This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.
It wasn't exactly Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Trevino duking it out, but for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, it was as good as it could get. Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Daniel Berger – in order, the top-ranked golfers in an incredibly barren field – were on the leaderboard all weekend.
Only five of the top 50 in the world were on hand, and tournament organizers were giddy that the No. 6 Johnson, No. 17 Koepka, No. 20 Mickelson and No. 46 Berger were in the hunt. Even better, marquee name Steve Stricker was in contention.
But there were two problems, the least of which was Berger steadying himself after some early Sunday jitters to roll to a rather easy three-stroke victory for his maiden PGA Tour win. No, the worst of it was a rain delay that forced the tournament into golf's version of foster care.
The broadcast couldn't run long on CBS, because the Tony Awards were coming up. And the Golf Channel was showing the Women's PGA Championship, which happens to be a major. So all the little children so nobly treated by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital were scurried off to CNBC, of all places. Yes, from CBS to NBCish. But that was good only until 8 ET, at which time, those adorable children were taken over to the NBC Sports Network for the tournament's conclusion.
That's right. On the back nine on Sunday, a PGA Tournament was treated like … hockey? Tennis? Tiddlywinks?
It wasn't exactly Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Trevino duking it out, but for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, it was as good as it could get. Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Daniel Berger – in order, the top-ranked golfers in an incredibly barren field – were on the leaderboard all weekend.
Only five of the top 50 in the world were on hand, and tournament organizers were giddy that the No. 6 Johnson, No. 17 Koepka, No. 20 Mickelson and No. 46 Berger were in the hunt. Even better, marquee name Steve Stricker was in contention.
But there were two problems, the least of which was Berger steadying himself after some early Sunday jitters to roll to a rather easy three-stroke victory for his maiden PGA Tour win. No, the worst of it was a rain delay that forced the tournament into golf's version of foster care.
The broadcast couldn't run long on CBS, because the Tony Awards were coming up. And the Golf Channel was showing the Women's PGA Championship, which happens to be a major. So all the little children so nobly treated by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital were scurried off to CNBC, of all places. Yes, from CBS to NBCish. But that was good only until 8 ET, at which time, those adorable children were taken over to the NBC Sports Network for the tournament's conclusion.
That's right. On the back nine on Sunday, a PGA Tournament was treated like … hockey? Tennis? Tiddlywinks?
Would Danny Thomas had stood for such treatment? More importantly, would Jim Nantz? We'll never know, as CBS had the B team of Bill Macatee and Ian Baker Finch in the 18th tower, with Nantz and Nick Faldo taking the week off. You know, to better prepare for taking U.S. Open week off.
(In another bizarre display of network cross-pollination, David Feherty, who left CBS in the offseason to sign with NBC, miraculously returned to the Tiffany Network, if only via a rebroadcast of the 2012 St. Jude Classic shown during the rain delay.)
If Tiger Woods had been in the field, would Nantz/Faldo have taken the week off? Would the tournament have been foster-cared around your TV grid? Ha! Trick questions! Woods would never play in such a tournament!
And that is the plight of the St. Jude Classic, which despite its sub-par treatment on the PGA Tour calendar, did about as well as it could. It's this year's PGA version of the Little Engine That Could.
MONDAY TAKEAWAY
Daniel Berger
The reigning Rookie of the Year (and son of former pro tennis player Jay Berger) took a Friday 64 and ran with it, all the way to the title. He wavered on Sunday but never let the bigger names overtake him. He now has top-25s in half his 18 events this season and surely will get increased attention in DraftKings play for the U.S. Open. No Memphis champ has ever doubled up with another victory the following week, and we're not suggesting Berger will win, but he has the steady game needed to play well at Oakmont.
Phil Mickelson
Mickelson takes another shot this week to complete the career Grand Slam. He still hasn't won since capturing the 2013 Open Championship, but this is clearly his best year since then, the latest example being Sunday's tie for second. And if nothing else, you have to be playing well heading to the U.S. Open – you're not going to find your game at Oakmont. Can Mickelson contend there? Absolutely. Is it more likely that at some point a horribly wayward shot will lead to a soul-crushing triple bogey? You know the answer to that one.
Brooks Koepka
Already a PGA Tour winner, Koepka put some pressure on Berger to tie for the lead on the front nine. But he couldn't sustain it, when a victory was well within his grasp. Koepka bogeyed Nos. 8 and 12, and his last good chance went by the wayside with a three-putt par on No. 16, leaving him in a tie for second. Still, the big-hitting Koepka is worthy of lineup consideration for the U.S. Open, his even temper well suited for the stresses of the week.
Steve Stricker
Stricker turned in his best showing of the season with a tie for second. He won't be at Oakmont, but he was among four golfers who did qualify for the Open Championship via the Open Qualifying Series (along with Brian Gay, Russell Henley and Seung-Yul Noh). Stricker, who said he's not sure whether to accept the major invite, hasn't played a full schedule for a few years now. Results like Sunday's show he's still a valuable fantasy chip.
Dustin Johnson
The 2012 St. Jude champ shot himself out of contention with a Saturday 73 but closed with a 9-under 63 for a solo fifth. Johnson now has eight top-10s on the season and is on the short list of contenders at Oakmont. All indications are that he will be in the Open mix, but can he control his penchant for knucklehead shots?
Brian Gay
Gay missed all of 2015 because of injury and is slowly making his way back. His solo sixth at Memphis was his first top-10 in more than two and a half years. So Gay bears watching the rest of the season -- on a course that suits his game.
Russell Henley
Henley has been maddening to his owners/supporters this season, with nine missed cuts in 18 tries. When he shows a flash, it's quickly extinguished. But he might be finding his game. It's too late for the U.S. Open – Henley didn't qualify – but he tied for seventh with Noh at Memphis, a week after playing decently at the Memorial before a Sunday fade. Henley is 79th in the point standings, but it looks like he's ready to climb.
Retief Goosen
The two-time U.S. Open champion won't win this coming week, but he's got the game and the current form to be a good lineup consideration for Oakmont. Goosen tied for 12th at Memphis. At a $6,300 price tag for the Open, he looks like a pretty good buy.
Harold Varner III
Coming in, it didn't look as if the strategic TPC Southwind was the big-hitting Varner's kind of course. But following an opening 71, the rookie shot 69-69-67 to tie for 16th. He's not in the Open field, but Varner continues to show he can play, and succeed, on tour. He hasn't made the splash that fellow rookies Smylie Kaufman, Emiliano Grillo and Patton Kizzire have, but he's close.
Max Homa
Homa (Cal) defeated Berger (Florida State) for the 2013 NCAA title. On the same day Berger won a PGA Tour event, Homa won for the second time on the Web.com Tour, at the Rust-Oleum Championship. Homa was on tour in 2014-15 but couldn't keep his card. This win should catapult back to the big tour next season.
