Week 23 Approach Shots: St. Jude Classic pres. by FedEx

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IMPACT ON ST. JUDE: Golf has played a historical role in helping St. Jude continue its mission to find cures and save children. Since St. Jude became the tournament's sole beneficiary in 1970, the event has generated more than $21 million toward the fight against childhood catastrophic diseases.

Quick Facts

WHAT: 25th of 37 regular-season PGA TOUR events WHEN: June 11-14 WHERE: Memphis, Tenn. COURSE: TPC Southwind TV: 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., GOLF CHANNEL; 1 p.m. on Sat.-Sun., GOLF CHANNEL; 3 p.m. on Sat.-Sun., CBS RADIO: 12 p.m.-8 p.m. ET Thurs.-Sun., PGA TOUR Network (XM 146/SIRIUS 209) FEDEXCUP POINTS: 500 for winner KEY LINKS: Tee times | Leaderboard SHOT TRACKER | Tournament page VIDEO: Opening Shot

St. Jude's physicians and scientists have pioneered treatments that have helped push the overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent in 1962 to more than 70 percent today. The survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, has risen from just 4 percent in 1962 to 94 percent today.

ART FROM THE HEART: The St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx is the only event on the PGA TOUR to feature artwork from a tournament charity on its caddie bibs. The designs represent the impact of St. Jude on the lives of children fighting deadly childhood diseases. The artwork of patients Trevor, Jackson and Lindsey adorns the caddie bibs that will be worn during the tournament. The pictures of smiles and flowers and messages of hope and love underscore the longstanding commitment of the tournament to the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.

TOUGH TEST: The St. Jude Classic will be contested at TPC Southwind for the 21st consecutive season. The par-70 TPC Southwind showed its teeth last year, as the field was an average of more than 2 over for the week (72.534), with two holes ranked among the top 50 most-difficult on the PGA TOUR in 2008:

PLAYER NOTES: 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 met with several St. Jude patients on Wednesday. Herron, whose nickname is "Lumpy," also makes a contribution to the Target House for every birdie he posts on the PGA TOUR. ...

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. ...

The headliners didn't disappoint at the 2008 St. Jude Classic, as evidenced by the high finishes of Justin Leonard (1), Robert Allenby (T2), Trevor Immelman (T2), Sergio Garcia (T4), Padraig Harrington (T4), Boo Weekley (T4) and Vijay Singh (T11). ...

There are seven players with local ties expected to compete in the "Hometown Classic" this week, including Doug Barron, John Daly, David Gossett, Shaun Micheel, Loren Roberts, Vance Veazey and Casey Wittenberg.

ON-COURSE OBSERVATIONS: PGA TOUR Network correspondent Bob Stevens is on the scene in Memphis, Tenn., for this week's satellite radio coverage (XM 146/SIRIUS 209). Reports Stevens:

There were three players who, for very different reasons, received significant welcoming hugs on the practice green and at the driving range on Wednesday. Obviously one was Phil Mickelson, playing is his first event since his wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. John Daly was also welcomed with open arms in his first event on the PGA TOUR this season. TOUR players were thrilled to greet Michael Allen, who returned to the PGA TOUR for the first time this week since winning the Senior PGA Championship several weeks ago. The 50-year-old veteran has never won on the PGA TOUR, but captured a title in his first start on the Champions Tour.

The big question on a lot of minds, of course, is how will Mickelson and Daly both play? Mickelson doesn't even have any idea of how he will fare. He said he has been putting and chipping and doesn't think he's too far off, but really hasn't played any competitive rounds since THE PLAYERS Championship. Daly has a better handle on his game than Mickelson after five tournaments this season on the European Tour, where his best finish was a tie for second at the BMW Italian Open. He's lived in Memphis for 20 years and feels really comfortable there, plus he will probably get a pep talk from his favorite football coach and good friend, the University of Mississippi's Houston Nutt, in the pro-am.

I talked to defending champion Justin Leonard, who said he would be here even if he hadn't won last year and not because it's the tournament before the U.S. Open. He said there were not very many similarities between TPC Southwind and Bethpage Black except that you need to consistently make pars on both courses. To win last year, he remembered making a lot of pars and letting everyone else come back to him.

Weather forecast for the St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx

THURSDAY, Rd. 1 FRIDAY, Rd. 2 SATURDAY, Rd. 3 SUNDAY, Rd. 4 Scattered t-storms Temp: 89 high/70 low Isolated t-storms Temp: 86 high/70 low Scattered t-storms Temp: 86 high/71 low Isolated t-storms Temp: 87 high/73 low

DTN/Meteorlogix is the official weather provider of the PGA TOUR. For more information, click here

St. Jude Classic snippets

Crowded at the top: There were 10 different players that 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. No. 1 in Tennessee: Five players have claimed their maiden PGA TOUR victories at the St. Jude Classic: Bob Lunn (1968), Larry Mize (1983), Mike Hulbert (1986), Jodie Mudd (1988) and Dicky Pride (1994). Seersucker Sunday: The St. Jude Classic paired up with legendary American clothier Brooks Brothers to launch a tradition known as Seersucker Sunday, when fans are encouraged to wear this distinct fabric. The focal point will be the seersucker jacket tailored by Brooks Brothers that is presented to the winner. Talking about playoffs: The three-way playoff between Justin Leonard, Robert Allenby and Trevor Immelman was the 12th playoff in St. Jude Classic history and the first since Nick Price defeated Jeff Sluman in 1998.

In the spotlight

This week: Camilo Villegas

Each week during the 2009 season, PGATOUR.COM will spotlight one key player in the field. For this week's St. Jude Classic presented by FedEx, it's Camilo Villegas. Learn more about Camilo

A victory this week earns you ...

• Fully Exempt for the remainder of 2009 and all of 2010 and 2011 • 500 FedExCup points • A spot in the following events in order of play: 2010 PLAYERS Championship, '09 AT&T National, '09 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, '09 PGA Championship, 2010 SBS Championship and '10 Masters • If a U.S. player: 2,160,000 points towards making the 2009 Presidents Cup team. • If it is a second victory for a player since last June 4, a spot in the U.S. Open

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-3, 239-yard 14th at TPC Southwind LAST YEAR: The 14th played to a stroke average of 3.265, with players recording 36 birdies, 291 pars, 99 bogeys, 25 double bogeys and 2 others. DESCRIPTION: This hole requires a long iron or wood tee shot. An elevated tee and a full carry over water to a severely undulated green is hard enough, but it's also protected by water on its entire right side. In short, it's a very difficult par 3 set among a natural amphitheater. (Click here for tour)