The Starter, Round 1: St. Jude Classic
The first round of the St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew is set to begin Thursday. Here's a preview:
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Doug Bell previews Thursday's action:
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Thanks to unseasonably rainy weather in the deep south the last three months, TPC Southwind is playing softer than in years past. The greens are still fast, but the fairways don't have as much get-up-and-go as most of the players are used to. That's fine with defending champion Brian Gay, who was last in driving distance a year ago and still managed to blow away the field. Gay loves everything about this event, especially the volunteers, one of whom managed to find the diamond from his wife's anniversary ring which fell out at the Memphis airport on Monday when they arrived. Brian is hoping that's a good omen as he opens defense of his title at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday.
As always, the St. Jude Classic has an impressive list of foreigners, including European Ryder Cup players Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Robert Karlsson and Padraig Harrington, not to mention young stars like Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Charl Schwartzel from South Africa. Only two non-American born players have ever won in Memphis, Tenn., going back to 1997 and 1998 when Greg Norman and Nick Price won back to back years. It's hard to understand why, except maybe the high humidity could be a factor, and the Bermuda greens are a switch from last week's beautiful bent grass at the Memorial or Celtic Manor Open on the European Tour.
Nevertheless, these guy's from across the pond strengthen this field immensely, and the odds of them wearing the sear sucker jacket on Sunday are improving.
INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: John Stahlschmidt, head instructor at TOUR Academy TPC Scottsdale, analyzes the playing conditions this week:
TPC Southwind stretches more than 7,200 yards and is a rare par of 70. This course has seven par 4s over 450 yards. No doubt the eventual winner of this tournament will be able to bomb their drives off the tee in order to set up short-iron second shots.
At TOUR Academy TPC Scottsdale, I am always asked, "Do you need two swings, one for the driver and one for the rest of the clubs in the bag?" My answer is always the same: Not two swings, but two setups.
To understand why we change the setup for a driver compared to an iron, we must first understand the dynamics of what is occurring at impact. Given the characteristics of an iron (more loft), the club head should work down at the point of contact. This will make the ball go up. A driver is different. Launch monitor research has shown that if you hit slightly up on your driver, the ball will go farther in most cases.
Watch the PGA TOUR pros this week in Memphis. See if you can detect a difference in their setup. And then follow the chart below for irons and your driver and you will hit the ball farther and more accurate every time.
WEATHER IMPACTS OPEN TUNE-UP: Recent rain storms have slowed down the course for the St. Jude Classic presented by Smith & Nephew, but the bulk of the storms are expected to move away from TPC Southwind as the weekend approaches. The recent storms, however, have given the course a different feel according to defending champion Brian Gay.
"I think there's a little more grass on the course," he said. "They've had a lot of rain. Fairways seem on the soft side, not running out as much as normal. But I'm sure they'll get a little faster if we don't get any rain."
Rory McIlroy, who won his first TOUR event earlier this season at Quail Hollow, is excited about the challenge TPC Southwind will present the players.
"The golf course is just set up great," McIlroy said. "You know, it's a tough test. It's going to be tough all week. And it looks like it's going to be pretty steamy."
As the final tune-up for players before the U.S. Open, the St. Jude Classic boasts a field featuring 60 players who could finish the week in the FedExCup's top 30 playing a course with 94 bunkers and 10 water hazards.
"It's good preparation for the U.S. Open's, tough conditions," McIlroy said. "You gotta hit the ball well; you gotta drive it in the fairway. You gotta put yourself in good position on the greens, so I'm really looking forward to it."
A TOUGH FINISH: High drama could be found at the close of each round where players will need to cut strokes on 16 before surviving the two closing holes at the St. Jude Classic.
The 16th hole at TPC Southwind is a 530-yard uphill par 5 that netted the best scoring average of any hole on the course at last year's event. The average score in 2009 was a 4.51, nearly a half-shot under par.
Following it are two of the three toughest holes the course has to offer. The 17th is a 490-yard par 4 with trees guarding the fairway and bunkers around the green. It was the third-toughest hole in the 2009 event with players averaging 4.3 on it.
The finishing hole, a 453-yard dogleg left around a water hazard that leads to a well-protected green, was the most difficult scoring hole in last year's event, taking a stroke from one in four players.
FEELING AT HOME: Four Memphis-area players will tee it up Thursday in the St. Jude Classic headed by John Daly, who will be competing in the event for the 19th time. His best finish at Southwind came in 2001 when he tied for fifth. Former PGA Champion and Memphis resident Shaun Micheel, who has made 10 cuts in 16 tries at the event will also be playing.
Nationwide Tour graduate Vance Veazey and current Nationwide Tour player Casey Wittenberg will also be playing close to home this week. Veazey finished T10 in 2007, his best finish at the event. Wittenberg played on the PGA TOUR as a rookie in 2009, and currently ranks 58th on the Nationwide Tour money list.
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