Tournament History

The tournament now known as the FedEx St. Jude Classic was founded in 1958 as the Memphis Open by seven Memphis businessmen who hatched their plan in the grill at the old Colonial Country Club in East Memphis.

The inaugural event had an initial purse of $20,000, with Billy Maxwell collecting $2,800 for his win in the first Memphis Open. The founders had little idea that their creation would one day become the $5.2 million national event it is today.

The founders of the tournament incorporated their small organization in 1960 as Youth Programs, Inc., an entity whose sole purpose was to sponsor a professional golf tournament and raise funds for youth-oriented charities. That same year they also changed the name of the event to the Memphis Invitational Open.

Steady growth followed through December 1969, when entertainer Danny Thomas agreed to lend his name and influence to the event. The first Danny Thomas Memphis Classic (DTMC) was played in 1970. Danny became the tournament's honorary chairman and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital became the event's sole charity. Dave Hill won the first DTMC and earned a champion's check of $30,000 from the $150,000 purse. Hill would ultimately win four times at Memphis.

Colonial Country Club - and the Memphis tournament - moved to Cordova, Tenn., on the eastern edge of Shelby County, before the start of the 1972 tournament. Lee Trevino claimed victory in the first tournament played at the new par-72 layout. It was his second straight victory in the DTMC. The "Merry Mex" won the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic for the third time in 1980. In 1977, the eyes of the entire sports world focused on Memphis. President Gerald Ford, who had just left office earlier that year, started the week off with "the shot heard round the world," a hole-in-one on the fifth hole during Wednesday's Celebrity Pro-Am.

But the loudest noise was made by soft-spoken PGA TOUR veteran Al Geiberger on Friday, June 10. The lanky Californian accomplished what Sports Illustrated called "one of the most significant athletic achievements of the century" when he shot a 59 on the longest course on the PGA TOUR. The 13-under-par round still stands as a PGA TOUR record, even though Chip Beck tied the mark at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational.

In 1985, Danny Thomas and tournament officials decided to put more emphasis on St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and changed the name to the St. Jude Memphis Classic. One year later, in 1986, FedEx Corporation became the tournament's title sponsor, and the newly named Federal Express St. Jude Classic ascended to a new plateau in professional sports. Tournament donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital skyrocketed as a result of the overall support of Federal Express. Contributions to the research center passed the $4.9-million mark in 1992 - 22 years after Danny Thomas became associated with the event.

Since 1970, the hospital has received almost $14.7 million from the tournament, and more than $13.3 million of that has come since FedEx became the title sponsor in 1986.

The second move in the tournament's history occurred in 1989 when the tournament moved to its new home - the magnificent Tournament Players Club at Southwind.

Danny Thomas, the tournament's honorary chairman and guiding light for 21 years, died in February 1991. That year's Federal Express St. Jude Classic was held in his memory.

The tournament changed its name and logo in 1995 to the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

For more information about this special event, please contact FedEx St. Jude Classic.