RORY McILROY, Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell are set for an all-Irish run-out in the first two rounds of the St Jude Classic, which begins in Memphis today.
The three Irishmen will go off the 10th tee at 7.27am local time (1pm Irish time). All three have won majors but equally, all three hit rocky stretches in their après-major seasons.
McIlroy, the world number two, has missed his last three cuts and added this event to his playing schedule in a bid to sharpen his game for his title defence at next week’s US Open.
While many players prefer to skip tournament golf the week before a Major championship, Zach Johnson was never going to be anywhere else but in Memphis.
Arguably the hottest player on the PGA Tour after winning the Colonial Invitational and posting two runner-up spots in his last four starts, Johnson is eager to be back in action ahead of the US Open in San Francisco.
“I like to play, I like to be in the competitive mode going into a Major,” said the 36-year-old American. “I get the question a lot, ‘Why are you playing Memphis?’, and usually the premise behind that question is, one, it’s in front of the US Open, and two, it just seems like a lot of guys skip this event.
“I don’t know why they skip it. I think this is one of the most underrated tournaments on the PGA Tour. Once you experience it, I think it’s pretty obvious.”
Johnson, whose only Major victory came at the 2007 Masters, has long been a fan of the challenging, par-70 layout at the TPC Southwind. “The golf course is really, really good,” the eight-times PGA Tour champion said. “It’s really hard. You shoot under par here essentially any day, regardless of the conditions, you’re playing pretty good golf.”
Johnson skipped last week’s Memorial tournament after winning the previous event, the Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. Despite taking the week off, he believes he can maintain his red-hot form.
“I feel somewhat refreshed,” he said. “I’ve got a three-week stint coming up here, but I feel good about it. Even if I wouldn’t have won The Colonial, I still would feel really good about what I’m doing.
“My short game and my ball-striking are both coming along very nicely. If I can just get into a good rhythm for the week, I think good things can happen.”
American Harrison Frazar defends the St Jude Classic crown he won last year in a sudden-death play-off with Sweden’s Robert Karlsson.
Frazar admitted this week he was not sure about participating in the event last year until his caddie advised him to continue with the schedule without skipping the tournament at the TPC Southwind.
He had originally decided to withdraw from the event last year because of the fatigue following the 36-hole qualifier for the US Open. However, caddie Marc Lebas advised him to reconsider his decision, as he was expecting some good results because of Frazar’s form on the Tour.
“It was a no-brainer,” Lebas said. “It’s like Lee Trevino used to say: ‘If you’re playing good, keep playing’. I knew he wasn’t thinking straight. Once he asked ‘Do you think I should go to Memphis?’ I said ‘Yes, you’re crazy if you don’t.’ He was playing too good”.
“He’s not always been the straightest driver throughout his career, but the way he hit it in Dallas – in a 30-mph wind – was something special.
“I told him if you played 50 per cent as good as you did in Dallas, you could win in Memphis. And if you play 100 percent as good as you did in Dallas, you could win a Major.”
St Jude Classic
Course: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee.
Prize money: €4.4m (€806,593
to the winner).
Length: 7,244 yards. Par: 70.
Field: 156.
Layout: In a redesign some years ago all the greens were reconstructed, the fairways narrowed and 125 extra trees were planted.The three ponds at the course were made bigger and 15 bunkers were added making this a tough track for all.
Last year: Harrison Frazar defeated Robert Karlsson on the third extra hole in the play-off.
Key attribute: Accuracy.
Weather forecast: A thundery start to the week is expected to clear for the tournament with light breezes.
On television: Sky Sports, 8pm.
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