Before we even begin to talk about playoff golf or the return of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and the rest of the big names on the PGA Tour, it’s important to look at the name of this first event and what it represents — The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
And we cannot talk about St. Jude without talking about the man who set everything in motion — the late Danny Thomas.
St. Jude Children’s was born out of a prayer and a promise and a vision. It was more than 70 years ago when Thomas was a struggling young actor. He had a baby on the way and went to church in Detroit, where he lived. He put his last seven dollars in the collection and prayed for help in paying some mounting hospital bills. A day later he landed a small role that paid him 10 times what he put in the collection.
Danny discovered the power of prayer.
A couple of years later, he, like so many in show biz, was struggling to make it to a higher level. Once again he prayed, this time to St. Jude (Thaddeus), the patron saint of hopeless causes. Success came. Thomas, in his prayers, promised to honor St. Jude.
In the early 1950s, Thomas began looking for a way. Little by little, the idea of a children’s hospital in Memphis was born. That hospital would become the first fully integrated hospital in the South. As it developed in 1955, Thomas approached members of the Memphis business community, who agreed to support his dream — a dream to create a unique research hospital devoted to curing catastrophic diseases in children, cancer being the most prevalent. More than just a treatment facility, this would be a research center for the children of the world, regardless of race, religion or financial status.
Today St. Jude is a sprawling institution with the most noble of causes and the leading organization dedicated to saving the lives of children and finding future cures.
It is simply a hospital unlike any other and it’s name is an integral part of this first of three playoff events and a reminder of why the PGA Tour is unique among other professional sports.
Which brings us to TPC Southwind where Scheffler comes into this three-week run with 3,556 points in the FedEx standings and three wins this season — The Masters, Phoenix and the match play. He was second at Colonial and tied for second at the U.S. Open but has been resting up since a T21 at the Open Championship. He’s a winner even before the first tee shot on Thursday as he collected $4 million for winning the Comcast pool. He said on Tuesday that he’s right at home on the PGA Tour, has no interest in the LIV. He’s grounded, still drives around at home in a 1987 Yukon with 178,000 miles on it, got it from his dad and dad still drives it when Scottie’s on the road.
“I just want to get a little better every day,” was how Scheffler summed up his goals — a really smart way to approach the game. As for the LIV, questions about it don’t bother him — “It’s part of the story,” he pointed out.
Part of this week’s story is a field of 121 rather than 125. Following the death of his mother, Tommy Fleetwood said last week she’s stepping away from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to spend some time with his family. Daniel Berger hasn’t played since the U.S. Open and is still nursing that back injury. Lanto Griffin is out following back surgery last month and Nate Lashley is dealing with the injury bug as well.
And the field will stay at 121. Late Tuesday afternoon Judge Beth Labson Freeman ruled against LIV golfers Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford after they sought to force their way into the St. Jude Classic.
So round one to the PGA Tour but there’s more to come.
In the meantime, it’s go-time in steamy Memphis!
Broadcast Schedule:
Thursday-Friday: Golf Channel: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. EDT
Saturday: Golf Channel 1 p.m.-3 p.m.; NBC: 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday: Golf Channel 12 p.m.-2 p.m.; NBC: 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (EDT)
