MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Aerial view of the water along the 18th hole at the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 7, 2022. | Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR
TPC Southwind has been a staple on the PGA Tour since 1989, producing drama year in and year out. The Memphis course will do so again in 2023.
The FedEx Cup Playoffs are here.
The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings head to Memphis this week for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events on the PGA Tour.
Some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Scottie Scheffler, will tee it up at TPC Southwind, which seemingly produces drama every year. Look no further than the 2022 edition, when Will Zalatoris defeated Sepp Straka in a three-hole playoff.
Water comes into play on 11 holes, but the four holes listed below will play a significant factor in deciding the first playoff event:
Hole 11 – Par 3, 162 Yards
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Will Zalatoris and Sepp Straka play the 11th hole during the FedEx St. Jude Championship playoff at TPC Southwind on August 14, 2022.
Last year, Zalatoris and Straka arrived at the 11th tee all square. They had just completed two playoff holes, making par on the par-4 18th twice.
They hit their tee shots, and both missed short and right, finding the water.
Zalatoris then struck his third shot onto the green and made a bogey-four. Straka, meanwhile, put it in the pond again, thus giving Zalatoris the victory.
The 2022 playoff at the FedEx St. Jude Championship perfectly describes this hole. Like the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, water completely surrounds this green. Three bunkers also reside on the island, two of which sit on the right side while the other is long and left.
The green is rather interesting too. It slopes from back to front, but a bowl on the left-hand side of the green and a nub on the right side makes it rather undulating.
Although it is a short iron for most players, this tricky par-3 will produce plenty of drama.
Hole 12 – Par 4, 406 Yards
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Brooks Koepka plays a shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the World Golf Championship-FedEx St Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind on August 2, 2020.
Immediately after the island green at the 11th, more water presents itself at the dogleg right par-4 12th.
By today’s standards, the 12th is a short hole, but plenty of trouble looms. A year ago, the scoring average on this hole was 4.072, the sixth toughest on the course.
The fairway snakes from left to right as players must carry the lake to find the short grass off the tee.
Should their drives drift too far left, two deep bunkers will catch any pulled tee shots.
For their approach shots, the field will have no room for error. The lake sits to the right of the putting surface, while a stream will catch any shot that goes long.
Two sand traps guard the left side of the green, and nobody will want to find those. Should they do, players will face a tricky bunker shot while staring directly at the water—something any player feels uncomfortable doing.
The green slopes off those two bunkers, running from left to right and sloping towards the lake. The back of the green runs off towards the creek.
Hole 14 – Par 3, 236 Yards
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A view of the 14th hole at the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 7, 2022.
Regarded as one of the most challenging par-3s on the PGA Tour, the 14th hole at TPC Southwind is a true beast. It was the fourth toughest hole at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A lake sits to the front and right of the green, so any pushed tee shot will find the water, potentially ruining somebody’s round. Any mishit will find the penalty area too.
A bunker sits to the back left of the green, which is an absolute no-go. If players find themselves there, they will have to face the water and land a soft bunker shot, or else their shots will roll, roll, and roll, eventually settling in the bottom of the lake.
Indeed, this is one of the tricker greens on the course. Everything slopes from the bunker towards the water, while also sloping from left to right.
Hole 18 – Par 4, 453 Yards
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The 18th hole at TPC Southwind on August 8, 2023.
Nothing but trouble lurks all down the left side of the par-4 18th.
It is a severe dogleg left, almost a 90-degree angle, with water extending the entire length of the fairway.
On the corner of the dogleg, to the right of the short grass, three bunkers will snatch any tee-shot that is pushed. The first trap sits 294 yards off the tee while the second one is roughly 315 yards from the tee box.
The third bunker lies about 340 yards off the teeing ground and typically does not come into play.
Should players manage to find the fairway, however, they still need to avoid the left side for their approach shots. The penalty area runs the length of the hole, all the way up to the green.
Two sand traps protect the putting surface, with one sitting long of the green while the other is situated short and right.
The green itself is rather undulated, sloping severely from right to left, towards the lake.
The 18th hole at TPC Southwind is one of the best closing holes on the PGA Tour, and will likely produce fireworks yet again in 2023.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A few from the 18th tee prior to FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 8, 2023.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
