Course Guide: We have an advantage at the FedEx Cup Playoffs in 2024 as the first leg takes place at TPC Southwind – a course we have seen every year on the PGA Tour, going back to 1989. The FedEx St Jude Classic was played here up to 2018, with the WGC St Jude Invitational taking place here across 2019 (Champion: Brooks Koepka), 2020 (Champion: Justin Thomas) and 2021 (Champion: Abraham Ancer). 2022 saw FedEx get their tournament introduced as the 1st Leg of their title-sponsored PlayOffs.
A mid-score kind of course, due to its par of 70, its length, plenty of water in-play and small green complexes, it’s not only the course that’s difficult as sweltering temperatures in Memphis, allied to high humidity, traditionally turns this tournament into a bit of a grind. Bermuda rough at 2.5″ doesn’t help the scoring and Southwind also features 8 par-4s of over 450 yards, plus as a traditional Par 70 format, only 2 par-5s to take advantage of. 11 of the 18 holes also feature significant water hazards. Green complexes are small compared to course length and feature Champion Bermudagrass which aren’t to every player’s taste. You can also say the same about the Zoysiagrass fairways which many say promote flyers.
TPC Southwind, Germantown, Memphis, Tennessee: Designer Ron Pritchard 1987 with PGA Tour re-design 2004; Course Type: Mid-Score, Medium Length; Par: 70; Length: 7,243 yards; Number of Holes with Water In-Play: 11; Number of Sand Bunkers: 75; Acres of Fairway: 22; Fairways: Zeon Zoysiagrass; Rough: 419 Bermudagrass 3″; Greens: 4,300 sq.ft average featuring Champion Bermudagrass.
Course Scoring Average + PGA Tour Difficulty Rank:
- 2023: 68.64 (-1.36), Rank 37 of 50 courses
- 2022: 69.16 (-0.84), Rank 30 of 50 courses
- 2021: 69.05 (-0.95), Rank 32 of 51 courses
- 2020: 69.56 (-0.44), Rank 14 of 41 courses
- 2019: 69.50 (-0.50), Rank 24 of 49 courses
- 2018: 70.52 (+0.52), Rank of 11 of 51 courses
Fairway Widths (yards): Below are the fairway widths for TPC Southwind and how they compare to recent courses that we’ve seen on Tour:
- TPC Southwind: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:29; 300:28; 325:31; 350:25.
- Sedgefield CC: 250 yards from tee: 29 yards wide; 275:28; 300:26 325:23; 350:22.
- TPC Twin Cities: 250 yards from the tee: 38 yards wide; 275:38; 300:31; 325:30; 350:36.
- TPC Deere Run: 250 yards from tee: 41 yards wide; 275:40; 300:36 325:33; 350:30.
- Detroit Golf Club: 250 yards from tee: 34 yards wide; 275:34; 300:35 325:34; 350:33.
- TPC River Highlands: 250 yards from the tee: 38 yards wide; 275:36; 300:29; 325:29; 350:28.
- Pinehurst Number 2: Average 35-45 yards wide.
- Muirfield Village: 250 yards from the tee: 34 yards wide; 275:32; 300:28; 325:24; 350:27.
- Hamilton G&CC: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:29; 300:29; 325:27; 350:28.
- Colonial: Average 25-30 yards wide.
- Quail Hollow: 250 yards from tee: 33 yards wide; 275:32; 300:31; 325:30; 350:29.
- Harbour Town: 250 yards from tee: 29 yards wide; 275:26; 300:22; 325:26; 350:22.
- Oaks Course: 250 yards from tee: 33 yards wide; 275:34; 300:29; 325:27; 350:26.
- Memorial Park: 30–40 yards at 300 yards.
- Copperhead: 250 yards from the tee: 24 yards wide; 275:20; 300:21; 325:23 350:19.
- TPC Sawgrass: 250 yards from the tee: 31 yards wide; 275:32; 300:30; 325:28 350:20.
- Bay Hill: 250 yards from the tee: 32 yards wide; 275:33; 300:33; 325:39 350:29.
- PGA National: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:27; 300:25; 325:27 350:25.
- Riviera: 250 yards from the tee: 33 yards wide; 275:27; 300:26; 325:26 350:28.
- TPC Scottsdale: 250 yards from the tee: 33 yards wide; 275:30; 300:28; 325:27; 350:27.
- Pebble Beach: 250 yards from the tee: 33 yards wide; 275:33; 300:29; 325:30 350:26.
- Torrey Pines South: 250 yards from the tee: 26 yards wide; 275:27; 300:25; 325:24; 350:23.
- Pete Dye Stadium: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:27; 300:26; 325:26; 350:24.
- Waialae: 250 yards from the tee: 34 yards wide; 275:32; 300:34; 325:37; 350:34.
- Plantation Course: 250 yards from the tee: 59 yards wide; 275:61; 300:65; 325:60; 350:62.
Course Overview: TPC Southwind tends to play as a mid-score golf course with winning totals in the low- to mid-teens. Hitting the tight Zoysiagrass fairways on the right side is the real challenge of this set-up. And with the average winner’s rank for driving accuracy over the past 7 years being 23rd (across the FedEx St Jude Classic, WGC St Jude Invitational & FedEx St Jude Championship) – flagrant missing of fairways here is not tolerated if you are looking for the ultimate winner. With fairway widths averaging 25-28 yards wide at 300 yards carry, driving targets are fairly tight, especially as the 419 Bermudagrass rough here is gnarly 2.5” in length.
On the PGA Tour Zoysiagrass fairways also feature at East Lake (Tour Championship), Narashino CC (ZOZO Championship), the CJ Cup Byron Nelson venue TPC Craig Ranch (current), plus with previous host venue Trinity Forest, which was planted from tee to green with Zoysiagrass. These fairways also featured at the Atlanta Athletic Club (2011 PGA Championship; Bellerive Country Club (2018 PGA Championship) and Valhalla (May’s PGA Championship). Zoysia isn’t the most popular of fairway grasses with many players who claim the quirky grass promotes flyers.
The key to unlocking Southwind is a mixture of patience, aggression on the right holes and mastering of the Champion Bermudagrass putting surfaces which aren’t for the faint hearted. At 4,300 sq.ft. on average they are also some of the smallest on Tour. So any Greens in Regulation percentage better than 70% tends to be at the top of the charts. It’s all about being aggressive at the right times as purely grinding pars is not enough. Course length at 7,243 yards makes TPC Southwind as a 2 par-5, Par 70 set-up a pretty stern test.
The small green complexes feature Champion Bermudagrass. Across the recent PGA Tour schedule the only courses where Champion Bermudagrass greens feature are Congaree (2021 Palmetto Championship & 2022 CJ Cup), the Country Club of Jackson, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club (2024 Myrtle Beach Classic), Sedgefield Country Club and Quail Hollow (since the 2017 PGA Championship). You can also add to the list Pinehurst Number 2 which hosted this year’s U.S. Open also featured Champion.
FedEx Cup PlayOffs Event 1 Winners: 2023: Lucas Glover (-15); 2022: Will Zalatoris (-15); 2021: Tony Finau (-20); 2020: Dustin Johnson (-30); 2019: Patrick Reed (-16); 2018: Bryson DeChambeau (-18); 2017: Dustin Johnson (-13); 2016: Patrick Reed (-9); 2015: Jason Day (-19); 2014: Hunter Mahan (-14); 2013: Adam Scott (-11); 2012: Nick Watney (-10); 2011: Dustin Johnson (-19); 2010: Matt Kuchar (-12).
OWGR of FedEx Cup Event 1 Winners: 2023: Glover 53; 2022: Zalatoris 14; 2021: Finau 22; 2020: D Johnson 5; 2019: Reed 24; 2018: DeChambeau 21; 2017: D Johnson 1.
TPC Southwind Lead Score Progression:
- 2023: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -10; Round 3 -14; Round 4 -15.
- 2022: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -11; Round 3 -13; Round 4 -15.
- 2021: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -13; Round 3 -18; Round 4 -16.
- 2020: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -11; Round 3 -12; Round 4 -13.
- 2019: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -9; Round 3 -12; Round 4 -16.
- 2018: Round 1 -5; Round 2 -10; Round 3 -15; Round 4 -21.
Path to Victory: Below are the end of round positions for the winners of the FedEx St Jude Championship since 2021:
- 2023 – Lucas Glover: Round 1: 5th, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2022 – Will Zalatoris: Round 1: 86th, Round 2: 17th, Round 3: 3rd.
Shots From the Lead: Below are the FedEx St Jude Championship winners since 2021 and where they were positioned in terms of shots from the lead during the tournament:
- 2023 – Lucas Glover: Round 1: 1 ahead, Round 2: 1 ahead, Round 3: 3 back.
- 2022 – Will Zalatoris: Round 1: 2 back, Round 2: 5 back, Round 3: 9 back.
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Tournament Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg and Corey Conners.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time, using the variables listed on the left hand side.
FedEx Cup PlayOff Event 1 Winning Prices: 2023: Glover 70/1; 2022: Zalatoris 28/1; 2021: Finau 60/1; 2020: D Johnson 20/1; 2019: Reed 55/1; 2018: DeChambeau 100/1; 2017: D Johnson 14/1; 2016: Reed 50/1; 2015: Day 10/1; 2014: Mahan 50/1; 2013: Scott 16/1; 2012: Watney 70/1; 2011: D Johnson 35/1; 2010: Kuchar 40/1. Past 5 Renewals Average: 47/1; Overall Average: 41/1.
Historical Weather:
- 2023: Thursday: Morning showers followed by cloudy skies. High of 82. Wind SSE 6-12 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy, hot and humid. High of 94. Wind SW 10-15 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy, hot and humid with intermittent showers. High of 91. Wind WSW 7-14 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy, hot and humid. High of 93. Wind SW 5-14 mph. Preferred lies were in effect in final round. Play was suspended due to inclement weather at 12:46 p.m. CT and resumed at 12:23 p.m. CT (suspension of 1 hour, 37 minutes).
- 2022: Thursday: Light rain in the morning with chance of afternoon showers. High of 88. Wind NNE 6-12 mph. Lift, Clean & Place In-Play. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 91. Wind NNE 10-15 mph. Lift, Clean & Place In-Play. Saturday: Mostly sunny. High of 89. Wind NNE 5-10 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High of 94. Wind WSW 7-12 mph.
- 2021: Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 89. Wind NW 4-8 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 89. Wind S 4-8 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 91. Wind SW 4-8 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High of 93. Wind SW 10-15 mph.
- 2020: Thurs: Partly sunny with intermittent showers. High of 91. Wind SW 12-16 mph, with gusts to 20 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 88. Wind SW 12-17 mph, with gusts to 23 mph. Due to expected inclement weather, tee times were moved to 7-9 a.m. CT. Saturday: Cloudy with early morning showers. High of 79. Wind W/NW 10-15 mph. Due to expected inclement weather, tee times were moved to threesomes off of both tees from 10 a.m. – noon CT. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High of 86. Wind WSW 5-10 mph.
- 2019: Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 84. Wind NE 6-12 mph. Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 87. Wind SSW 4-8 mph. Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 89. Wind SSW 5-10 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy, with a high of 90. Wind S 5-10 mph.
- 2018: Thursday: Sunny. High of 91. Wind SE 4-8 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 93. Wind S 5-10 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 93. Wind SW 6-12 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High of 93. Wind SW 8-15 mph.
- 2017: Weather: Thursday: Clear skies in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon with a high of 80. Wind NNE 5-10 mph. Friday: Mostly sunny with a high of 84. Wind SSW 3-7 mph. Saturday: Mostly sunny with a high of 88. Wind SSW 8-12 mph with gusts of 15 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy with a high of 89. Wind S 8-12 with gusts of 15 mph.
Weather Forecast: Latest weather forecast for Germantown, Tennessee is here.
As ever here in Memphis expect crazily hot, humid conditions with 35-38 Celsius – 95 -100 Fahrenheit. With such heat, expect roll on the fairways and watered greens. They may well try and get the greens to release slightly on the weekend. Wind in general is pretty much non-existent on Thursday and Sunday, with 15-20mph south-westerly (Friday) and north-westerly (Saturday), keeping the best on the PGA Tour honest.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the Travelers Championship / KLM Dutch Open which includes both PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
- Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Cameron Young; 2) Hideki Matsuyama; 3) Viktor Hovland; 4) Davis Thompson; 5) Austin Eckroat; 6) Scottie Scheffler; 7) Rory McIlroy; 8) Russell Henley; 9) Tommy Fleetwood / Collin Morikawa / Jhonattan Vegas; 12) Max Greyserman / Tom Kim; 14) Si Woo Kim / Shane Lowry; 16) Ludvig Aberg / Robert MacIntyre; 18) Seamus Power / Patrick Rodgers; 20) Adam Hadwin / Jordan Spieth; 22) Keegan Bradley / Sungjae Im / Taylor Pendrith / Adam Scott.
- Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Shane Lowry; 3) Russell Henley / Xander Schauffele; 5) Collin Morikawa; 6) Patrick Cantlay / Ben Griffin; 8) Corey Conners; 9) Jhonattan Vegas; 10) Ludvig Aberg; 11) Sepp Straka; 12) Tom Hoge / Billy Horschel; 14) Tony Finau; 15) Taylor Pendrith; 16) Tommy Fleetwood; 17) Eric Cole; 18) Cameron Young; 19) Byeong Hun An; 20) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Chris Kirk / Nick Taylor; 23) Nick Dunlap / Emiliano Grillo; 25) Brian Harman.
- Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Cameron Davis; 2) Patrick Cantlay; 3) Scottie Scheffler; 4) Hideki Matsuyama; 5) Adam Scott; 6) Cameron Young; 7) Sam Burns / Rory McIlroy; 9) Brendon Todd; 10) Jason Day / Sungjae Im; 12) Eric Cole; 13) Min Woo Lee; 14) Mackenzie Hughes; 15) Chris Kirk / Denny McCarthy / Nick Taylor; 18) Byeong Hun An; 19) Xander Schauffele; 20) Alex Noren; 21) Corey Conners / Patrick Rodgers; 23) Justin Thomas / Davis Thompson; 25) Russell Henley.
- Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Cameron Young; 3) Shane Lowry; 4) Russell Henley; 5) Patrick Cantlay / Collin Morikawa / Xander Schauffele; 8) Hideki Matsuyama / Jhonattan Vegas; 10) Corey Conners; 11) Taylor Pendrith; 12) Adam Scott; 13) Ludvig Aberg; 14) Sungjae Im; 15) Sepp Straka; 16) Chris Kirk / Rory McIlroy; 18) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Jason Day / Tommy Fleetwood / Max Greyserman; 22) Billy Horschel / Robert MacIntyre / Aaron Rai; 25) Tom Hoge.
- Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Wyndham Clark; 2) Mackenzie Hughes; 3) Sungjae Im / Xander Schauffele / Adam Scott; 6) Jason Day; 7) Sam Burns / Tony Finau; 9) Matt Fitzpatrick; 10) Eric Cole / Taylor Moore; 12) Victor Perez; 13) Aaron Rai / Patrick Rodgers; 15) Max Greyserman; 16) Brendon Todd; 17) Justin Thomas; 18) Corey Conners; 19) Max Homa; 20) Byeong Hun An / Davis Thompson; 22) Austin Eckroat / Collin Morikawa; 24) Russell Henley; 25) Thomas Detry.
- Top 25 SG Total: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Xander Schauffele; 3) Sungjae Im / Collin Morikawa; 5) Patrick Cantlay; 6) Max Greyserman; 7) Adam Scott; 8) Corey Conners / Cameron Young; 10) Jason Day; 11) Eric Cole / Aaron Rai; 13) Russell Henley / Patrick Rodgers; 15) Davis Thompson; 16) Mackenzie Hughes / Shane Lowry; 18) Victor Perez; 19) Taylor Pendrith; 20) Byeong Hun An / Sam Burns; 22) Jhonattan Vegas; 23) Ludvig Aberg / Tommy Fleetwood; 25) Seamus Power.
For a summary of the Strokes Gained Performances from this week’s field here at TPC Southwind click here.
Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the Wyndham Championship winners here at TPC Southwind since 2016 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this Par 70:
Strokes Gained Tournament Trends:
- 2023, Lucas Glover (-15). SG Off the Tee: 33rd, SG Approach: 16th, SG Around the Green: 6th, SG Tee to Green: 4th, SG Putting: 12th.
- 2022, Will Zalatoris (-15). SG Off the Tee: 18th, SG Approach: 1st, SG Around the Green: 42nd, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 25th.
- 2021, Abraham Ancer (-16). SG Off the Tee: 16th, SG Approach: 5th, SG Around the Green: 4th, SG Tee to Green: 4th, SG Putting: 10th.
- 2020, Justin Thomas (-13). SG Off the Tee: 16th, SG Approach: 2nd, SG Around the Green: 4th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 55th.
- 2019, Brooks Koepka (-16). SG Off the Tee: 5th, SG Approach: 11th, SG Around the Green: 54th, SG Tee to Green: 6th, SG Putting: 1st.
- 2018, Dustin Johnson (-19). SG Off the Tee: 4th, SG Approach: 2nd, SG Around the Green: 14th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 12th.
- 2017, Daniel Berger (-10). SG Off the Tee: 2nd, SG Approach: 12th, SG Around the Green: 10th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 44th.
Strokes Gained Tournament Skill Averages:
- SG Off the Tee: 13th, SG Approach: 7th, SG Around the Green: 19th, SG Tee to Green: 8th, SG Putting: 12th.
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of the winners here at TPC Southwind since 2017 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this test:
- 2023, Lucas Glover (-15). 301 yards (37th), 64.3% fairways (12th), 63.9% greens in regulation (37th), 26’10” proximity to hole (4th), 88.5 % scrambling (1st), 1.72 putts per GIR (36th).
- 2022, Will Zalatoris (-15). 321 yards (3rd), 58.9% fairways (34th), 70.8% greens in regulation (8th), 30’4″ proximity to hole (24th), 76.2 % scrambling (7th), 1.63 putts per GIR (6th).
- 2021, Abraham Ancer (-16). 296 yards (57th), 67.9% fairways (10th), 70.8% greens in regulation (5th), 31’9″ proximity to hole (27th), 85.7 % scrambling (1st), 1.67 putts per GIR (15th).
- 2020, Justin Thomas (-13). 296 yards (44th), 69.6% fairways (10th), 70.8% greens in regulation (7th), 25’8″ proximity to hole (1st), 76.2% scrambling (6th), 1.75 putts per GIR (45th).
- 2019, Brooks Koepka (-16). 309 yards (4th), 66.1% fairways (9th), 69.4% greens in regulation (8th), 30’10” proximity to hole (14th), 90.9% scrambling (1st), 1.62 putts per GIR (7th).
- 2018, Dustin Johnson (-19). 320 yards (3rd), 53.6% fairways (36th), 68.1% greens in regulation (10th), 26’6″ proximity to hole (3rd), 78.3% scrambling (4th), 1.59 putts per GIR (2nd).
- 2017, Daniel Berger (-10). 305 yards (14th), 55.4% fairways (36th), 68.1% greens in regulation (10th), proximity to hole 29’0″ (8th), 65.2 % scrambling (38th), 1.69 putts per GIR (21st).
Tournament Skill Averages:
- Driving Distance: 23rd, Driving Accuracy: 21st, Greens in Regulation: 12th, Proximity to Hole: 12th, Scrambling: 8th, Putting Average 19th.
Let’s take a view from players as to how TPC Southwind sets up and what skill sets the course favours:
Lucas Glover (2023): ” Solid. I hit the ball nice. Didn’t make as many putts as I have been. But 66, nothing to be that upset about. Just a little bit off on my reads. If I would have read the greens a little better, it would have been one of those kind of career days. I hit it good enough for some low in the 60s, just didn’t make anything. I like the course. It usually plays firm and fast and it’s a little more difficult. But pretty soft out there right now. But I just like it. It should be difficult, but not today. It was soft-soft. There were a couple of places, not myself but guys in my group had a hard time finding relief, casual water. My only bogey on 6, I slipped on the tee and hit it 240 yards over in the hay. It was pretty wet, and getting from tee to ball to green was really wet.
You see these downhill, downgrainers that in the past you feel like you could putt off the green, and you’ve got to hit them now, and it’s hard to just mentally get over that hump of I can be firm with this one even though it’s downgrain, downhill. I had a few of those today. I just read them perfect and left them right in the mouth short, but that’s just from experience here from the past.
Just for clarification, driver on 17, 3-wood 18. But yeah, I don’t miss left often, so when I do, I try not to really overthink it. I’ve always been a drawer, so my miss is usually right, as we saw on 14. But on the corner of that bunker where I hit it, it’s only 242 cover downwind with a 3-wood. That’s no problem.
I just told myself, you’ve got the club that puts it in the widest part of the fairway and can’t go through on the right, covers on the left on that corner, so it was just focus on good rhythm off the ball. That’s my key anytime there’s nerves or anytime it’s high pressure, I get fast in the backswing, so it’s just a little slower off of it and let it ride.”
Will Zalatoris (2022): “Yeah, I think yesterday might have been some of the worst luck I think I’ve had my entire professional career. I got a stretch of three plugged balls in bunkers in four holes. I knew I was due for some good breaks. I putted really nicely today, made a lot of up-and-downs. I think I had 23 or 24 putts today, so putted nicely. I made a lot of putts from 10 to 15 feet. Typically I’m going to have more opportunities than any guys out here due to my ball-striking, but taking advantage of those are typically when I have rounds like today.
You know, I love playing this place. I played well here last year and got some good vibes running around this place. Yeah, I think the big thing about this place is honestly, it’s having Zoysia fairways where you’re always going to have a good lie. The example I can give you from last week (Wyndham Championship), Bermuda, it’s soft, the ball can kind of sit down in the fairway and it’s tough to get the right distance and judge it from there. So this week it’s like practically hitting it off a tee a few times. Like I said, you’ve got to avoid the bunkers this week because, like I said, I’ve seen nine plugs in three days, so just got to avoid them at all costs.”
Abraham Ancer (2021): ” Yeah, very solid off the tee and iron play as well, rolled the ball really good. I wasn’t really thinking about that. That’s always my goal, to be bogey-free when I tee it up. Makes me kind of simplify every hole and just get me hitting greens is the biggest goal and then from there I just focus obviously on my putting. Happy that I got a round like that under my belt here. This is a very demanding golf course off the tee and also with iron play. I know it wasn’t playing as tough as it could be just because it was a little softer and not very windy, but still you have to hit your spots, for sure.”
“Yeah, I don’t mind being aggressive here. The greens are soft enough and it’s not blowing that much that you can attack, which normally I feel like it’s a little bit of more wind and maybe a little bit firmer in a way that you have to maybe stay away from those aggressive lines. Yeah, I like it. I love the golf course, I feel good off the tee and coming into the greens on the second shots, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and just got to take it deep.”
Justin Thomas (2020): “I find this place very similar to East Lake to where if you drive it well, if you hit the fairways, it’s not a very difficult golf course. You have a pretty good amount of short irons and some wedges to where you can control your distance into the greens. Because it’s so important to be putting from below the hole or on the correct side versus when you get in the rough, you’re going to get a lot of flyers or it’s going to be sitting so bad where you can’t get it to the green and you’re trying to get up and down. It’s a place I think off the tee is extremely important because from there you can manage the course pretty well. when you get out of position, you’re really just trying to minimize your damage and not make a big number.”
“Yeah, it’s nice. This place reminds me a lot of East Lake where if you hit the fairways, it’s not a very hard golf course, it’s all right in front of you, you can make a lot of birdies, but if you don’t, you’re grinding. Rough isn’t as high here as it usually is and it’s not as firm, but you can still see some of the scores that are being shot, it’s still a tough golf course and you have to have control of your ball and hopefully that will be a good test going into next week for the PGA.”
“I just felt like I couldn’t get the ball to the hole. These greens are so good and they’re so true that I think they look faster than they are. They’re still fast, but they look lightning. As fast as they are down grain, they’re not very fast into the grain and uphill. So many putts where I was kind of falling in love with the line and they were just kind of coming off low and not as hard as I wanted to hit them.”
Brooks Koepka (2019): “There’s a bunch of tough holes here. If you’re going to put it in the rough out here, you’re going to have some problems. Nine’s a difficult hole if you’re not going to put it in the fairway, the way that green’s set. There’s quite a few holes where if you don’t put it in the fairway, you’ve got to carry some water in the front of the green. And the Bermuda rough, it sits down, it could jump 40 yards or it could come out dead and you’re right in the middle of the lake, dropping. It makes it very challenging.”
“I like the back nine. I think the back nine, it will test you. If your ball-striking’s on, I think you can shoot a low one, I think you can shoot four, five under no problem. If not, if you’re not hitting the fairways, I think you very easily could shoot two over, but that’s the sign of a great golf course. Twelve, tough driving hole, and at the same time it’s just awkward enough. You get the ball below your feet, a little downhill lie to a green. I feel like that green’s always been difficult for me to hit. I don’t know if it is for other guys, but for me that’s always been a difficult one.”
“Yeah, you’ve just got to hit fairways on this golf course. You put it in the rough and you’re going to have a difficult time. It’s all about positioning yourself off the tee. These greens are so good, anything inside 10 feet you’re expecting to make. You have so many wedges, too, so if you can just drive it in the fairway, you’re going to have a lot of good looks.”
“Yeah, I loved this golf course the first time I played it. I think it’s been really solid and it’s been a fun track for me to play. These greens are so pure. I love a golf course with good greens, it’s going to challenge you. It really forces you to play position golf off the tee and I like that.”
Dustin Johnson (2018): “Yeah, I really like this golf course, it’s in really good shape. I think it sets up well for me. It’s all about hitting the fairways. You’ve just got to hit it in the fairways and hit it on the correct side of the fairways. I don’t get to hit a lot of drivers, but that’s okay, the golf course is tough and you’ve got to control your distance coming into the greens and you’ve got to hit quality golf shots if you want to hit a good score out here.
“Yeah, when I’m playing well the ball moves left to right all the time, and right now it is and I felt like I’m swinging good so I’ve got a lot of confidence in my swing. ”
Daniel Berger (2017): “This golf course is playing tougher than last year. You just have to hit it in the fairway, otherwise it’s difficult to get it close and as the week goes on, its going to get firmer and faster so it will be even tougher. As a group we made some birdies early, but the momentum fizzled out. That was mainly because we didn’t hit enough fairways on the back-9.” Daniel Berger (2016): “My speed control has been great. The greens feel like I’m just at home and, you know, I love the Bermuda and I don’t even read grain here. I just look at it and see it and it’s just from years and years of putting on it. It’s nice to kind of get two grind-out pars on last two holes. It’s the hardest course I’ve ever played in my life. It’s just extremely long and extremely penalizing. The greens are very slopey. You have 10-footers that break four, five feet. Speed control is going to be huge, and fairways.”
Incoming form of first FedEx Cup Playoff winners since 2010:
- Lucas Glover: 1st Wyndham/MC 3M Open/5th Barbasol/4th Rocket.
- Will Zalatoris: 21st Wyndham/20th Rocket/28th Open/MC Scottish Open.
- Tony Finau: 34th WGC St Jude/28th 3M Open/15th Open/MC Memorial.
- Dustin Johnson: 2nd PGA/12th St Jude/WD 3M Open/MC Memorial.
- Patrick Reed: 22nd Wyndham/12th St Jude/10th Open/23rd 3M Open.
- Bryson DeChambeau: MC PGA/30th Bridgestone/13th European Open/51st Open.
- Dustin Johnson: 13th PGA/17th Bridgestone/8th Canada/ 54th Open.
- Patrick Reed: 22nd Wyndham/11th Olympics /11th Travelers/13th PGA.
- Jason Day: 1st PGA/12th Bridgestone/1st Canada/4th Open.
- Hunter Mahan: 7th PGA/15th Bridgestone/MC Canada/32nd Open.
- Adam Scott: 5th PGA/14th Bridgestone/3rd Open/57th Quicken National.
- Nick Watney: 31st Wyndham/MC PGA/19th Bridgestone/23rd Open.
- Dustin Johnson: MC PGA/48th Bridgestone/6th Nordea/2nd Open.
- Matt Kuchar: 10th PGA/9th Bridgestone/21st Greenbrier/4th Canada
First Round Leader Analysis: First round leader(s), their wave and winning score since 2010. Full First Round Leader stats are here.
- 2023 – Spieth – Group 4 Off #1 -7/63 – 35/1.
- 2022 – Si Woo Kim/Spaun – Both AM -8/62 – 100/1 & 200/1.
- 2021 – Rahm/Thomas – Both PM -8/63 – 22/1 & 45/1.
- 2020 – Davis/English/Henley/Streelman – 1AM/3PM -8/62 – 100/1, /80/1, 80/1, 100/1.
- 2019 – Merritt – AM -9/62 – 125/1.
- 2018 – Lovemark/O’Hair/V Taylor/Tway – 3AM/1PM -5/66 – 125/1, 200/1, 175/1, 125/1.
- 2017 – Henley – AM -6/64 – 125/1.
- 2016 – Laird/Reed – Both AM -5/66.
- 2015 – Finau/Levin/Villegas/Watson – 3AM/1PM -5/65.
- 2014 – Van Pelt – PM -6/65.
- 2013 – Stadler – AM -7/64.
- 2012 – Harrington – AM -7/64.
- 2011 – Kuchar – PM -8/63.
- 2010 – Taylor/Woods – Both AM -6/65.
For the record, here’s the breakdown of Bermudagrass PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
- 10 – Rory McIlroy.
- 8 – Scottie Scheffler.
- 6 – Justin Thomas.
- 5 – Jordan Spieth.
- 4 – Sam Burns, Jason Day, Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk, Si Woo Kim.
- 3 – Xander Schauffele.
- 2 – Patrick Cantlay, Harris English, Russell Henley, Mackenzie Hughes, Peter Malnati, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Nick Taylor.
- 1 – Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia, Keegan Bradley, Wyndham Clark, Corey Conners, Nick Dunlap, Austin Eckroat, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Hadwin, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Stephan Jaeger, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama, Taylor Moore, Collin Morikawa, J.T. Poston, Seamus Power, Aaron Rai, Sepp Straka, Brendon Todd, Jhonattan Vegas, Will Zalatoris.
The President’s Cup will have an impact across both the FedEx St Jude Championship and the BMW Championship next week. Automatic qualification is available into both the International and United States teams, with 6 automatic spots. Automatic selection spots will complete after the BMW Championship, with Mike Weir and Jim Furyk announcing their captain picks post-Tour Championship.
It’s noticeable that Lucas Glover (not picked by Zach Johnson despite winning back-to-back PGA Tour events), Patrick Cantlay (was ranked in the final Ryder Cup automatic spot arriving at FedEx St Jude), Will Zalatoris (finished 7th in qualification after winning the St Jude Invitational and would have been selected as a Captain’s Pick before injury), Tony Finau (made Ryder Cup as a Captain’s Pick), Patrick Reed (made Presidents Cup as a Captain’s Pick), Abraham Ancer (made Presidents Cup as an automatic selection, after finishing runner-up at Northern Trust), Bryson DeChambeau (made Ryder Cup as a Captain’s Pick), Tony Finau (made Ryder Cup as a Captain’s Pick), Jhonattan Vegas (entered tournament at position 9 in President’s Cup rankings), Patrick Reed (made Ryder Cup Captain’s Pick), Hunter Mahan (made Ryder Cup Captain’s Pick), Graham Delaet (made President’s Cup), Nick Watney (failed) and Brandt Snedeker (made Ryder Cup Captain’s Pick) across the past 12 opening FedEx Cup Playoff events (excepting 2020 for obvious reasons) all produced late charges to make their respective Ryder Cup / President’s Cup teams.
In terms of other factors to look out for, the initial FedEx Cup Playoff tournament since the FedEx Cup Playoffs have only encompassed 3 legs has been won by players ranked 50th (2019), 15th (2020), 23rd (2021), 12th (2022) and 49th (2023) going into the tournament. Will Zalatoris broke the mould in 2022 by winning this event as a Tour maiden. Previous to that all Barclays/Northern Trust/FedEx St Jude winners in the Playoff era had been PGA Tour event winners.
