FedEx St. Jude 2022 Overview
Welcome to the FedEx Playoffs, 125 of the world’s best golfers will compete over the next 3 weeks for the number 1 spot and a cheque for $ 18 million and the right to be crowned the Fedex Cup Champion.
We head to Memphis Tennessee for the first of three legs, after this week the final 125 will become 70, before the final cut to the best 40 players who will be it up in Atlanta at East Lake.
This weeks course TPC Southwind is a Par 70 with a standard set up on two par 5’s, four par 3’s and the rest made up of par 4’s. As you would expect it’s the two par 5’s that give up the most birdies and play as the easiest holes with the par 5 16th giving up 48% birdies in 2021, more birdies where made than pars. TPC Southwind’s greens are only 4,300 square feet on average so players will only be finding them on average 65% of the time, which puts an emphasis on the short game this week something I will come onto in the key skill sets required section. The course was toughened up for the WGC tournament recently, and the toughest holes are the Par 4s at 5, 12, 17, 7, and 18. Number 14 is the longest and most difficult Par 3 and can often ruin a scorecard. There are 11 water hazards on the course, with lakes, ponds, and streams spread across the fairways and guarding the Bermuda grass greens. Furthermore, every bunker on the course has been re-edged, some have been modified, and each of the 76 bunkers has new sand all part of the overhaul to improve the course to host WGC events. This course see more balls go in the water than any on tour! So with that said we are in for a great ride this week and plenty of excitement for fans and players alike.
This is a solid test of golf and unlike the past few weeks where winning scores have got to and surpassed 20 under par, this week I expect a winning score in the mid-teens.
Who will lift the trophy come Sunday evening? We’ll stay tuned for the skill sets required section below which will help you make more informed choices when constructing your final portfolio for the week.
Key Skill Sets Required
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- Driving Accuracy – The majority of PGA Tour events favor length off the tee, not here at TPC Southwind. Here it is more about precision from the tee box, backed up by the fact the course ranks in the top 10 hardest on tour from the rough. Missing the fairways here is a bigger punishment than it is on the majority of courses on the PGA Tour circuit.
- GIR Gained – Hitting a high percentage of greens is a must here at TPC Southwind. 5 of the last 7 winners at the track have ranked in the top 10 on that given week. Players who are hitting their iron well and peppering the middle of greens have an outstanding chance at this course.
- SG Approach – We have touched upon the importance of hitting lots of greens in regulation this week, and that naturally lends itself to approach play is a key factor. Simply put your iron game needs to be majestic this week otherwise players will be stalling on that leaderboard.
- Proximity 150 – 200 Yards – A high majority of shots will come from the key range of 150-200 yards this as much as 45% of all approach shots will be from this distance. Therefore, a big emphasis is put on Mid Iron play and those players who have a track record of delivering with 5iron to 9iron in hand.
- SG Scrambling – Looking back at the winners here they have all excelled in scrambling performance across the week.
- SG Around The Green – Hitting greens in regulation here at TPC Southwind can prove difficult, meaning players will need a strong short game to come through this week’s test. TPC Southwind ranks in the hardest 20% of courses to get up and down from on the PGA tour circuit, we want players onside with an elite-level short game.
- SG Putting – We are on the Bermuda green this week so we will be looking for players who have proven their liking for these surfaces as they aren’t for everyone. The greens here are undulating and fast so those with favorable putting stats will be at a huge advantage. As with all low-scoring events like this one will be making most putts inside of 10ft in a must.
