Koepka, Thomas commit to WGC

More star power is coming to the WGC-FEDEX St. Jude Invitational.

Brooks Koepka, the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, and Justin Thomas, the defending Wgc-invitational champion and No. 7-ranked golfer in the world, have committed to play in the Memphis tournament scheduled for July 25-28 at TPC Southwind.

Tommy Fleetwood, who is ranked No. 20 in the world, also has committed.

Koepka's and Thomas' commitments mean that Memphis will have seven of the world's top 10 players in the field, in

cluding Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose , Bryson Dechambeau, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

Koepka won his second consecutive PGA Championship in May and finished second in the U.S. Open in June, just three strokes shy of winning the major for a third consecutive year.

Last year, he tied for 30th at the Fedex St. Jude Classic.

"It’s always a great spot to go back to. It’s a place that I hold dear to my heart,” Koepka said in a statement. “It’s a special place, everything that St. Jude does for the kids, and to be able to go to the hospital and spend time with them, it’s incredible to see the smiles on their faces especially through what they’re going through."

Thomas, the two-time defending PGA Tour money winner, won the Wgc-invitational last year when it was held in Akron, Ohio, and known as the Wgc-bridgestone Invitational.

2017 was Thomas' breakout year as he became the youngest golfer on the PGA Tour to shoot a 59. He also won his first major at the PGA Championship and finished the season with five wins while being named Fedex Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year.

In 2018, Thomas was ranked No. 1 in the world for four months until Dustin Johnson surpassed him following Johnson's win at the Fedex St. Jude Classic.

"I'm excited to get there, especially for a WGC," Thomas said on a teleconference with reporters. "I've always watched the tournament on TV and it looks like a fun little course. It rewards good golf and penalizes bad golf, which I think is great."

Fleetwood has four top-10 finishes in 13 starts on the PGA Tour this season. He appeared on the European Ryder Cup team last year and will make his first start in Memphis.

You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com