Justin Thomas Wins FedEx St. Jude

Last updated on: August 2, 2020 at 5:50 pm by Kermit Zarley

Justin Thomas Wins FedEx St. Jude 2020-08-02T17:50:15-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Justin Thomas came from behind to win the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf tournament on the PGA Tour at the Southwind TPC in Memphis, Tennessee, with a five-under par 65 today at 13-under par 267 total by three strokes over four players tied for 2nd place: Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, Tom Lewis and Phil Mickelson.

Actually, the field was as bunched up at the top of leaderboard as you’ll ever see when the leaders entered the back nine today. Brendon Todd lost his one stroke lead leaving five players tied at 11-under par. Amazingly, they remained that way for about 30 minutes, something you never see happen. Then Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka moved in front, tied at 12-under and then 13-under.

They say it’s better to be lucky than good. But Justin Thomas experienced both this afternoon. The big turning point between him and Koekpa, who was playing right behind Thomas’ group, was the par five 16th hole. Thomas drove in the right trees and had to lay up with about a 100 yard wedge shot to the green for his third shot. From there, he could fly the ball close to the pin with sufficient backspin to stop the ball near the hole for an easy birdie putt.

Koepka played the same hole minutes later, more the way you are supposed to play it. But since he had about a forty yard wedge shot to the pin, had had to land his ball farther back on the green. Unfortunately, that was a downslope. Thus, his ball could stop with less backspin and skidded over the green, from which Koepka made bogey.

Thomas then got a really lucky break on his tee shot on the par-four 17th hole. He hooked it into the trees, but his ball landed on a cart path and bounced way, way forward, even past the trees for a clear second shot to the green to make par. He then birdied the par-four 18th hole to finish 13-under.

Koepka needed a birdie on the 18th to force a playoff. But he drove barely in the left water off the tee on the 18th hole to therefore give Thomas the victory. To make matters worse for Koepka, he double-bogeyed that hole to finish second with three others instead of alone at second.

It was long-hitting Justin Thomas’ 13th win on the PGA Tour at only 27 years of age. And it thrust him back to #1 in Official World Rankings, overtaking Jon Rahm’s short-lived, two-week reign there.

Justin Thomas only weighs about 150 pounds, yet the above photo shows when he hits a driver, at impact both heels are well off the ground, indicating how hard he hits the ball. It is not recommended to have the left heel off the ground at impact for right-handed players, since that makes it more difficult to be accurate and consistent; but it does show that he hits the ball very hard and thus long. But that will not be an advantage for Thomas next week.

Next week will be the first major of the shortened pro golf world’s season–the PGA Championship to be played at the famed public golf course Harding Park in the Bay Area of San Francisco. That is a fun golf course where the big bombers don’t have the edge since the fairways are narrow with so many beautiful evergreen, fir, and maybe cedar trees. The straight hitters will have the advantage there and those who can strategize their way around the park.

The much-loved television star Danny Thomas had his name on this tournament for many years because of his association with the St. Jude Hospital, known for its care of children, located there in Memphis. Today, another Thomas was a winner for St. Jude.

Incidentally, when I used to play in this tournament for many years, it put a smile on my face when I would think about how a hospital named after one of Jesus’ brothers was receiving proceeds from our tournament to help children.

St. Jude refers to the Letter of Jude in the Bible’s New Testament (NT). Danny Thomas was a Catholic, and Catholics are taught that Jesus’ mother, Mary, had only one child–Jesus. Non-Catholic Christians, such as myself, generally believe that Jesus was Mary’s first child but that she had several children after that and that the St. Jude in the NT was one of them, thus one of Jesus’ brothers. As regarding many things biblical, it all comes down to interpretation.

The Gospel of John says that later in Jesus’s ministry, he was being careful about attending Jewish festivals at Jerusalem since religious leaders “were looking for an opportunity to kill him” (Jn 7.1 NRSV). Then we read, “Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things [miracles, healings, exorcisms], show yourself to the world.’ For not even his brothers believed in him). . . . But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret” (vv. 2-5).

Were they Jesus’ blood brothers or merely his male disciples? All three synoptic NT gospels report about Jesus being in a house and that “while he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you'” (Matthew 12.46-47; cf. Mark 3.31; Luke 8.19-20). Jesus looked around at those listening to him and said of them, “Here are my mother and my brothers” (Mt 12.49).

Notice that the author author distinguishes between these “brothers” and them speaking to Jesus about his “disciples,” as if they are not his spiritual brothers since they distinguish them, his disciples, from themselves. So, they were not his disciples, at least prior to his death. See my post about this, “Jesus and His Unbelieving Relatives.”

If they were Jesus’ blood brothers, as these texts seems to say, how many were there and what were their names? Well, soon after that, the synoptic gospels also report concerning Jesus, “He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not his sisters with us?'” (Matthew 13.54-56; cf. Mark 6.1-6).

Golf

Brooks Koepka

Justin Thomas

Previous Post

July 30, 2020

Goodreads Bogus Review of Warrior from Heaven

Next Post

August 3, 2020 NASA and SpaceX Together Made History Today

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the oldest man recorded in Genesis?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Noah Methuselah Jared Enoch

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »