Wrap Up: English Excels in Memphis
By: Nick Bonfield | Mon 10 Jun 2013
Harris English shot a final-round 69 to post a 12-under-par 72-hole total and win the FedEx St. Jude Classic by two shots from countrymen Scott Stallings and Phil Mickelson at TPC Southwind in Tennessee.
English played superbly all week, carding an opening four-under-par 64 to lie just one off the pace after round one.
He was out early on Friday and took advantage of the benign conditions, playing his first five holes in five under en route a to a second-round 64.
He played solidly in round three, but was overtaken atop the leaderboard by rookie Shawn Stefani, who bounced back from a quadruple bogey at 11 with four closing birdies.
The pressure told for Stefani on Sunday, though, and his fall down the leaderboard opened the door for several others.
Stallings, coming off back-to-back top fives, found himself with a two shot lead, but English birdies at 10 and 11 cut the deficit to one.
Stallings would double the 14th, and birdies at 16 and 17 gave English a two-shot cushion playing the last.
He avoided water off the tee, found the green with his second and calmly two putted to earn $1,026,000 and a place at the 2014 Masters.
Talking points
The American production line:
English is the latest American to enjoy success on the PGA Tour, joining his former college teammate, Russell Henley, in the winner’s circle. The production line - from college, through the Web.com Tour to the main circuit - gives these players the perfect grounding and prepares them, both mentally and physically, for top-tier golf. Harris looked calm and unflappable on Sunday, and that’s testament to the competitive nature of college golf and the number of quality players on the Web.com Tour.
Mickelson’s major?
Phil Mickleson said he was ‘excited’ for the US Open after playing some excellent golf at TPC Southwind. There’s no doubt Mickelson has the ability to win more majors, but I don’t see him triumphing at Merion – a course that’ll place a huge premium on accuracy from the tee. Go and prove me wrong, Phil.
Enough is enough
Tian-lang Guan impressed the golfing world by making the cut at the Masters, but all these sponsor’s exemptions aren’t doing him any good. Despite his talent, he simply isn’t ready to be playing with the big boys. He’d be far better served practicing at home, instead of comfortably missing cuts on the PGA Tour. Unfortunately, he is a sponsor’s dream. Let’s hope his school work doesn’t suffer.
This week, the stars of the world game head to Merion for the 113th US Open, the second major championship of the season.
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