How Hideki Won in Memphis (and More From the PGA Tour’s Playoff Opener)

Another year, another edition of the FedEx St. Jude Championship delivering a captivating finish under the sweltering heat.

Playing with a fill-in caddie in the wake of a post-Olympic robbery incident in London, Hideki Matsuyama notched his second victory of 2024. He entered the final round with a five-stroke lead, the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour this year.

After playing holes 12 through 15 in four-over par and briefly losing his lead, Matsuyama closed with two clutch birdies to clip Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland by two shots.

Matsuyama mic drop. pic.twitter.com/c5Buv17xto

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 18, 2024

Perhaps the most notable element of his performance: Hideki led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting for the tournament, a rare occurrence. During Sunday’s telecast, Brad Faxon mentioned that Hideki had sought his advice on his putting stroke over the weekend. If the hot putting spills over into next week in Colorado, Matsuyama will be a tough player to beat.

Waiting until Monday to celebrate with Chick-Fil-A 🐓 pic.twitter.com/kkt66qcmHG

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 19, 2024

More Notes From the FedEx St. Jude:

20-year-old Nick Dunlap finished T-5, securing a spot inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings and keeping his season alive. This result also exempts him into all signature events in 2025. Had Dunlap bogeyed the 72nd hole, he would’ve finished 51st in the standings, ending his season. Dunlap missing out on the top 50 was highly probable entering this week, and it would have been a disaster for the PGA Tour.

How it all shook out in Memphis.

Next stop: @BMWChamps ✈️ pic.twitter.com/yDgEhL6KcD

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 19, 2024

Nick didn’t earn any FedEx Cup points for his victory at the Amex back in January because he was still an amateur and hadn’t yet accepted PGA Tour membership. It seems obvious that the PGA Tour should strongly consider retroactively awarding FedEx Cup points to amateurs who turn professional later in the season. As elite amateurs consider their options for turning professional, the PGA Tour needs to position itself as the most attractive offering. The Tour didn’t need to worry about that before LIV Golf arrived and there wasn’t competition for talent, but they need to worry about that now.

In less successful showings, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Max Homa each finished 26 or more shots behind Hideki, occupying the bottom three spots on the leaderboard. In a true playoff format, those players would be eliminated. Instead, the PGA Tour continues to trot out a hybrid “playoff” system that functions as both a season-long race and a playoff, creating a middle ground that delivers a weaker product than either pure approach would offer. While the FedEx St. Jude produces an entertaining tournament with its high stakes for the top 50 finishers, the next two weeks are format disasters.

As for Spieth specifically, he finishes the season ranked 66th in the FedEx Cup standings. Spieth has been battling a wrist injury throughout the year, telling reporters after his round that he needs to have a procedure “ASAP” and raising serious concerns about the long-term future of one of the biggest names in golf.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.