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FedEx St. Jude Classic 2017: 5 groups to watch in Rounds 1 & 2

By Luke Norris

Apr 27, 2017; Avondale, LA, USA; Rickie Fowler (right) and Daniel Berger (left) set to tee off from the 10th hole during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament at TPC Louisiana. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Avondale, LA, USA; Rickie Fowler (right) and Daniel Berger (left) set to tee off from the 10th hole during the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament at TPC Louisiana. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /
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St. Jude Classic
May 26, 2017; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Phil Mickelson tees off on the 9th hole during the second round of the Dean & Deluca Invitational golf tournament at Colonial Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Hudson Swafford

Round 1: 1st tee, 12:50 p.m.

Round 2: 10th tee, 7:50 a.m.

We know at least two of the three in this group can contend here, don’t we? As mentioned in the intro, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson were in contention at the St. Jude Classic just a season ago, both finishing in a tie for second, three shots behind Daniel Berger. The pair had matching 70s on Day 1 and matching 65s on Day 2. Mickelson was one better on Saturday with a 2-under 68 and Koepka did the same on Sunday.

So perhaps we’ll see a little back-and-forth action from these two over the first couple of days. Koepka is actually the higher-ranked player right now at No. 22 but Mickelson is right behind him at No. 23. This will be the third week in a row in which Mickelson tees it up and we already know we won’t see him at Erin Hills as he’s skipping the U.S. Open to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. Koepka has finished no lower than 16th in four of his last six starts.

Rounding out this group is 29-year-old Hudson Swafford, who earned his first PGA TOUR victory earlier this year at the CareerBuilder Challenge, which some of you may remember as the Bob Hope Classic, back in January with a score of 20-under. A win at the St. Jude Classic would be huge for Swafford, who hasn’t yet qualified for the U.S. Open. Currently ranked No. 81 in the world, he’s one of the eight that has to win to get in. And speaking of having to win to get in…

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