By Chris Harris Contributor
Updated 8/14/23 12:05am ET
Pressure is a funny thing. It makes mere mortals out of the world’s greatest athletes and elevates others into the pantheon of “Legend” status. There is perhaps no greater pressure in all sports however than a golf playoff, where each shot, each calculation, and each wind gust can separate an athlete from hero to zero. That’s what we had this past weekend as the race for the 2023 FedEx Cup heats up — literally (more on that later).
Lucas Glover, a native of Greenville, S.C. and a former Clemson star, fended off a strong group of pursuers to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship in a one-hole playoff, but barely. Tied with Patrick Cantlay after 72 holes, the 43-year-old Glover dropped an eight-foot par putt for his second consecutive win. Cantlay, whose tee shot landed in the water, narrowly missed a 20-foot, three-inch putt for par that would have forced a second playoff hole.
Glover became the first 54-hole leader over 40 years old to win a FedEx Cup Playoff event since Tiger Woods in 2018. Glover (69) and Cantlay (64) finished regulation at 15 under par 265, while Rory McIlroy (65) and Tommy Fleetwood (68) were one back. His victory keeps Glover’s scalding streak going and is projected to vault him from No. 49 in the FedEx Cup Playoff standings into the top five. Glover just won the 2023 Wyndham Championship and has five top-six finishes in the last six weeks.
Reflecting back, Glover’s amazing run is definitely one for the books. Just 10 days ago, Glover started the PGA Tour’s postseason at No. 112 in the FedEx Cup — No. 119 in the world ranking — and was looking at an early end to the season. His win at Wyndham to get into the FedEx Cup Playoffs then winning the opener at the TPC Southwind has already locked Glover’s spot in the Tour Championship. Not only that, Glover is No. 30 in the world and has earned just short of $5 million in two weeks. Not bad for a guy who just one month ago was playing some of the most average golf of his career.
This has certainly caught the attention of Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, who has six “Captains Picks” to add to his Ryder Cup roster. Despite a poor wardrobe choice, which saw Glover sweating like a competitive UFC fighter trying to cut weight, he fought through the heat and humidity to capture his second win in a row.
2023 Ryder Cup standings: United States
| RANK | PLAYER | POINTS | POINTS FROM TOP 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scottie Scheffler | 25,857.74 | |
| 2 | Wyndham Clark | 13,406.92 | |
| 3 | Patrick Cantlay | 10,614.75 | |
| 4 | Brian Harman | 10,310.54 | |
| 5 | Brooks Koepka | 9,421.15 | |
| 6 | Max Homa | 8,848.76 | |
| 7 | Xander Schauffele | 8,830.27 | |
| 8 | Jordan Spieth | 8,066.33 | |
| 9 | Cameron Young | 7,795.31 | |
| 10 | Collin Morikawa | 7,503.48 | |
| 11 | Keegan Bradley | 7,486.47 | |
| 12 | Sam Burns | 7,002.70 | |
| 13 | Rickie Fowler | 6,939.49 | -63.21 |
| 14 | Justin Thomas | 6,539.20 | -463.5 |
| 15 | Denny McCarthy | 6,280.67 | -722.03 |
| 16 | Lucas Glover | 6,112.61 | -890.09 |
The PGA heads to Olympia Field Country Club this week (Aug. 17-20) in Illinois for the BMW Championship. Stay tuned for updates and more!
Photo credit: Shutterstock
