St. Jude Championship

[abc]

Lets do this Elvis style :walk:
Just lookin over past performances, this is my early opinion on who i like.. REAL EARLY HERE!!

Fredrick Jacobsen in 4 events here has a (6,5,3) and played well last week

Justin Leonard: :scared Starting to make cuts, has played well here in the past.

David Toms (10,2,win,win,5) in his last 5 times playing here

Brett Quigley (T10 last year) he had a nice tourney last week, might be gettin back in the grove

Tim Herron: Real streaky player, picking up momentum. (16,24,3,14,19) in his last 6 events here at St Jude as well.

Im sure there will be a lot of wd's, it will also be interesting to see how the US Open qualifier goes.. Ill be back on Wednesday probably with my picks

 

[abc]

BTW I am salivating at fading the Goose this week. He has been absolutely brutal since the Masters. Check the results :SIB

 

[abc]

Check out that list.. i dont get how badds, allenby,calc and a few others arent in just on a money list basis.. kind of stupid rules if u ask me
http://www.usga.org/news/qualifying/2007/columbus.html

 

[lawmaker1]

What do you think about Vijay? He is my early pick.

 

[lawmaker1]

Also like P Harrington and Adam Scott.

 

[abc]

Havent really looked that hard bud. Just gonna wait til late tuesday to see the lines on matchups. Vijay is always a good bet. I dont know much about this course so I am gonna have to do a lil research on it. I think you can look at last weeks scores as well as us open qualifier scores to see who is playing well

 

[abc]

Loren's last shot?
Photo Phil Coale/Associated Press

Memphian Loren Roberts comes into this week's Stanford St. Jude Championship fresh off hoisting the Champions Tour Boeing trophy in Destin, Fla. He's playing well, but he knows his time to compete with youngsters is running out.
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Roberts enjoys playing Memphis event, but at 51, 'Boss of Moss' looks at final rounds
By Dan Wolken
Contact
June 4, 2007
By his own count, Loren Roberts has probably logged more rounds of golf at TPC Southwind than any other Memphian.

But how many more times will the "Boss of the Moss" play his home course in a PGA Tour event? As the Stanford St. Jude Championship begins this week, Roberts said he isn't sure whether this year's tournament will be his last.

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"Obviously -- I'm going to be 52 here this month -- this might really be my last chance to play," Roberts said. "I just want to enjoy being there and seeing people and hopefully get to the weekend."

Based on Roberts' current form, he has every right to set his sights even higher than that. Roberts arrives back in Memphis today riding the momentum of a three-stroke victory Sunday in The Boeing Championship at Destin, Fla.

It was Roberts' first Champions Tour title of 2007 after winning four times last year in his first full season on the 50-and-over circuit. Roberts, who started the final round tied for fourth, shot a bogey-free 65 to win going away.

"I'm starting to play better," Roberts said by phone Saturday before his second round. "My game personally, I'm hoping it's rising to the occasion."

Roberts missed the SSJC last year because it conflicted with the Senior PGA Championship, one of the four majors on that tour.

It was only the second time since 1983 Roberts had to sit out the Memphis PGA Tour event, the first being when he was injured for a stretch in 1995.

With the SSJC's new date in early June, Roberts could take a one-week hiatus from the Champions Tour and make at least one more Southwind appearance.

"You know how much I feel about Memphis and playing there, and I'm looking forward to it," Roberts said. "Realistically, you look at the field, and we've got a great field this year. I'm getting a sponsor's exemption to play since I don't have any real status on the regular tour anymore. I may take one more exemption next year, and that's probably about it really."

Beyond the fact that the schedule allowed him to play the SSJC this year, Roberts said he was wholeheartedly in favor of the tournament's date change to a week before the U.S. Open, combined with renovations that have made the course more difficult.

Already, those changes have yielded strong results in the quality of field entered for this week, led by Phil Mickelson and 12 of the world's top 30 players.

"To attract the top 30 players -- and that's who you're trying to attract -- I'd guess that just about everybody in the top 30 would say they want to play somewhere where 2- or 3-under par is a very good score," Roberts said. "Two or 3-under a day at Southwind now has a chance to win the championship. That has really helped the course, and that will go a long way to helping the quality of the field. To me, it's really a tough golf course.

"You want to be pushed, especially getting ready for a major championship and an Open. Everybody knows what the Open is like as far as the firm greens and having to hit the fairways, and that's what you're going to have at Southwind."

 

[ridle]

woah some amazing odds out there:

1/4 1-5:
isenhour 450/1 stan james
merrick 350/1 portlandbet!!!
martin-b 250/1 portlandbet
stiles 250/1 betfred
snedeker 200/1 betfred
goggin 250/1 betfred
maggert 125/1 portlandbet
brigman dj 1-10 40/1 stan james

 

[abc]

Final U.S. Open qualifying ends with flourish, and huge playoff
Jun. 5, 2007

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio (AP) -- Anthony Kim must have felt like he won a major the way he qualified for his first one.


For the second time in his young career, Anthony Kim prevailed in an oversized playoff in a big USGA event. (Steve Grayson/WireImage)
? U.S. Open Final Qualifying Results In an 11-man playoff for one spot in the U.S. Open on Monday, Kim holed a bunker shot on the first extra hole simply to stay in the game, then earned a ticket to Oakmont with a par on the third extra hole of a 36-hole qualifier loaded with PGA TOUR players.

Ryan Moore and Bubba Watson, who both had chances to win the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley last weekend, stayed on their game to be co-medalists and lead the 24 players who qualified from Scioto Country Club.

The 11-man playoff was split into two groups, and Kevin Stadler made birdie from close range in the first group. Kim was in the second group and knew he had to hole his bunker shot to stay in the playoff.

"I played it just like I was hanging out and hitting shots with my friends," said Kim, who will turn 22 two days after the Open. "I was real relaxed and got up there to see what I could do."

Stadler again hit it stiff on the second extra hole, and Kim followed with a sand wedge that spun back to about a foot to match birdies, with Will MacKenzie eliminated. Kim won the playoff with a par on the 210-yard third hole when Stadler came up short, chipped to about 10 feet and missed the putt.

Stadler and McKenzie are alternates.

For Kim, it was all too familiar.

He was 13 when he won an 11-for-1 playoff to earn a spot in the match play portion of the U.S. Junior Amateur.

"The U.S. Open would be awesome to play at," Kim said. "I played so much this year, I was treating it like any other tournament."

Watson, who qualified for his second Open, said he could have used some time off but couldn't wait to play at Oakmont.

"It's going to be awesome because it's a major," Watson said. "That's what we strive for, the majors. It's a big tournament with an elite field and to say you won the U.S. Open, it would be unbelievable."

Other qualifiers from Scioto included Jerry Kelly, Sean O'Hair, amateur Trip Kuehne and Boo Weekley.

There were a dozen qualifiers across the United States on Monday to determine the 156-man field for the U.S. Open, to be played June 14-17 at Oakmont Country Club. Another qualifier was outside London for primarily European Tour players.

Among those who failed to get in were two-time major champion Mark O'Meara, Darren Clarke, former Ryder Cup Captain Tom Lehman, Mark Calcavecchia and Brad Faxon.

"This is it for me. I'm 50 years old," said O'Meara, who has played in 21 U.S. Opens. "I came here with the hopes of playing well enough to get through. But as I was out there, I realized that my time has kind of come to pass. I've tried the last three or four years and I haven't gotten through, so I've just got to go ahead and step aside. I doubt if I'll try qualifying anymore. There's no need for me to take a spot. Let some of these young kids, it's their turn now."

The second-largest qualifier was in Memphis, Tenn., for those getting ready to play the Stanford St. Jude Championship, and most of those 16 spots went to PGA TOUR players. Darron Stiles was the medalist after rounds of 69-62 at Colonial Country Club, two shots ahead of Kirk Triplett and Brandt Snedeker, who played college golf at Vanderbilt.

Olin Browne needed a rally for the second time in three years. Browne shot 59 in the Maryland qualifier two years ago after nearly withdrawing after 18 holes. This time, he opened with a 72 and followed with a 64 to get in by two shots.

Also getting in from the Memphis site were former PGA champion Steve Elkington and Paul Goydos, who won the Sony Open earlier this year for his first PGA TOUR victory in 11 years. Among those who failed to advance was John Daly, who shot 73 and withdrew.

Justin Leonard, the 1997 British Open champion, Hunter Mahan and Ryan Palmer earned the three spots available in the qualifying at the Northwood Club, near Dallas.

PGA TOUR regular Kevin Sutherland was the medalist at Bear Creek Club in Murietta, Calif., and his morning round of 7-under 65 featured a hole-in-one with a 6-iron on the 186-yard 8th hole. Richard Lee, a 16-year-old amateur from Chandler, Ariz., and Andrew Buckle finished at 140, three strokes behind Sutherland. Michael Block won a four-man playoff for the final spot.

Fred Funk, who won a Champions Tour event in Hawaii earlier this year but is not done with the PGA TOUR, showed he still has game by earning one of the five spots at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland. Rhys Davies of Wales was the medalist at 137, followed by Joey Sindelar, another guy who will be eligible for the Champions Tour next year.

The final two spots were to be decided by a three-man playoff Tuesday morning that included Luke List.

Clarke did not earn one of the nine spots available at Walton Heath for primarily European Tour members. Clarke, who lost his wife to cancer last August a month before he led Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup, missed by eight shots after rounds of 75-72. It was the first time in 10 years he failed to qualify for a major.

"The current state of my game is not good enough for the U.S. Open anyway, so it is maybe not such a bad thing," he said. "I'm working hard, but it's not happening for me at the moment."

The leading qualifiers in Europe were Nick Dougherty, Peter Hanson and Darren Fichardt.

In other qualifiers Monday:

-- University of Illinois golf coach Mike Small was among four qualifiers to earn a U.S. Open berth at Riverside Golf Club outside Chicago. Small, a PGA Profesisonal, also qualified for the PGA Championship last year at Medinah. He shot 71-69 to share medalist honors with Jeff Brehaut, who is on the Nationwide Tour this year.

-- In Georgia, Jason Dufner earned one of three spots at Hawks Ridge Golf Club. Among those who failed to qualify was Larry Nelson, who won the 1983 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

-- In the other qualifier in the Columbus area, Jason Kokrak, Tom Gillis, Kyle Dobbs and Jacob Rogers earned the four spots.

-- At Jupiter Hills Club in south Florida, amateur Jeff Golden and Chris Condello earned the two spots.

-- Michael Berg earned the only spot available at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan.

-- Alex Prugh, an amateur from Spokane, Wash., earned the lone spot from the Washington state qualifier with a 71-69.

-- At Columbine Country Club outside Denver, Jason Allen qualified for his second U.S. Open with a birdie on the first playoff hole to get the one spot from a 20-man field. He beat Dustin White, who qualified for the U.S. Open last year.

-- At Purchase Country Club north of New York City, Geoffrey Sisk, Frank Bensel and Ricky Barnes all qualified.


I was liking Bubba pre tourney.. :SIB Surprised to see ricky barnes play well since hes been awful on the natonwide. Amazing effort by kim. Anyone know if camillo and or ch3 made it?

 

[abc]

Bubba Watson Bagdad, Fla. 65-71-136
Ryan Moore Puyallup, Wash. 68-68-136
Ken Duke Palm City, Fla. 68-69-137
Todd Fischer Pleasanton, Calif. 66-71-137
Harrison Frazar Dallas, Texas 65-72-137
Jerry Kelly Madison, Wis. 69-68-137
Nathan Green Australia 69-70-139
Steve Marino Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 66-73-139
Camilo Villegas Cleveland, Ohio 69-70-139
Nick Watney Fresno, Calif. 70-69-139
(a) Trip Kuehne Dallas, Texas 72-68-140
(a) Pablo Martin Spain 65-75-140
Sean O'Hair West Chester, Pa. 69-71-140
Pat Perez Scottsdale, Ariz. 67-73-140
Michael Putnam Tacoma, Wash. 72-68-140
Joe Daley Scottsdale, Ariz. 70-71-141
Craig Kanada The Woodlands, Texas 69-72-141
Boo Weekley Milton, Fla. 68-73-141
Woody Austin Derby, Kan. 73-69-142
Eric Axley Knoxville, Tenn. 70-72-142
John Koskinen Baraga, Mich. 70-72-142
Warren Pineo Palm Desert, Calif. 72-70-142
P-Anthony Kim Dallas, Texas 68-75-143


Not a bad list :scared

 

[abc]

Really like Snedeker. Hes a solid ball striker. He actually played college golf at Vandy. Also just qualified for the Open. Good Luck with that one.

Lots of people like Stiles.. He has tons of value..

ne interesting runner here is Darron Stiles.

Stiles booked his place in next week's US Open by winning the Memphis qualifier at nearby Colonial. He did in some style too by carding a 62 in his second round.

Getting to stay in the same town for this week's event gives him an edge over some of those flying in from elsewhere and, judging by his past results in Tennessee, he'll be extremely happy to stay put.

He won the Nationwide Tour's Knoxville Open in Tennessee in 2002 and also finished 11th and 9th in the two second tier Tour events held there in 2004.

But most interesting of all is his performance in this event last year.

The tied 22nd is promising on its own but the fact that he opened 69-64 to hold a two-shot lead at halfway really takes the eye.

Stiles continues to split his time between the PGA and Nationwide Tours but in his last three events alongside the big guns he's finished T28, T29 and T24 so he's dropping enough hints that a major performance is around the corner.

"Seems like the hotter the weather gets, the better I start playing," said Stiles last year so with temperatures expected to soar into the 90s this week he should be in his element

Right now the only one i kind of like is kim over appelby

 

[ridle]

in my opinion still merrick is the super dog this week- will be focused on this event as he hasn't Q for the open... look at his form record , though he MC in last event he shot a 64!!! in round 2...and his stats except putting are excellent - if he has a hot putter he really could beat the odds.

 

[abc]

I was alittle surprised you didnt take a peak at roberts. He won last week on the seniors and lives on this course. This isnt one of the courses where hitting it long matters. I think he makes the cut, and has a good shot for a top 20.

 

[ridle]

I was alittle surprised you didnt take a peak at roberts. He won last week on the seniors and lives on this course. This isnt one of the courses where hitting it long matters. I think he makes the cut, and has a good shot for a top 20.

sorry really no 500s perhaps but at those odds its still a pro field where seniors not really belong in ...

 

[abc]

About 10+ guys wd'd .. had a feeling that was coming.

 

[abc]

First play of the week..

Tim herron to make the cut -230 :scared

Just goin off law of averages here.
He's played here 9 times made the cut 9 times..He has finished in the top 25 8 out of those 9 times. He has made the cut his last 3 pga tournies.. including a 15 last week. On the year he has made 11 out of 15. So just off those numbers alone. He is better than 2.3 to 1. Also factor in the weak field..

 

[Whalers Rule]

really like merrick as well ridle, also think one week gove can make some putts

 

[Another Steve]

Thanks to a relocation in the PGA TOUR schedule, the Stanford St. Jude Championship has attracted more big names than usual. A slew of the top-ranked players in the world have ventured to Memphis, ostensibly to prepare themselves for next week's U.S. Open showdown at Oakmont, but also to battle an improved TPC Southwind track that proved to be a worthy challenge a year ago. Onlookers will certainly get an eyeful of the world's best as they gawk at the likes of Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, and Sergio Garcia, but fantasy owners will want to dig a bit deeper before setting their lineups for this week's tuneup in the land of the Delta Blues.



The Favorites
Given Phil Mickelson's iffy status this week and the fact that he missed the cut the only previous time he ventured to Memphis, he does not rank as the prohibitive favorite this week. That honor should probably be bestowed upon David Toms, a two-time winner who hasn't fallen out of the top 10 at the St. Jude in five years, however since he has just one top 10 since late February and has yet to finish better than T8 this season, we'll opt for Adam Scott atop our Owner's Edge Weekly Rankings. Scott had a disappointing finish to his week at the Memorial, but he appeared to be firing on most cylinders last week, with his creaky putter being the lone area of his game that seems to continuously hold him back. If he gets it going on the short stuff this week, he'll be tough to beat. Vijay Singh hasn't ventured to Memphis since 1993. He's almost always a factor, but he has just one top-10 finish since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in mid-March. Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, and Padraig Harrington join Scott in making their maiden voyage to this event. With just one top 10 in seven tries this season, Goosen has given fantasy owners little reason to bank on a title this week, but Harrington could be a factor after winning the Irish Open a few weeks ago in Europe. Sergio's been riding a roller coaster all season long, so it's nearly impossible to tell if he's gaining steam or if fantasy owners are in store for another loop-the-loop this week.


The Best of the Rest
If not for the fact he's never made the cut in three previous tries at the Standford St. Jude Championship, Geoff Ogilvy would be included in the previous section. He's coming off a T9 at the Memorial, but his historical struggles at TPC Southwind can't be ignored. Robert Allenby and Scott Verplank are both intriguing names as well, but Allenby has been scuffling with his game since missing the cut at the Masters and Verplank has never cracked the top 10 at this event in nine tries. Still, both must be viewed as candidates to crash the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. Sean O'Hair tied for 60th two years ago at this event, but his recent play indicates he shouldn't be dismissed.


Who's Hot?
Matt Kuchar: Kuchar has made six straight cuts ? and 10 of 12 ? and finished inside the top 15 twice in his last three tournaments.

Loren Roberts: Roberts has a ridiculous eight top-10 finishes in 12 events this season and is coming off a win at the Boeing Championship last week? on the Senior Tour, of course.


Who's Not?
John Senden: Senden has slowed down after a solid start to the season. He has just one finish of better than T31 in his last seven events and has broken 70 just twice in his last 16 competitive rounds.

Richard S. Johnson: Little Richard has a good track record at the St. Jude, but he's been struggling all season long. In 17 events, he's made just nine cuts and has only one top 25 to show for his efforts.


Player Trends
It's not a fool-proof indicator of future success, but golfers who fare well at a particular venue tend to do so time and again. With that in mind, we provide a list of players who have notable trends at this week's event (most recent results are listed first).

The Good
Fredrik Jacobson (Cut, T6, T5, T3)
Justin Leonard (a win and three other top 10s in eight appearances)
Tim Herron (T16, T24, T3, T14, T19, T75, T2, T12)
Richard S. Johnson (T22, T6, Cut, T3)
Tom Pernice Jr. (2, T12, T18)

The Bad
Mark Calcavecchia (no top 10s in eight appearances)
Bart Bryant (never finished better than T34 in seven trips to Memphis)
Stephen Ames (T39, T14, Cut, T55, Cut)
Scott Verplank (no top 10s in nine appearances)
Harrison Frazar (WD, Cut, Cut)

The Ugly
Geoff Ogilvy (Cut, Cut, Cut)


Weekly Rankings
1. Adam Scott
2. David Toms
3. Vijay Singh
4. Padraig Harrington
5. Sean O'Hair

 

[abc]

Anthony Kim -115 over Stuie Appelby

Not overly confident in this one. Just liked the way Kim played on the weekend last week. Then he has to be pretty confident after qualifying for the open.

 

[abc]

Fredrick Jacobson +110 over Retief Goosen

:shrug: Getting screwed on juice here.. but Retief has been out of form. Last 2 events hes finished like 111 and 114. Jacobsen played consistent last week and his record here is amazing. Its a lively dog

All of these bets so far are fairly small..