All it took was one steamy Sunday in Memphis for the FedEx Cup playoffs to deliver on the drama.
Ultimately, Hideki Matsuyama’s two-stroke victory in the FedEx St. Jude Championship wasn’t a surprise – he led by five strokes entering the final round – but how he got there came with a few unexpected twists.
After dominating the week, Matsuyama found himself one stroke behind with two holes remaining after he made two bogeys and a double bogey midway through the back nine. Defending FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland surged into the lead after trailing by six strokes with 11 holes remaining, and Xander Schauffele closed with a 63 after starting the final round nine behind.
“I felt today’s victory slipping away because 17 and 18 are difficult holes,” Matsuyama said. “I was fortunate enough to birdie 17. I immediately thought this will be a tough tee shot at 18 and I need to keep it in the fairway, and fortunately I did.”
Matsuyama, who finished at 17-under-par 263 at TPC Southwind, jumped into third place in the points race, trailing only Scottie Scheffler (who finished fourth in Memphis) and Schauffele, who tied for second with Hovland.
“I felt today’s victory slipping away because 17 and 18 are difficult holes. I was fortunate enough to birdie 17. I immediately thought this will be a tough tee shot at 18 and I need to keep it in the fairway, and fortunately I did.”
Hideki Matsuyama
The victory capped a tumultuous few days for Matsuyama, who won the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics two weeks earlier. On Monday, while in London on his way back to the United States, Matsuyama’s traveling party was robbed.
Though Matsuyama lost only his wallet, caddie Shota Hayafuji and coach Mikihito Kuromiya lost their passports and visas and had to return to Japan to get new travel documents. Taiga Tabuchi, who caddies for Ryo Hisatsune, stepped in to caddie for Matsuyama in Memphis.
Matsuyama earned $3.6 million from the $20 million prize fund.
It was a timely return to form for Hovland, who had just one top-10 finish this season (third at PGA Championship) before his T2 Sunday. Schauffele nearly added another victory to a spectacular season featuring triumphs at the PGA and the Open Championship.
“It was a head-down day,” Schauffele said. “You're so far back. Hideki was playing some really good golf. I know it's hard to close on this side. Just a lot of trouble everywhere. The wind seems to swirl on a lot of holes. Hard to hit it close and hit fairways. It was more of a head-down, how-many-good-shots-can-I-hit type of deal on my back nine.”
In the tournament within a tournament, Eric Cole and Nick Dunlap joined Hovland in playing their way inside the top 50, earning spots in the BMW Championship at Castle Pines in Colorado this week and into the eight signature events next year.
Cole started 54th and moved to the 46th spot, and Dunlap jumped from 67th to 48th as a result of his T5 finish. Dunlap, who has won twice this year, knew he was playing for a spot in the top 50 as the holes wound down.
“I was a train wreck,” Dunlap said. “I’m not going to lie to you. I was arguably the most nervous I’ve ever been, to be honest.”
Tom Kim, Mackenzie Hughes and Jake Knapp started the week inside the top 50 but fell out after Memphis.
Jordan Spieth’s season came to an end Sunday, and he confirmed he will have surgery on his troublesome left wrist, likely requiring a three-month recovery period.
Spieth has been bothered by a tendon issue in his left wrist that has become more problematic as this year has unfolded.
“I’ve got to have it operated on ASAP, and then I’ll go through the process of what I’m supposed to do from there,” Spieth told reporters Sunday in Memphis.
"I think there’s some clarity in getting it done. There’s also some uncertainty, and so it’s a little scary. But also, if I can learn to find some patience – which I’m not very good at doing – then I think I could come back stronger.”
Ron Green Jr.