– Tommy Fleetwood (-13) is leading at TPC Southwind after 36 holes. This isn’t just a hopeful statement or an obvious analysis based solely on his two splendid rounds of 63 and 64 strokes that have placed him as the solo leader with a four-stroke advantage at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The Englishman is objectively the player hitting the most fairways and greens in regulation. Furthermore, he hasn’t even needed to be the best on the greens, although he’s doing quite well with the putter in hand. A whirlwind, indeed.
– Play was suspended due to a thunderstorm with 21 players on the course yet to finish their second round (it will resume at 7:30 on Saturday local time), but Fleetwood’s comfortable lead is not in danger in any case when the second round concludes tomorrow. Collin Morikawa (-9) and Akshay Bhatia (-9) are currently in second place, four strokes behind the leader with their rounds also completed, and only Justin Rose (-9) could get a bit closer to the top by finishing with a birdie on each of the two holes he has left. So, it’s inevitable to look back, just a few days ago, and remember the triumph of another illustrious player, Cameron Young, who finally broke the curse and won for the first time on the PGA Tour.
– The New Yorker won authoritatively last week and Tommy, of course, is on the same path, although he, as expected, isn’t getting his hopes up and is focusing on the present, not denying his excellent performance on this circuit, even though he still hasn’t secured a win: “I’m glad to have an opportunity this weekend. I think that’s exactly where you want to be and keep testing yourself. Yes, I haven’t won on the PGA TOUR yet, but I’d rather be up there and not quite finish it off than not be there at all. And who knows, maybe this weekend will be the weekend,” he remarked after finishing his round, safely two hours before the skies opened over Memphis. Fleetwood knows very well that golf can break your heart time and again, but he’s learned to love it that way.
– Young had to finish second on seven occasions before breaking through. Fleetwood already has six runner-up finishes, although he’s been on the circuit longer than the American. In any case, each with their nuances, they are parallel stories: two extraordinary players with an anomaly in their records, which could well be resolved soon and in consecutive weeks. Young, by the way, was still fighting before the suspension to gain positions and remain a factor over the weekend (he was in 17th place, with a total of -4 and four holes left to play).
– Scottie Scheffler (-7) is currently in a second line, letting things happen, but not losing sight of any objective, especially with 36 holes remaining. Today’s round for the World Number One was truly strange because it’s rare for Scheffler to be the worst player on the course in any game statistics, and today he was the worst at recovering around the greens (1/5). He had four bogeys, but it’s still easy to see his glass as half full: with such a burden, he was still able to sign a 66, four under par for the day, thanks to the eight birdies that light up his scorecard. He finished the round really frustrated, angry, but it’s well known that this guy goes to the hotel and returns the next day as if nothing happened. His revenge could be terrible…
– Kurt Kitayama (-8) got into this first FedEx Cup playoff thanks to his victory two weeks ago at the 3M Open, although his climb, it seems, hasn’t ended. He arrived this week in Memphis ranked 52nd, and therefore outside the second playoff, but a scorecard of 63 strokes has propelled him today in the projection to 30th place. The weekend promises strong emotions also for Jordan Spieth (-1), an expert tightrope walker who still needs to confirm that his season continues: he arrived ranked 48th and now, after signing scores of 69 and 70 strokes, he is right on the edge of the abyss in the projection (50th). Spieth, like Fleetwood, knows very well how and in what way golf can break your heart. And he has also learned that there’s no choice but to love it as it is.
