It was a topsy-turvy Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the three-event FedExCup Playoffs, on the leaderboard and around the crucial top-50 bubble.
Order was mostly restored by day’s end at TPC Southwind, where 54-hole leader Hideki Matsuyama carded two closing birdies for his 10th tour title at 17-under, two strokes clear of Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland.
Matsuyama employed a new putter at TPC Southwind and led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, a sudden turn from a substandard season where he ranks outside the top 100 on the greens.
The top 50 after the FedEx St. Jude Championship qualified for next week’s BMW Championship and secured spots in next season’s eight Signature Events.
While Tom Kim was the odd man out (No. 51) after going 6-6-6 on his final three holes, 20-year-old Nick Dunlap gutted out a closing par to cement his place in the top 50, at No. 48 overall.
“I was a train wreck,” Dunlap said afterward. “I was arguably the most nervous I’ve ever been.”
Article content via PGA Tour press release.
