It started off with rumors he signed a $100 million deal with the LIV Golf Series, something he wouldn’t comment on. Then, before starting his final round at TPC Southwind, he was penalized two shots after an improper placement the day before, dropping him essentially out of contention. A Sunday even-par 70 meant a T-13 finish.
Then on Monday, Smith withdrew from this week’s BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware, citing hip discomfort. The second-ranked golfer in the world and No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings should be back in contention for next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.
Yet Smith had a meaningful interaction with a fan during Saturday’s third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. His tee shot on the par-4 seventh hole drifted towards spectators and ended up hitting one. Twitter user Blake Krassenstein was the victim of the errant shot, but what happened next will make you smile.
“Walked over shook my hand, signed his glove for me, wrote down my cell # in his yardage book and ordered me a new phone. Unreal moment,” Krassenstein wrote in a post on Twitter.
As you can tell, Smith quickly took care of the incident, going out of his way to make sure the fan got a new phone. And it didn’t take long for it to arrive, either.
What if Willy Z would’ve hit off the rocks next to the 11th green.
What would’ve happened had Will Zalatoris played off the rock wall where his tee shot on the par-3 11th hole ended up?
Zalatoris’ ball bounced off the grass short and right of the pin location before tumbling toward a rock wall encompassing the green. The ball somehow didn’t go in the water, instead bouncing multiple times before settling up against the edge of the grass.
It was the third playoff hole at TPC Southwind in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first playoff event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Zalatoris and Sepp Straka were going punch for punch after the first two playoff holes, but Zalatoris’ tee shot opened a door for Straka. He didn’t capitalize, as his shot instead bounced off the grass and into the water.
Straka then hit his third shot from the drop zone into a bunker behind the green, and his fourth shot nestled past the hole.
Will Zalatoris talks with his caddie at the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
So, what if Zalatoris tried to hit his shot?
We’ll never know. With strokes in hand, he took an unplayable and played his third shot from the drop zone. He flipped a wedge to six feet, drained the putt and captured his first PGA Tour title.
But the folks at TPC Southwind returned to the spot where Zalatoris’ ball sat late Sunday afternoon. They recreated the scene, and though they aren’t PGA Tour golfers, the results show that Willy Z likely made the right decision, a winning one.
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Zalatoris made $2.7 million in the first FedEx Cup Playoff event.
Will Zalatoris finally got it done.
Arguably the best PGA Tour winner who hadn’t recorded a win this year, Zalatoris no longer has that title after capturing the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. Zalatoris made numerous clutch putts down the stretch, but none were bigger than his last on the third playoff hole for bogey that helped him beat Sepp Straka for his first victory.
Zalatoris also jumped to first in the FedEx Cup standings with the victory.
Here’s a look at the prize money payouts for each player at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first FedEx Cup Playoff event of the PGA Tour’s 2021-22 season.
Cameron Smith had an interesting interaction Sunday morning.
The winner of the 2022 Players Championship and the 150th Open Championship, Smith woke up believing he was two strokes off the lead heading into the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
Not quite.
Minutes before his final round tee time, Smith was assessed a two-stroke penalty for “improper placement of the ball” while taking relief on the fourth hole during his third round.
“Prior to the start of the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Cameron Smith was assessed a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 14.7 (playing the ball from the wrong place) on Hole No. 4 during the third round where he was operating under Rule 17.1 (when ball was in penalty area),” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “Smith’s score has been adjusted and he will begin the final round at 201 (-9).”
The penalty dropped Smith, the No. 2 player in the world, to four shots off the lead to start the final round. With a win in Memphis, Smith would overtake Scottie Scheffler as the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, which will be updated Monday.
Golf Twitter, needless to say, had plenty of reactions to the penalty:
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Cameron Smith was assessed a two-stroke penalty for “improper placement of the ball” while taking relief on the fourth hole of Saturday’s third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the PGA Tour announced Sunday.
“Prior to the start of the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Cameron Smith was assessed a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 14.7 (playing the ball from the wrong place) on Hole No. 4 during the third round where he was operating under Rule 17.1 (when ball was in penalty area),” the PGA Tour said in a statement. “Smith’s score has been adjusted and he will begin the final round at 201 (-9).”
“It looked like his ball was awfully close to the line, but we thought the player knew he couldn’t play a ball that wasn’t touching the penalty area,” PGA Tour’s chief referee Gary Young said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “We decided to take a second look at it and we thought it was close enough,” to then ask Smith about it.
Smith “said my ball was definitely touching the line,” Young continued. “He wasn’t aware no portion of the ball could touch the penalty line.”
Smith was told of the penalty while preparing for the final round on the TPC Southwind driving range and was “completely calm throughout”, Young said.
“Once (Cameron Smith) found out it was a two stroke penalty,” Young said. “he said the rules are the rules.”
Smith tees off in the final round at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday with Tyler Duncan.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The blistering Memphis heat broke Saturday, as the thick humidity all but dissipated, helping the FedEx St. Jude Championship crowd swell to its largest size of the week.
Likewise, so did the leaderboard. As the final pairing of Sepp Straka and J.J. Spaun walked off the course at TPC Southwind, there were 15 golfers within four shots of Spaun, maintaining his lead through three rounds at 13 under. The jammed-up leaderboard sets up a potential Sunday barn-burner with a tournament-record $2.7 million prize on the line.
Straka occupies second by himself at 12 under, while Cameron Smith, Will Zalatoris and Trey Mullinax are tied for third another stroke back.
Despite early exits from World No. 1 and FedExCup points leader Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, some prominent names remain in the hunt.
But it’s predominantly more obscure players populating much of the scoreboard. Straka and Spaun have one Tour victory apiece. Tyler Duncan, too, who is tied for sixth with Troy Merritt. Hayden Buckley, winless in his PGA Tour career, is part of a large group of players tied for eighth at 9 under.
So, why the jumbled mess in Memphis? The players point toward the high degree of difficulty that TPC Southwind poses.
“Yeah, it’s a tough course. It’s one of the tougher ones we play all year and you have to drive it well,” said Duncan. “You just have to drive it well, that’s the biggest thing.”
Only four players – Sungjae Im (7-under 63), Buckley, Zalatoris and Joaquin Niemann (each 65) – shot 65 or better Saturday. The course is also notoriously difficult because of its ponds and creeks. Since 2003, TPC Southwind’s hazardous liquid has claimed 5,989 balls – 1,180 more than any other course on tour.
Hayden Buckley plays a shot from the bunker during the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022.
Keeping it in the fairway is paramount, according to Smith. He said the rain earlier this week made things a little easier on Thursday. Since then, it’s been more difficult.
“As the fairways firm out a little bit like they did this afternoon, they’re quite tricky to hit,” said Smith. “So, lots of good drives in some areas and I think that’s what really bunches up the field.”
As challenging as it can be, Zalatoris is a big fan, and his play this week reflects his affinity for TPC Southwind.
“You can make a mistake real quick, but you can also have some birdie looks out here,” Zalatoris said. “You know, I love playing this place. I played well here last year and got some good vibes running around this place.”
Spaun credited patience as the primary reason he will be the last to tee off at 1:50 p.m. ET Sunday. He fired a third-round 68, although he admitted feeling like he was going to get “lapped.” He doesn’t think another 68 will be good enough to go into next week’s BMW Championship as a winner.
“You look at the names, I mean, those guys, major champions and multiple winners and you’ve got really hot golfers that are, you know, just playing really good,” Spaun said. “It’s not going to be easy tomorrow and I don’t think if I play like how I did today, like I don’t think that will be enough.
“I’m just going to give it all I’ve got and hopefully make some more birdies than I did today and we’ll see what happens after we add them up.”
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
Everything you need to know for the final round of the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
The first event of the PGA Tour’s 2021-22 playoffs is ready to crown a winner at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. The Ron Prichard-design is a par-70 course measuring at 7,243 yards and is hosting the FedEx St. Jude Championship this week.
J.J. Spaun maintained his one-shot lead over Sepp Straka, after the duo each fired rounds of 2-under 68. Spaun is at 13 under and Straka 12 under, but a lot of chasers are close behind, including Cameron Smith at 11 under. Tony Finau, Sam Burns and Matt Fitzpatrick are each at 9 under.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s what you need to know for the final round of the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. All times listed are ET.
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Plenty of big names are in the hunt with 18 holes left.
We’re 18 holes away from crowning the champion of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three events of the 2021-22 FedEx Cup Playoffs, and it’s anyone’s to win.
After opening the tournament with a 1-over 71, Will Zalatoris has charged over the last two days to get near the top of the board. He’s made just one bogey in his last 36 holes and will tee off Sunday two back.
Cameron Smith continues to play well, firing a third-round 3-under 67 and is once again in position to win. If he does, it’ll be another high-level victory for the Australian.
If you missed Saturday’s action, here are five takeaways from the third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Rickie Fowler was in prime position to finish in the top 11 before he had one of the worst holes of his career.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Rickie Fowler, the last golfer to qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, was poised to play another week in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Then he reached TPC Southwind’s No. 18 on Saturday afternoon.
Fowler carded a quintuple bogey 9 on the par-4 hole, tied for the highest score he has registered during a PGA Tour event. He finished with a 2-over 72 and sits at 2-under heading into the final round.
That means Fowler, at the moment things went off the rails, might have been one shot off from where he needed to be in order to qualify for next week’s second leg of the playoff at the BMW Championship. The Golf Channel said Fowler had to finish in the top 11 or better in Memphis to move on. A PGA Tour official clarified that Fowler would actually need to finish in at least a tie for 8th this week, based on its current projections.
Fowler took the gallery on No. 18 on quite the adventure.
He hit his tee shot into the water, then dropped 221 yards from the pin. He then hit his penalty shot into the water as well and took another drop 181 yards from the hole. He followed that up with a poor approach shot that landed 53 feet from the hole. His sixth shot, a chip from the fairway, landed in the rough. His seventh shot finally ended up on the green.
He missed a six-foot putt long before registering the second quintuple bogey of his PGA Tour career.
When Fowler walked off the course Saturday, he had gone from the top 20 of the leaderboard to tied for 60th in the tournament in a matter of one hole. Barring a dramatic performance on Sunday, his PGA Tour season will likely end in Memphis.
Contact Damichael Cole at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @damichaelc.
