FedEx returns as St. Jude Classic sponsor

MEMPHIS, TENN. (AP) - FedEx is returning as the title sponsor for the 2011 St. Jude Classic in Memphis and a multi-year sponsorship commitment is in the works, the PGA Tour said Thursday.

Next year’s event will be called the FedEx St. Jude Classic and is scheduled for June 6-12 at TPC Southwind, according to the 2011 schedule released by the PGA Tour.

“We continue to focus on a multi-year commitment to assure the tournament’s future success in Memphis,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement.

Memphis-based FedEx served as the title sponsor for the tournament for 21 years, until 2006.

Stanford Financial Group served as title sponsor after FedEx, until the reference to Stanford was dropped in 2009 due to a federal fraud investigation of the company.

Smith & Nephew, a global medical technology company, stepped in this year as a presenting sponsor for the PGA Tour’s third-longest running event, dating back to 1958.

The event benefits St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, also based in Memphis.

FedEx, the world’s second-largest package delivery company, also sponsors the FedExCup, which is given every year to the PGA Tour’s champion.

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AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson in Thousand Oaks, Calif., contributed to this report

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