Rory McIlroy passes out bobbleheads disgorged from a robot on the 9th green during a day of practice rounds at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind on Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (Jim Weber/Daily Memphian)
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Live updates from WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
By The Daily Memphian Staff Updated: July 28, 2019 5:58 PM CT | Published: July 23, 2019 12:10 PM CT
This marks a huge week in the history of Memphis golf. The WGC-St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind brings the best field to town and we will use this space to bring you the latest goings-on from our reporters. We hope you'll come back often to see what's going on and to find out the latest news.
We're all done here
5:45 p.m.: Brooks Koepka coming off a 5-under 65 that led him to the title in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational is in the media room talking about what St. Jude Children's Research Hospital means to him.
It will be the final act of a great week for Koepka, who has been a bit under the weather.
"It doesn't affect how I hit the golf ball," said Koepka, who coughed into his elbow before the answering the question. "I didn't feel well. People go to work sick all the time."
The victory pretty much means he'll enter the FedEx Cup playoffs as the No. 1 player, matching his world golf ranking.
And doing it here is special.
"This place has always been special to me with FedEx being here, St. Jude here," he said. "It's always been a fun place for me to come. I probably know this course better than any course on Tour."
-- Gary Robinson
And over across the pond
Since Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy have spent the past hour making pars, let's look at the British Senior Open, the site of Doug Barron's first senior (PGA) moment.
Josh Whitehead, director of the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning and Development (right), goes over old records with Kraus Model Cleaners president Jack Scharff for his Crème de Memph blog. Whitehead was touring the nearly century-old building, which will be the topic for the 269th entry of the blog. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
Crème de Memph: Planner mines for the joy, quirks in what Memphis has built
By Tom Bailey Updated: July 25, 2019 12:50 PM CT | Published: July 22, 2019 4:00 AM CT
The planning director for Memphis and Shelby County is touring the Kraus Model Cleaners building, the nearly century-old structure that curves with its street frontage and offers a large, built-in porte-cochere for drive-up customers.
Josh Whitehead takes photos with his iPhone as company president Jack Scharff leads him from room to room.
Whitehead snaps images of the old machinery, of the new mural on an exterior wall, of old newspaper clippings Scharff shows him, and even inspirational wall signs – "The race for quality has no finish line" – for the 17 employees to see.
"I'm a sucker for signs," Whitehead says with the kind of smile and laughter that comprise much of his character.
Whitehead is not on official business. The zoning case allowing the laundry plant to operate in a commercial district at 1023 Linden (now Dr. MLK Jr. Avenue) was settled 92 years ago.
Instead, this visit is part of Whitehead's hobby. The Kraus Model Cleaners building will be the topic for the 269th entry of Crème de Memph.
That's his photo-filled blog dedicated not just to the design and history of the city's built environment, but to finding and presenting stories from old zoning cases the way a favorite professor or minister can make lectures and sermons come alive.
'Evelyn Brunner Montesi'
For example, Whitehead read in the news last January that a furniture business would fill the recently closed Montesi's grocery building at 3362 Summer in Highland Heights.
That development triggered his research for a Crème de Memph post related to an East Memphis home that was owned by a Montesi family member. The mid-century modern house on Perkins Extended, immediately north of Laurelwood Shopping Center, has a Japanese-inspired roofline, shaggy yard and tragic history.
Josh Whitehead's photo-filled blog is dedicated not just to the design and history of the city's built environment, but to finding and presenting stories from old zoning cases."There is no place in the world like Memphis," Whitehead said. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)