The Real Opponent Is The Sun
Forget the leaderboard for a second. The biggest story at the FedEx St. Jude Championship isn’t about who hits the longest drive or who putts the best. It’s the weather. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory through Sunday. Temps could hit 101 degrees on the weekend. With high humidity, it might feel like 105 degrees. That kind of heat breaks golfers before they even tee off on the final day. This is a test of survival as much as skill.
Mark Schlabach reported for ESPN that the field faces a grueling three-week stretch. They are playing in Memphis, then St. Louis, then Atlanta. Every week will feel like this. It will be hot and sweaty. Players must conserve energy. You can’t swing at 100 percent every hour if you want to finish strong. The 69-man field has to play 72 holes in these brutal conditions. Justin Rose knows it. The defending champion said he is considering using an umbrella during play. He has never done that before.
McIlroy’s Gamble On Rest
Rory McIlroy is back, but he is rusty. Since tying for 40th in The Open on July 19, he hasn’t played. Following his victory at the Masters for the second straight season, he has competed only six times, including three majors. That’s a lot of time off. He admitted having four weeks off before the last two events might have been too much. He wants to be competitive. This week is his chance to see where his game stands.
McIlroy views the playoffs as one long event. “I almost try to view the playoffs as one big, long tournament, like a 12-round event,” McIlroy said Wednesday. He knows the schedule is tough. “You’ve got to pace yourself. It’s three long weeks. We’re going from here to St. Louis to Atlanta. Every week is going to feel a bit like this.” Because conditions will be hot and sweaty, you need to conserve energy as well.
The smaller field helps, but not enough to ignore the sun. McIlroy noted the pace is faster. “We’re playing in two-balls,” McIlroy said. Probably four hours is how long we will be out there. Given that a full field does not endure that heat for five-and-a-half, six hours, I consider that a positive.
Why The Umbrella Changes Everything
Justin Rose might be the smartest player in the field. He found a simple trick to handle the heat. “It’s like 20 degrees cooler under the umbrella,” Rose said. As temperatures approach 100 degrees this weekend and the week heats up, I may do that. I used it in the practice round [Tuesday], and it definitely made a difference.
That is a massive edge. If you stay cooler, you stay fresher. You make fewer mistakes on the back nine. Other players might laugh at the umbrella at first. They will stop laughing when they see Rose winning. Hydration is key too. “I find that I can have as [many] electrolytes as I want,” McIlroy said. But drinking water isn’t the same as staying out of the direct sun.
The purse is huge at $20 million. The winner takes $3.6 million. But the money doesn’t matter if you pass out on the 17th hole. This week belongs to the players who respect the heat. It’s a battle against the elements, plain and simple. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are the stars, but the sun is the boss. Watch who handles the heat best. That is who will win in Memphis.
