This week’s FedExCup Playoffs start with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Memphis has hosted a PGA TOUR event each year since 1958. Tony Finau will defend his title from last year’s FedExCup opening after winning back-toback TOUR titles. FIELD NOTES – The FedExCup’s top 125 players will be playing at TPC Southwind. They also return to action on TOUR… Cameron Smith is one of the participants who will play for the first time since his win at The Open at St. Andrews. The Claret Jug winner was defeated by Finau in a playoff at Liberty National Golf Club last year. Scottie Scheffler also won the World Golf Championship at TPC Southernwind last year. Cameron Smith is one of those who will be playing for the first time since winning the Open at St. Andrews. Cantlay seeks to be the FedExCup’s first back-to back champ… TOUR rookie Cameron Young is ninth in the FedExCup standings. After an impressive maiden TOUR campaign, which featured seven top-3 finishes, including a runner up at The Open and T3 in the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler heads into Memphis ranked fifth in the FedExCup Standings. Hideki Matsuyama (who lost in a playoff at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind) and Burns, and will be back hoping for more magic in Memphis. Matsuyama and Burns are the Nos. The FedExCup standings are at Nos. 3 and 10. Matsuyama and Burns have won three of their season’s games… Keep your eyes on Daniel Berger this week. Berger, projected at 79th in FedExCup standings loves TPC Southwind. He won it in 2016 and 2017, and was T2 in 2017 and T5 in 2018. The event was elevated to a World Golf Championship. Justin Thomas is currently eighth in the FedExCup standings. The FedExCup Playoffs’ first event is scheduled for Sunday. Ry McIlroy is trying to become the third FedExCup champion. He is ranked sixth in the FedExCup. FEDEXCUP. Winner gets 2,000 FedExCup Points. COURSE: TPC Southwind, par 70, 7,243 yards. In 1988, Ron Prichard’s design was created with Hubert Green (player consultant) and Fuzzy Zeller (player consultant). TPC Southwind hosted the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time. There are Bermuda greens and a lot of streams, lakes, and ponds. The course also has undulating fairways made from zoysia. The course scored an average score of almost 1-under during the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational last year, which was 69.05. STORYLINES – The FedEx St. Jude Championship marks the start of three FedExCup Playoff events… Only 70 golfers will continue to the BMW Championship after the FedEx St. Jude Championship… There has never been a FedExCup winner in consecutive years. Patrick Cantlay, last season’s winner is poised to take on Memphis as No. 5. Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Tiger Woods are only two FedExCup winners…The FedExCup winner will be paid $18 million… Tony Finau’s summertime sizzle is also possible. Finau is determined to be the FedExCup Playoffs’ first successful defender of his title. He has won the 3M Open as well as the Rocket Mortgage Classic in consecutive weeks. Since Brendon Todd in 2019, Finau was the first TOUR golfer to win two consecutive weeks. 72-HOLE RECORD: 254, Dustin Johnson (2020 – TPC Boston) TPC SOUTHWIND RECORD: 264, Brooks Koepka (2019), Abraham Ancer (2021), Hideki Matsuyama (2021), Sam Burns (2021). 18-HOLE REGORD: 60, Dustin Johnson (Second Round, 2020 – TPC Boston). TPC SOUTHWIND Record: 61 Tom Lewis (Third Round, 2020), Bob Estes (1st round, 2001), Jay Delsing (4th round 1993). LAST TIME: Tony Finau broke a five-year drought of winless golf to win last season’s FedExCup Playoffs opening round in extra holes over Cameron Smith. Finau made a 5-under run to Nos. To climb the leaderboard, Finau played a 5-under run through Nos. 12-16. To make it 20-under for this week, he hit a 6-footer for par on 72nd hole. Smith had back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13, 16 and 17, and 17 and 17. However, he couldn’t convert a par-4 20-footer to birdie at the 18th. Smith and Finau only played one hole more, because Smith’s drive was so wild that it crossed the Hudson River retaining wall. Finau scored an easy-does it par and won the trophy. Jon Rahm finished third at 18 over, his 54-hole leader. He was still in contention late Sunday, but he bogeyed Nos. 15 and 18 were eliminated from contention. Justin Thomas, Tom Hoge and Alex Noren rounded out the top 5. Keith Mitchell was able to finish in the top five as he tried to make it into the second playoff event. He ranked No. He climbed to No. 101 in the FedExCup standings after birdieing his last three holes in the final round. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET). Television: Thursday through Friday, 3 p.m.-7. p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ * Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course * Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group * Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups * Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes
By: Adam Stanley
Title: The First Look: FedEx St. Jude Championship
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/the-first-look/2022/08/07/course-field-preview-fedex-st-jude-championship-tpc-southwind-playoffs.html
Published Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0400
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