Here is a preview of the 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic which begins Thursday at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn.

• • •

• Who: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka headline this week’s field.
• What: 72-hole stroke play
• When: Thursday-Friday: 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
• Where: Par-70, 7,239 yard TPC Southwind.
• Why: Winner receives 500 FedEx Cup points and $1,116,000 winner’s purse.

What to Watch for

DUSTIN JOHNSON REDEMPTION?: Johnson has posted 11 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour since his agonizing loss at last year’s U.S. Open. But he’s still yet to win since that 72nd-hole demise. Maybe TPC Southwind is just what he needs? The 31-year-old withdrew from the event last year and only posted T-24 and T-10 finishes in 2014 and 2013, respectively. But he did win here back in 2012, and he must be motivated with another shot at the U.S. Open a week away. A win this week would mean Johnson’s 10th PGA Tour victory.

BATTLING FOR U.S. OPEN BERTHS: For players not yet in the U.S. Open, there is only one more way to qualify: finish the week in the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Ryan Palmer, Gary Woodland and Fabian Gomez, yes the defending champion this week, are the names to monitor here. All three sit outside the top 60 at the moment and need a good (or great) week at FedEx St. Jude to earn a spot at Oakmont. Palmer (62) is hoping to avoid missing out on the Open for the first time since 2012, while Woodland (64) has played in every Open but one (2013) since 2009. Gomez (68) would need something in the realm of the week he had in last year’s four-shot victory to qualify for Oakmont. But if he can get it done, he will earn his first U.S. Open trip.

GOMEZ AGAIN?:  Speaking of Gomez, we return to the scene of his breakout performance, that four-shot win that earned him his first PGA Tour victory. The Argentine has since tacked on another in winning the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. He enters this week in poor form, though, as he has gone T74-WD-CUT in his last three events. Then again, he missed two of his previous three cuts coming into last year’s FedEx St. Jude event. So, don’t count out an encore performance.

COLLEGE STARS DEBUT: The college class emerging from this season is certainly loaded, and this field reflects it. Heck, none of Golfweek‘s top 3 college players are at the FedEx St. Jude, and this is still exciting. Lee McCoy, Robby Shelton and Matthew NeSmtih all make their PGA Tour debuts as pros this week, as each embarks on his career. And it would be foolish, too, if you believe there’s no chance any of them contend at TPC Southwind. McCoy and Shelton posted top-5s in PGA Tour events as amateurs. NeSmith is slightly less heralded than that duo, but the former South Carolina golfer was formidable as a Gamecock and has earned a spot on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada for 2016. Again, don’t sleep on this trio this week.

PHILIP BARBAREE’S DEBUT, TOO: The reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion hasn’t had the greatest go of it of late, as he was cut before the final round of the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, withdrew after an opening-round 82 at the Thunderbird International and also bowed out before his U.S. Open sectional qualifier. But you never know when things can turn around, especially when you have Barbaree’s talent. This will be the 2017 LSU commit’s first PGA Tour start, which means some observers’ first look at one of the most promising juniors in the country. Considering his form at the moment, expectations may be tempered this week. Regardless, a player’s first start in a PGA Tour event is always special.