ST. JUDE CLASSIC
TPC Southwind
Germantown, TN
Par: 35-35—70Yards: 7,239
Winner's FedExCup Points Share: 500
Purse: $5,600,000Winner: $1,008,000
2008 Champion: Justin Leonard (276, -4)

 
In 2005, Justin Leonard held of David Toms by a stroke to win his first St. Jude Championship. The win denied Toms victory in the event for a third consecutive year. By beating Robert Allenby and Trevor Immelman in a playoff last year, Leonard joined Toms and Nick Price (1993 and 1998) as two-time champions at this event near Memphis. Dave Hill won this tournament four times between 1967 and 1973, while World Golf Hall of Fame member Lee Trevino is a three-time champ (1971-72 and 1980).
The St. Jude Championship, which began in 1958, is one of two tournaments Leonard has won multiple times. He is also a three-time winner of the Valero Texas Open.
This season, Leonard has three fifth-place finishes—at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Valero Texas Open. He also tied for ninth at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship for his other top-10 performance in 2008. Leonard is 36th in the FedExCup standings, and his $1,254,068 in earnings place him 33rd on the money list.
Phil Mickelson, who took a leave of absence to tend to his wife, Amy, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, returns to the TOUR this week, while John Daly is making his 2009 PGA TOUR debut.

With his overtime win at the 2008 St. Jude Classic, Justin Leonard improved his playoff record to 2-4, having won his last two titles in playoff fashion (2007 Valero Texas Open). The other playoff participants a year ago were Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby. Immelman (0-2) remains winless in PGA TOUR playoffs, Allenby (3-1) lost for the first time in a PGA TOUR playoff. Worldwide as a professional, Allenby is a remarkable 10-1 in playoffs.

There were 10 different players who held and/or shared the final-round lead at the 2008 St. Jude Classic: Tim Clark, J.P. Hayes, Vijay Singh, Dean Wilson, Justin Leonard, Boo Weekley, Trevor Immelman, Gavin Coles, Sergio Garcia and Robert Allenby.

Justin Leonard, who entered the final round of the 2008 St. Jude Classic three strokes behind Tim Clark, has won in come-from-behind fashion in seven of his 12 PGA TOUR victories.

The 72-hole total of 4-under 276 shared by eventual champion Justin Leonard and playoff participants Trevor Immelman, and Robert Allenby in 2008 was the highest winning score since the tournament moved to TPC Southwind in 1989. The trio’s playoff was the first at the tournament since Nick Price defeated Jeff Sluman in 1998.

Six of the 10 past champions in the 2008 St. Jude Classic field made the cut: Justin Leonard won the tournament, with Bob Estes (tied for 13th), Jeff Maggert (tied for 24th), David Toms (tied for 37th), Woody Austin (tied for 49th) and Dicky Pride (tied for 66th).

On Wednesday, June 10, Tim Herron, who donated the Lumpy Bus that shuttles between the Target House, a provider of long-term housing for families of patients, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will meet with several St. Jude patients. Herron, whose nickname is “Lumpy,” also makes a contribution to the Target House for every birdie he posts on the PGA TOUR.