2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship: Top 10 power rankings at TPC Southwind
There aren’t many courses where Rory McIlroy has played a half dozen times and not won.
TPC Southwind is one of them.
That’s not to say he hasn’t played well here.
The Northern Irishman owns three top-12 finishes in six tries, including T-4th (69-67-62-71) in 2019.
"“So first thing, you put it in the fairway and put it in play, but I think the biggest thing around here is your approach play,” McIlroy was transcribed by Tee Scripts. “I think sort of seems to be a lot of approach shots between like 140 yards to 170 yards, so that’s a key distance this week. If you can sort of get your pitching wedge through 7-iron dialed in and get those working really well, I think you’ll always have a good chance around this course.”"
McIlroy missed out on getting his name in the mix for PGA Tour Player of the Year consideration by failing to win a major. Outside golf’s big four events, he’s been one of the best.
McIlroy earned his second win on the 2022-23 PGA Tour schedule, to go with a DP World Tour win this year, by making an inspiring comeback last month at the Genesis Scottish Open.
It was McIlroy’s first win on Scottish soil and it was done by an incredible birdie-birdie finish amidst fierce winds to defeat the native son Robert MacIntyre by one.
McIlroy continued his strong form the next week with a T-6th finish at The Open Championship. He beat 90-plus percent of the field, like he often does, but McIlroy was never able to truly put a scare into runaway champ, Brian Harman.
McIlroy is up to seven straight top-10s. It’s a shock he hasn’t won more often.
The 34-year-old still hasn’t missed a cut since Augusta National.
He ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained per round approach (,832) and is top 11 in all SG stats except for putting.
McIlroy is the reigning FedEx Cup champion. He’s the only player in the 16-year history to win it three times.
A fourth title may not mean the world to him, but the paycheck is great. It’ll help the lengthy wait until the Masters go a little quicker.
The Ryder Cup is coming up, too, so McIlroy will try to stay sharp through the playoffs. I expect him to post his best career finish in Memphis at the FedEx St. Jude Championship this week.