A day of sludge and a day of intense heat. Lucas Glover played a 6-under 64 on Friday to take a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He plays his best golf regardless of the terrain or the weather.
Going into the weekend of the PGA TOUR’s Playoffs opening round at TPC Southwind, Glover had made only one bogey out of 36 holes and had hit three putts longer than 25 feet, including one for eagle on the 16th par-5.
Glover shot in the 60s for the 19th time in his past 20 rounds. He was No. 112 in the FedExCup a week ago and was anticipating a month off. He’s getting closer to reaching the TOUR Championship at this point.
“I’ve lived long enough to realize that things can also quickly turn the opposite way. Therefore, just kind of ride the wave and try not to overthink things. Play on and keep going till it runs out, and then figure it out.” the 43-year-old Glover stated.
Glover’s score was 10 below 130.
After two consecutive bogeys, Spieth was up to his old antics, holing a bunker shot for birdie on the seventh hole as part of a late push that earned him a score of 68.
The Southern humidity and scorching sun, which resulted in a heat index just shy of 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius), were the main problems for them all.
After ten holes, Harris English’s caddy, Eric Larson, had to stop. He struggled to get to his feet after stooping to tie his shoes on the second hole. He was told to get checked out by English. Larson reported having a rapid heartbeat and low blood pressure (90 over 50).
He received intravenous fluids, and towards the end of the day, he felt better. English snatched up Windyke Country Club’s head pro-Andrew Argotsinger to fill in. When the round was over, Larson gave him $100 as compensation.
On a course that had been wet by storms the previous three days, for everyone else, it meant soggy shirts, soggy trousers, and lots of birdies from the fairway.
As much as cleaning clubs, towels were utilized to wipe down the arms, necks, and brows.
“This morning when I had a shower, I didn’t get this wet,” Glover said.
Coming from Dallas the past few weeks, Spieth assumed the heat wouldn’t be a concern, even though he said he played the majority of his golf before noon. He almost brazenly boasted to his caddie that the heat in Memphis was nothing to be concerned about.
“I realized today, “Man, I was wrong.” I’m in awe. Simply said, the heat is different. However, it appeared to be barely off the ground. Since I was having some difficulty early in the round, I’ll carry two shirts moving forward and change at the turn.” Spieth said.
The golf aspect went well, however, Spieth claimed that the heat was a factor in a few errant club selections that resulted in bogey. Going into the weekend, he is exactly where he wants to be, with lots of company.
Five players, including Tommy Fleetwood (66) and Sungjae Im (65), were at 8-under 132. With 66s, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy were three strokes back in the group.
Cam Davis makes the largest move as the top 50 competitors from the 70-man field advance to the second week of the BMW Championship Playoffs. He finished with three birdies for a 67, which would now place him inside the top 50.
With a victory, Glover, who started at No. 49, could move up as high as No. 3. That is far away, especially given that 16 players are only four shots behind the lead.
But it’s still a remarkable comeback, especially considering that he modeled the long putter using Adam Scott’s style. Glover is beginning to think that it preserved his career. He has only failed to break par once since the Rocket Mortgage Classic when he shot an even-par 71 in the 3M Open in Minnesota and missed the cut.
In the three events prior to Minnesota, he didn’t place worse than sixth, and last week, he won the Wyndham Championship.
“Undoubtedly, there have been occasions when I didn’t want to play. However, there have also been occasions when I was having a bad round and something clicked in the final three or four holes, allowing me to play well the following week. And I quickly learned my lesson from that. If a shot or an opportunity isn’t working out, it can be quickly corrected.” Glover said.
On the 13th par-4, he made a 30-foot birdie, and on the 16th hole, he sank an eagle putt from almost 35 feet. On the front nine, he made three birdies in a row.
Four bogeys were countered by Spieth’s share of birdies, but holing a bunker shot was the most noteworthy. He had successfully holed out from off the green the previous two days. He contributed for an Eagle on Thursday’s sixteenth hole.
“I figured it would be in the 5- to 6-foot range if I carried the rough and landed it on the fringe or on the green. And when it started tracking, it was immediately in line. In order for it to really drop, I did what I could and partially relied on chance.” Spieth said.
