The U.S. PGA Tour heads to Memphis this week, with the players competing at the St. Jude Classic.
The TPC Southwind par 70 course is over 7,200 yards long, with a layout that includes natural lakes, streams and ponds. In fact there is so much water around that the only surprise is the Man from Atlantis is not among the previous winners.
The defending champion is Daniel Berger, who held off charges from Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Steve Stricker to clinch his maiden PGA victory last year. Other past winners of recent years include the big hitting Dustin Johnson, but also the likes of Harris English and Ben Crane who are less adept off the tee.
Looking forward to Thursday’s tournament, defending your title is never easy, particularly when you’re not used to the media work that surrounds the job. This makes Berger hard to back for us at this time.
Looking at the players that ran him close last year, Stricker is concentrating on the Seniors Tour, Mickelson has a superb record here but is not a great price for someone in his 40s, and thus the focus turns to Koepka.
The 27-year old Floridian has had solid season, winning over $2 million with four top 10 finishes in 15 starts without clinching a victory. This may well be his time.
Elsewhere, we at Lap of the Odds like the look of Kyle Stanley. The 29-year old is one of the best ball strikers on Tour and it’s surely only a matter of time before he translates this talent into something substantial. This weakened event before the U.S. Open may be the time to do so.
Recommendations:
Koepka to win at 12/1, 1 pt, generally available, and Stanley each way at 30/1, 1/4 the odds for first 6, 1 pt, SkyBet
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