seems like unexpected things always happen at this event so why not the end of a five-year victory drought for Immelman. The South African made his lone start at TPC Southwind the same number of years ago and was a runner-up.
Ryan Smithson	Boo Weekley, D.A. Points, Brandt Snedeker, Billy Horschel	D.A. Points
Points missed the cut last week but still sits ninth in FedExCup points. I know Snedeker badly wants to win in his home state, and I am using Boo until he slows down. Same for Horschel.
Bill Cooney	Brandt Snedeker, Billy Horschel, Russell Henley, Scott Stallings	Scott Stallings
If FedEx St. Jude wasn't already a defacto major for Stallings, it is now after he missed qualifying for the U.S. Open after bogeying the first hole during a three-man playoff for two spots. The guess here is he's fired about and he'll take it out on TPC Southwind, where he tied for 25th place in 2011. Also riding back-to-back top-five finishes.
John Schwarb	Brandt Snedeker, Charles Howell III, Boo Weekley, Ryan Palmer	Brandt Snedeker
I'm a sucker for the home-state stories, but Snedeker has the stats and 2013 form to back it up. Matt Kuchar jumped him for second in the FedExCup standings by winning last week; it's time for Sneds to turn the tables with his second win of the year.
Helen Ross	Boo Weekley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Robert Karlsson	Robert Karlsson
Snedeker would be the Cinderella story but Karlsson has been trending up of late and TPC Southwind owes him one after playoff losses in 2010 and '11.
Anne Detlefsen	Boo Weekley, Ryan Palmer, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson	Ryan Palmer
Palmer has had mixed results at TPC Southwind, but last year's tie for third gives me hope. He's picked up some momentum since a tie for fifth at THE PLAYERS, and should be ready to go after a week off.
Amanda Balionis	Billy Horschel, Russell Henley, Josh Teater, Scott Stallings	Josh Teater
Teater has been playing fantastic golf at exactly the right time. Qualifying for the U.S. Open and British Open. Teater is playing well under pressure, which should serve him well on the weekend at TPC Southwind.
Brian Wacker	Scott Stallings, John Merrick, Tim Clark, Brandt Snedeker	Scott Stallings
Stallings lives in Tennessee and comes in with a lot of momentum having finished fourth in each of his last two starts and with seven of his last eight rounds under par. He also played respectably there a couple of years ago, finishing 25th.
Bryan Mullen	Robert Karlsson, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Scott Stallings	Brandt Snedeker
I'm a big fan of Brandt in his home state here. He tied for eighth at THE PLAYERS and despite a missed cut last week, he's perfect for the narrow layout and intense heat at TPC Southwind.
John Swantek	Matt Jones, Dustin Johnson, Robert Karlsson, Phil Mickelson	Matt Jones
A bit of a reach, but there has been a strong trend of first-time winners this season. The talented Aussie -- T6 at Memorial -- has the goods to be the next.
Sean Martin	Brandt Snedeker, Robert Karlsson, John Merrick, Ryan Palmer	Brandt Snedeker
This will be a good U.S. Open tune-up for Snedeker, who's playing in his home state. A missed cut last week, but that was preceded by some good form at TPC Sawgrass.

[BostonBrew]

Picked Billy Horschel, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, and Camillo Villegas this week.

[jeremehubbard]

My pick is Snedeker.... Dustin Johnson could get it done as well!

[BostonBrew]

DJ is -4 thru 5. Phil struggled and shot +1. Looking forward to watching the coverage.

[Chilli Dipper]

Scott Stallings shot a 67 this morning; he's the first alternate from the Memphis US Open qualifier. If he could win, and someone have to pull out of the Open, it would be a very fortuitous weekend for him.

[AmazingWhacker]

Holy cow - John Daly is fat again. Sneds for the win.

[Chilli Dipper]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker

Holy cow - John Daly is fat again.

And the mullet has made a comeback, too.

[jeremehubbard]

Couple of lesser known names at the top of the leaderboard... Can they hold off Harrington and Mickelson, or even Stallings? Should be an exciting Day 3!!!

[KrazyTrain18]

The field is dissapointing compared to last year, but will be an exciting finish.

[BostonBrew]

No one has ever won the US Open after winning the PGA Tour event the week prior. Just an interesting statistic.

[zipazoid]

How about Stefani shooting a 66 with a QUAD? That's amazing.

[Motley01]

Stefani played well.

But how about Phil. He shot a solid 65 today. He's coming into the perfect form, for next week. After Thur round, I thought uh oh, whats going on with Phil. But he'll be just fine.

[BostonBrew]

Glad to see Jonathan Byrd playing well again. He's missed a lot of Cuts this year.

[mvmac]

Nice shot Phil, almost tied the lead

[jamo]

Holy cow - John Daly is fat again.

Credit where it's due, Phil looks downright slim.

[France46]

Originally Posted by BostonBrew

No one has ever won the US Open after winning the PGA Tour event the week prior. Just an interesting statistic.

Is Harris English even in the US Open field?  He qualified for the Open Championship last year (I think with a 60 or something really low one of the rounds) and was 87th in Fed Ex Cup last year, but he may not be in?  If he goes on to win today (and moves up to 13 in FEC), does that get him in?

[newtogolf]

I was impressed with Phil for getting within 2 strokes of 1st place.  He kept his head in the game and almost played himself into a playoff.  I was even more impressed with Harris English for not caving in to the pressure and staying in contention the entire round.  I typically expect guys like English and Stefani to choke at the end, especially when a guy like Phil is chasing but English handled the pressure well.

Dustin Johnson looked pretty good though he didn't get much coverage today, should be interesting to see how he fares next week.

[Chilli Dipper]

Originally Posted by jamo

Credit where it's due, Phil looks downright slim.

The funny thing about that is that you didn't notice it at the time. It's odd to look back at the 2006 US Open and realize that Phil and Colin Montgomerie (whose physique was always a point of derision by American fans) were basically the same size.