MEMPHIS – The WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational begins on Thursday at TPC Southwind. The tournament field includes some of the world’s best players – with many coming off a run at an Olympic medal last week in Tokyo.
Before the first round gets started, the Commercial Appeal put together a wish list for the tournament. There are some familiar names and storylines on this list and several stars of the 2021 season (both for their play and, well, for their off-course banter) make an appearance.
Here are three things we’re hoping happen in order to make for a memorable week in Memphis:
WGC-FedEx St. Jude: Tee times, TV info | Fantasy | Odds
1. Phil Mickelson finally winning in Memphis
Phil Mickelson made his first appearance at TPC Southwind in 2001, when the stop was known as the St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx. He returned in 2009, then again in 2013 for what had become the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Since then, he has come back every summer, making this his ninth consecutive appearance at TPC Southwind.
In his past eight showings, Mickelson finished outside of the top 20 only once — in 2019, when he finished 57th — and has four top-three finishes. He bounced back in 2020 to finish in second at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude, his third runner-up finish at the event.
But the time has come for Mickelson to win the tournament.
Even Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway is picking the reigning PGA Championship winner to win in Memphis.
2. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau pair up
The tournament became more interesting Friday when Bryson DeChambeau was added as a late addition to the field.
It was thought DeChambeau would not play in the tournament because he would appear at the Tokyo Olympics, but those plans were squashed when he tested positive for COVID-19.
Now that he’s here, why not hope for him to pair up with Brooks Koepka for the latest chapter in their ongoing feud?
DeChambeau and Koepka won’t be paired together in the first two rounds, but they will be paired back-to-back, with Koepka’s group going behind DeChambeau’s.
That’s significant considering this whole feud started in 2019 when Koepka commented on DeChambeau’s slow style of play. Since then, there have been viral eye rolls, goofy nicknames, pure disdain caught on TV and comments about buying real estate in Koepka’s head.
The whole thing has been epic. And the only thing that would make it better is Koepka being forced to play with DeChambeau on Saturday or Sunday after being forced to follow him on Thursday and Friday.
3. A strong tournament showing for Jordan Spieth
With Jordan Spieth on a remarkable comeback streak, it would be fitting for him to play well at TPC Southwind.
Spieth is a veteran to the Memphis tournament. As a 16-year-old amateur, he played on a sponsor’s exemption in 2010.
“I probably would have played here every year had it not been where it was in the schedule. So coming in having played quite a bit better over the last six, seven months versus kind of the form I was in in previous years, I’m excited to kind of step up confidently to this golf course,” Spieth told media Wednesday.
Spieth will make his third consecutive start at TPC Southwind, though his best finish so far was a tie for 12th in 2019. Last year, he finished 30th.
Spieth ended a nearly four-year winless streak in April when he won the Valero Texas Open.
Claire Kuwana is a sports reporting intern at the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Contact her at claire.kuwana@commercialappeal.com or follow her on Twitter @clairekuwana.