St. Jude Classic: Berger wins, 4 earn Open spots
Daniel Berger claimed a maiden Tour victory while 4 players gained Open berths
Daniel Berger overcame a storm delay and outlasted Phil Mickelson to win his first PGA Tour title in the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind.
Daniel Berger began the final round of the St. Jude Classic three clear of Phil Mickelson but had played just three shots of his final round when the horn sounded to signal a halt to play because of thunderstorms.
After a three-hour wait, Berger resumed play by missing a 10-foot par putt on the final green. That may have rattled some, but Berger composed himself well and reeled off four solid pars on the spin to steady the ship.
Although Brooks Koepka caught Berger at the top of the board, the youngster from Florida pulled clear again with two birdies before the turn.
On the back nine it was the veteran Mickelson who applied the pressure with two early birdies, including a monster putt on the par-3 12th. But his putter cooled on the run in, and that proved to be the difference. Berger kept things going nicely with a string of solid putts to hold off the chasers.
Alex Noren putting tips:
In the end, Berger closed with a 67 to finish three clear of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Steve Stricker.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
3 Talking points from the FedEx St. Jude Classic
1 – This was Daniel Berger’s first PGA Tour victory. The 23-year-old lost a playoff to Padraig Harrington for the 2015 Honda Classic. He was named PGA Tour rookie of the year last season but, as Phil Mickelson jokingly pointed out to him during the rain delay at TPC Southwind, he achieved that without a win. Berger filled the gap in his CV with some style yesterday. He now heads to Oakmont for the U.S. Open Championship full of confidence. “To get it done today means a lot,” he said. “To do it with so many great players, Hall of Famers, behind me is something I’ll never forget.”
2 – Dustin Johnson bounced back from a disappointing third round of 73 with a 10-shot improvement on Sunday. After a superb closing 63, Johnson is also feeling positive about his chances at Oakmont. "On the back nine, I had great looks on every hole," Johnson said. "Struck it a little better. I got a little sloppy with my setup the first couple days. Caused me to mishit some shots. I'm real comfortable, real confident going into next week."
3 – Although it’s the U.S. Open next week, The Open Championship was on some players’ minds at TPC Southwind. With four Open spots to play for, it was Brian Gay, Steve Stricker, Russell Henley and Seung-Yul Noh who earned tee times at Royal Troon. This was Brian Gay’s first top-10 on the PGA Tour since November 2013. If Stricker plays at Troon it will be his first Open since 2012.
FedEx St. Jude Classic TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee June 9-12 Purse $6,200,000, par 70
1 Daniel Berger (USA) 67 64 69 67 267 $1,116,000 T2 Brooks Koepka (USA) 70 65 69 66 270 $462,933 T2 Phil Mickelson (USA) 70 65 68 67 270 $462,933 T2 Steve Stricker (USA) 66 71 66 67 270 $462,933 5 Dustin Johnson (USA) 66 69 73 63 271 $248,000 6 Brian Gay (USA) 66 70 70 66 272 $223,200 T7 Russell Henley (USA) 68 68 70 67 273 $199,950 T7 Seung-Yul Noh (Kor) 65 72 67 69 273 $199,950 T9 Ken Duke (USA) 70 66 70 68 274 $167,400 T9 Shawn Stefani (USA) 65 71 73 65 274 $167,400 T9 Brett Stegmaier (USA) 67 69 69 69 274 $167,400
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage
Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.
Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?
-
5 Things We Learned From Greg Norman's LIV Adelaide Press Conference
The Shark weighed into a number of the game's major talking points ahead of the LIV Golf Adelaide event
By Andrew Wright Published
-
YouTube Star George Bryan Comes Within Inches Of PGA Tour Start At Qualifying Event
The YouTube star appeared set for a place at the Myrtle Beach Classic, but a near miss on the 18th left him in a playoff, which Matt Atkins won
By Mike Hall Published
-
Who Is Akshay Bhatia's Girlfriend?
Bhatia's fiancée was once his caddie despite knowing "nothing about golf" when they first met...
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Eric Cole What's In The Bag?
We take a look into the bag of 2023 PGA Tour Rookie Of The Year, Eric Cole
By Sam De'Ath Published
-
Nick Dunlap What's In The Bag?
We take a look at the clubs that the record-breaking young American is currently using...
By Dan Parker Published
-
Matthieu Pavon What's In The Bag?
We take a look at what clubs the first French PGA Tour winner is currently using...
By Joe Ferguson Published
-
Jake Knapp What's In The Bag?
We take a look into the bag of winning PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp
By Sam De'Ath Published
-
Who Is Akshay Bhatia's Caddie?
Who currently carries the bag for American Akshay Bhatia? We take a look here
By Jonny Leighfield Last updated
-
Chris Kirk What's In The Bag?
We take a look inside the bag of American Chris Kirk...
By Sam Tremlett Last updated
-
Who Is Justin Thomas’ Wife?
The American star married Jillian Wisniewski in November 2022
By Matt Cradock Last updated