Dustin Johnson +650 and Phil Mickelson +1375 are the headliners this week at the 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Johnson is a past champion in Memphis and Mickelson regularly plays in order to gear up for the U.S. Open. Brooks Koepka +1315 also is scheduled to play, giving the field just three of the top 30 in the Official World Rankings, easily one of the weaker fields of the year.
I was disappointed in the amount of top players in the betting field. This year’s field is by far the worst I’ve seen in years. I realize the second major of the year is looming less than a week away but in past years more elite players have shown up - not this year!
Others scheduled to play include defending champion Fabian Gomez +10050, Ryan Palmer +2115, who was third here a year ago, Graeme McDowell +5000 and Luke Donald.
College standouts Lee McCoy from Georgia and Robby Shelton from Alabama make their pro debuts. McCoy finished top five at the Valspar Championship earlier this year.
Two-time St. Jude Classic champion David Toms +8500, is making his 25th start in Memphis and is worth a look in all formats.
The tournament first started in 1958 and has been going strong ever since with the help of the St. Jude Hospitals and FedEx. TPC Southwind is the host track and the layout measures 7,239 yards and plays to a par 70. Southwind has been the home venue since 1989 and the players really seem to enjoy playing it. The signature hole is No. 11 - a short par three, surrounded by water and is often compared to the famed 17th at TPC Sawgrass. The toughest hole on the course is the finishing hole, a brutal par four and a hole you could easily see two-shot swings.
TV Coverage: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET - Golf Channel. Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. - GC, 3-6 p.m. - CBS.
Current 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic Golf Odds at BookMaker Sportsbook:
Dustin Johnson +650
Brooks Koepka +1315
Phil Mickelson +1375 FADE
Harris English +2200
Ryan Palmer +2115
Daniel Berger +2550
Gary Woodland +2200
Colt Knost +3550 VALUE
Kyle Reifers +4700
Lee McCoy +12000
Charles Howell III +4750
Francesco Molinari +5500
Graeme McDowell +5000
Richard Sterne +15500
Ben Martin +8500
Bud Cauley +6500 VALUE
Chad Campbell +5500
David Hearn +6500
Jon Curran +8000
Retief Goosen +6000
Russell Henley +6000
Alex Cejka +12000
Boo Weekley +6500
Cameron Tringale +8000
David Toms +8500
Harold Varner III +9050
Fabian Gomez +10050
Jamie Donaldson +9000
Matt Jones +6500
Martin Laird +17000
Steve Stricker +12000
Wesley Bryan +8000
Will Wilcox +9000
Ben Crane +11500
George McNeil +18000
Hudson Swafford +10050
Jason Bohn +14500
Martin Piller +8000
Robert Garrigus +9000
Scott Brown +7000
Scott Stallings +7000
Seung-Yul Noh +9500
Brendon De Jonge +14050
Thomas Aiken +12050
Tim Wilkinson +9000
Tom Hoge +10050
Troy Merritt +15500
Bobby Wyatt +13500
Camilo Villegas +11500
FIELD - Any other player +185
ODD ANALYSIS
POWER 3 MATCHUP
Dustin Johnson vs. Phil Mickelson vs. Brooks Koepka
This is the power matchups for the week and clearly the three best players in the field. Johnson is favored over both players and is in the best current form. If he ever figures out how to finish, look out! Johnson won here in 2012 and is coming off a second place finish at The Memorial, where if he would have made anything, he would have won by five, but that seems to be the same old story with the talented Johnson, he wastes shots at critical moments and consistently comes up short.
Mickelson is likely to experiment with shots he will use next week at the U.S. Open and that will cost him a few shots. Phil is all about gearing up for next week. I don’t think he really is grinding this week and won’t fair well against Johnson or Koepka this week.
Koepka is a rising star! He continues to emerge and contend. In his last start at the Byron Nelson he lost in a playoff and is a player trending in the right direction at TPC Southwinds, finishing T19 and third in his only previous starts in Memphis.
Take both Johnson and Koepka over Mickelson this week in the golf matchups.
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The Memorial Tournament is scheduled for June 2-6, 2016. Muirfield Village Golf Club will host the event and CBS and the Golf Channel will televise the event live.
