St Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad wallet and make it better… Here’s Doc’s guide to this week’s St. Jude Classic.
Favourite Watch
Favourite in the betting is Dustin Johnson at 6/1 and while ordinarily I would strongly advise against betting win-only pre-tournament, for me, Brooks Koepka looks a very strong prospect at 10/1. His rehab and comeback from injury has been so clinical and so professional and now he’s reaping the rewards with a T11 at The Players and solo second in Fort Worth last time out where he went a cumulative 15 under for just the par 4’s. Loves TPC Southwind too and has a T3 in 2015 and T2 in 2016 to draw inspiration from. Would be in my top-5 if the odds were not so low.
Doc’s Top 5 Each Way St Jude Bets
Charl Schwartzel 28/1
Charl’s Memorial was over after a 77 on Thursday last week but his form of late still warrants inclusion with a T2 at Sawgrass and T9 at the Wells Fargo. Returned after seven years to play the event last year and finished T2 behind Daniel Berger (who has won it last two years!!) and on this extremely tough par-70 I fancy him to contend again.
Billy Horschel 28/1
The week before the US Open…..everyone is keeping their powder dry….the perfect place for one of the gutsiest men on Tour Billy Horschel to score big! And he has form in Memphis with four top-10’s from his last four visits here including a T4 in 2017. Form is pretty much irrelevant with Billy but worth bearing in mind is that win alongside Scott Piercy at the Zurich Classic.
Joaquin Niemann 33/1
After a 6th at the Texas Open, T8 at Fort Worth and T6 at The Memorial, the 19-year-old wonderkid from Chile now has an exemption on the PGA Tour for the rest of the year and the way he’s playing just now, he could win. I mean hitting 56 greens at Muirfield Village on your first try is stellar stuff; TPC Southwind should be a breeze!
Kiradech Aphibarnrat 40/1
I’ve been watching Kiradech more closely of late and though he’s a debutant this week, I like him on these really tight and condensed par-70 courses where the tariff is high and accuracy is key. The average winning score here over the last 7 years is 10 under. If you look at Aphibarnrat’s last three outings you’ll see he putted his way to a T30 at The Players, was incredible with his irons for a T5 at Wentworth and drove the ball great for a T13 at The Memorial. If it all comes together watch out!
Ben Crane 100/1
It’s always nice to return to a venue at which you’ve won in the past and 2014 champ Ben Crane will do that this week. I spotted him down at 100/1 in the betting and after a T8 in Fort Worth and T11 in Texas with nine of his twelve rounds in the sixties I think he’s a great shout. T10 also last year.
Long Odds Glory Shot
2018 has been nothing short of terrible forWesley Bryan (200/1)but something changed at The Memorial last week; for three rounds at least. Wes sat T11 before a final round of 77 then, but hopefully will have taken some positives from the week.
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