The third World Golf Championship event of the year is upon us. Beginning on Thursday, the 2019 FedEx St. Jude Classic will see some of the best golfers in the planet converge at TPC Southwind in Memphis for a chance to pocket the 550 FedExCup points up for grabs in the event. Read on for more about the tournament and some of the participating players below.
Koepka must have many people spoiled by his immense success in major tournaments that some of them might be souring a bit on him after the Florida State product finished just second at the 2019 Masters and had a T4 at the Open Championship just last weekend. Don’t be like them, though. Koepka is still a very potent golfer, and his shortcoming at Royal Portrush might just serve as additional motivation for him to rule the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis. Koepka has had top-three finishes in each of his last two starts in Memphis. Last year, he was a T30 at the 2018 edition of this tournament.
How can we not put Johnson’s name under the favorites? Sure he only has a win this season and has not done better than a T20 in any of his past four starts, but he is the defending champion of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Also, he’s the 2012 winner of this event. Currently ranked second overall in the world, Johnson can take over the top spot with a win at TPC Southwind this week. Johnson performs well often during WGC events, and he has six WCG titles in his career — second-most among all golfers and behind only Tiger Woods.
The 2016 FedExCup champion has already entered his name into the field of participants for the St. Jude Classic. McIlroy must be raring to get back on course after a forgettable performance at Royal Portrush. Deemed as among the top contenders for the 2019 British Open, McIlroy instead bombed in the first round and got cut quickly. Still, that’s nothing to be concerned about for McIlroy, especially with how great he’s been overall this season. The Northern Irishman has two wins on the season to go with 11 top 10s in 15 tournaments. He finished inside the top 10 in four of his last six starts, a stretch that includes his win at the RBC Canadian Open last June.
There aren’t a lot of people thinking about Kisner right now, which is perfect for those looking for a sleeper pick. Kisner did not do anything impressive at Royal Portrush last week, finishing with just a T30, which followed a T46 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last June. Clearly, momentum is not much for the 13-year pro, but he’s got a chance to pull off not even Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson has done before: win back-to-back WGC tournament titles. Kisner won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play back in March in Texas. Kisner has three top 10s in 21 starts this season.
Stenson battled with the weather at Royal Portrush over the weekend and at one point, the Swedish just snapped, breaking his club after seeing one of his shots go wayward. Despite that, Stenson managed to finish with a respectable T20. After that testy outing on a links golf course, Stenson will look to bounce back with the same or better performance than the one he had before crossing the Atlantic for the 2019 British Open. Prior to The Open, he had a T8 at the RBC Candian Open, and a T9 at the US Open.
As of this writing, Jones is playing in the final round of the Barbasol Championship in which he is currently tied for the fourth spot. Jones, who finished with a T51 at the 2018 FedEx St. Jude Classic and a T18 at the same event a year prior, is 16th overall on the Tour in strokes gained around the green.
Niemann got cut at the 2019 British Open, but don’t sleep on the Chilean youngster. Just 20 years of age, Niemann has four top 10s in 25 starts this season. He’s in a solid form prior to his trip to Royal Portrush, as he’s finished with a T10 or better in three of four starts before The Open.
Writer’s Prediction
Rory McIlroy finds his form and wins the 2019 FedEx St. Jude Classic.
