TPC Southwinds 18th green © Sean Davis
Brandt Snedeker 14/1 © Keith Allison
The PGA Tour arrives in Memphis Tennessee for the FedEx St Jude Classic at the Ron Prichard designed TPC Southwind, which opened as a private members golf club in March 1988. Prichard enlisted the advice of PGA tour players Hubert Green and Fuzzy Zoeller to turn 240 acres of countryside into this stunning track.
The natural lakes and streams are the foundation on which this course has been designed and there are two-grain silos and a windmill that stand as a reminder of the dairy farm that once frequented this site.
One of the course’s signature holes is the par 3 11th hole which is similar to the 17th at TPC Sawgrass where players take aim at an island green 165-yards away. The course record is 61, jointly held by Jay Delsing and Bob Estes.
Russell Henley 28/1 © James Kennedy
My tips to win:
I think these represent great odds this week for Brandt Snedeker 14/1 I know he missed the cut at The Memorial Tournament and his second round 80 must have been painful, but I am sure turning up at a course where he’s had a Top 5 finish and building up to the US Open, he will want to get back on track for a shot at his first major.
Someone I have been watching but have been waiting for the right time to back is Russell Henley 28/1. Russell seemed to lose his way a little after the Honda Classic, but a sixth place finish at the RBC Heritage a few weeks ago and another sixth place finish last week at The Memorial Tournament put the lad from Georgia back on the radar.
Another player who started the season with a bang and then went off the boil is Charles Howell lll 33/1. Two Top 5 finishes followed by another Top 10 finish in his first three tournaments of the year was like a statement of intent from another Georgian. But two missed cuts seemed to put the brakes on a great season, which had only been missing a win. Three Top 25 finishes from his last four events shows that Charles is getting back to that early season form.
Robert Allenby 125/1 © Keith Allison
My each-way tips:
Robert Karlsson 35/1 seems to enjoy the Memphis sunshine, the Swede had two back-to-back runners-up finishes here in 2010 and 2011. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster year for the lad from Katrineholm, but a Top 5 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship and another good weekend at a tough Memorial Tournament will see him looking forward to teeing it up on a track he enjoys.
Ross Fisher 66/1 had a storming finish last week at the Nordea Masters, finishing with a final round 64 that contained eight birdies and no bogeys. It’s not been the greatest of years for Ross trying to make his way on the PGA Tour, but that shot of confidence back on the European Tour last week should see him arrive at Memphis in buoyant mood.
Outside bet:
When you hear the term horses for courses that applies to golfers too and if there was ever a course that Robert Allenby 125/1 loves to play its here at the TPC Southwind. Since 2007 Allenby has not been outside the Top 15 and in that time he’s had a runners-up and three Top 10 finishes. Like last season when he came into this tournament he has had plenty of missed cuts, but I am banking on the St Jude Classic magic that Robert seems to enjoy so much.
For updated betting odds during the tournament go to planetgolfreview.com
TPC Southwind © Peter Corden
