St Jude Classic / Women’s PGA Champ Fantasy Gold Mine
By Sam Belden
Yahoo!: Former St Jude Classic winner Dustin Johnson should provide the best value in Group A this week.
Group A: Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland (bench) – Out of the six players in this group, I give the nod to the guy who’s won this event in the past. In addition to his win in 2012, Johnson notched a tie for 10th in 2013 and a tie for 24th in 2014, so he knows what it takes to tame TPC Southwind. He’s also found the top five in five of his last eight starts and is coming off a solo third at the Memorial, making him one of the hottest players in the world.
Woodland is in a groove of his own. The Kansas native has now posted six top 35 finishes in a row, including a tie for 12th and a tie for fourth in his last two starts. In his lone appearance at the St Jude Classic, he tied for 18th. In the end, he gets the bench spot over Phil Mickelson, who has better history at TPC Southwind but has been much less consistent week-to-week.
Group B: Brooks Koepka, Ryan Palmer, Colt Knost (bench), Harris English (bench) – Speaking of good course history, Koepka is a slam dunk choice for the second group. The Florida State product has been on his game in both of his appearances at TPC Southwind, tying for 19th in 2014 and for third last year. He also happens to be in winning form at the moment – he lost a playoff at Sergio Garcia at the AT&T Byron Nelson, falling just shy of his second career victory.
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Palmer also combines solid form with strong history this week, albeit less so than Koepka or Johnson. The Texan has found the top 25 at TPC Southwind in three of the last four years, tying for third in 2012 and notching a solo fourth in 2013. The fact that he’s currently on a run of three top 25s in his last four starts, including a tie for third at Colonial, doesn’t hurt his case. Palmer will be a big fish in a small pond this week, so look for him to keep it going.
On the bench, Knost and English should provide solid insurance. Knost didn’t fare well in his last start, but he was on fire for much of May, notching a pair of top five finishes. He tied for 12th at the St. Jude last year. English, meanwhile, is a former winner at TPC Southwind who’s also been flashing some form in recent weeks. His last start resulted in a solo second at Colonial.
Group C: Retief Goosen, Kyle Reifers (bench) – There are plenty of options for you to choose from out of this group, but Goosen appears to be the most reliable of the bunch. The South African has reeled off back-to-back top 15 finishes, his most consistent run in more than a year. He tied for third at the 2011 St. Jude and tied for 15th the year before that.
On the bench, Reifers gets the nod. There are more experienced players available, but it’s hard to argue with the Wake Forest product’s run of three consecutive top 20s. That kind of form should allow him to rise to the first page of the leaderboard, his inexperience notwithstanding.
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