Hideki Matsuyama wipes his face during the first round of the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship. | Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Extreme heat and humidity have again defined the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, and PGA Tour players are struggling through it.
At last year’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, Lucas Glover’s sweaty pants went viral as a result of the swampy summer heat in Memphis. His slacks were drenched, looking like he had just taken a shower en route to his historic victory. His ‘swamp-ass’ served as a perfect metaphor for how everyone felt.
This year is no different, as real-feel temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, leaving PGA Tour players exhausted, grumpy, and thirsty. Unfortunately, the weekend forecast at the FedEx St. Jude Championship calls for more of the same.
“I worry more about the heat than the test of golf. I sweat a lot,” said Denny McCarthy, who shot an impressive 4-under 66 on Thursday.
“I struggle in the heat. I have a hard time getting things dry.”
Players rotated through multiple gloves, drank countless hydration drinks, and used their personal hand towels to dry themselves off numerous times. Some even used baby powder on their hands to help keep them dry, a trick many pros use in soupy conditions.
“It’s tough to keep your hands dry, just to stay mentally into it,” said Harris English, who hails from Georgia and is used to this heat.
“It’s so much easier to lose focus out there when it’s this hot.”
An excessive heat warning is in effect until 9 p.m. central time on Friday evening, well after the second round concludes.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Scottie Scheffler uses a towel during the first round.
The heat index will continue to hover around 112 degrees, making it borderline unbearable for players, fans, and pundits on the ground alike.
“I felt like I was preparing for battle this week, really,” McCarthy added.
“Just in terms of last year, I changed a lot of things in terms of hydration and what I’m eating before I play these types of rounds where it’s really hot. I felt like it helped out there today, helped me kind of stay in it. Last year, I felt like it was just brutal every day, and it was hard to focus on my golf.”
McCarthy went on to explain how the heat at last year’s FedEx St. Jude Championship contributed to his T-66 finish, which dropped him out of the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings. He ultimately did not make it to the Tour Championship despite arriving in Memphis ranked 24th.
His struggles in the heat actually led him to seek medical advice, and he discovered that he needed to drink more fluids.
As such, this year, McCarthy, who is still searching for his maiden PGA Tour title, showed up at TPC Southwind ranked 45th in the rankings. He also arrived with a game plan on how to tackle the Memphis heat, and so far, it has paid off. But Thursday’s round still came with a healthy dose of struggles.
“I just felt like I was trying to survive the heat out there today,” McCarthy said.
“I did a good job.”
But every player has to deal with these temperatures. Hence, Sam Burns, a Texan, keeps it simple while competing in these conditions.
“I think if you think about the heat a lot and you talk about how hot it is, then you kind of start believing that,” Burns said.
“I think it’s one of those things where you just focus on playing golf, and the heat is just part of it.”
That does not mean it’s not challenging. But battling through heat like this is taxing, even for the best players in the world.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
