World Golf Championships double
Kevin Kisner goes for consecutive titles
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Kevin Kisner will try to do what only Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson have accomplished in this week’s World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Win consecutive WGC events. That’s one of the storylines heading to TPC Southwind. Kisner was the winner of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March at Austin Country Club in Texas, the most recent of the four WGC events annually held that bring together the best players and plenty of cash. The WGCs began in 1999.
Johnson pulled off the feat in 2017 with consecutive wins in the Mexico Championship and the Match Play, while Woods, who has won a record 18 WGC events (Johnson is second with six), accomplished the feat on five occasions.
“Anytime you can put your name next to those two names is quite a feat. I’d love to be the next person to do it,” said Kisner, who is returning to TPC Southwind for the first time since tying for 50th in the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 2014.
Kisner passed a stern test in the Match Play when he defeated Matt Kuchar 3 and 2 in the final after losing in the final the year before. Another stout exam awaits Kisner in the FedEx St. Jude, where the field is stacked, led by world No. 1 Brooks Koepka and No. 2 Johnson, who has won twice in Memphis. British Open champion Shane Lowry is also committed to play, but it would be understandable if his first major championship and upcoming media obligations took a little too much out of him this week.
A storyline to watch will be how players adapt after playing at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
From the style of play, the time difference and the weather, the players have hurdles to overcome. In the British Open, links golf requires players to play the ball closer to the ground instead of high in the air. There also are plenty more humps and bumps to deal with, and the Dunluce links features stunning elevations that were challenging.
Plus, links golf is played by the sea, and the heavy air blowing off the water presents a more pressing challenge to players than the winds in the U.S.
“You do have to make adjustments,” said Sergio Garcia, who has played four times in Memphis, the last in 2011. “The wind is not going to affect the ball as much in Memphis as it does here at Royal Portrush. It’s a hot wind there. Here, the sea air and then the winds really have an impact on the ball. Here, a 10 mph wind is a club, club and a half difference. There, a 10 mph wind is almost nothing. You have to realize that and get a feel for it during the practice rounds.”
Players will likely need to adapt to softer conditions. Rain and cool temperatures in the high 50s to the low 60s in Northern Ireland softened the course and forced players to wear multiple layers to be comfortable.
“I heard we’re going to get a cool front and it’s only going to be in the 80s in Memphis,” said Kisner, who tied for 30th in the British Open on Sunday. “But the heat doesn’t bother me. My golf ball actually goes far. It will be a big change the first two days, for sure. You get rid of all these long sleeves and sweat a little bit and get used to what the ball will do there as opposed to what it’s doing here.”
The weather also has a major impact on the course.
“It’s going to be hot and firmer in Memphis,” said Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion who last played at TPC Southwind in 2014. “You can get a lot of rain, but it’s usually firm at TPC Southwind. It will be a polar opposite of what we have this week. And we’ll be playing the game up in the air and attacking pins instead of using the ground as much as we have to over here. It takes some getting used to.”
As does the time difference. Northern Ireland is six hours ahead of the Central time zone of Memphis.
“I have done a pretty good job managing myself getting on time zones because I play on the PGA Tour and the European Tour and travel quite bit,” said Reed, who finished 10th in the British Open. “You’ve played four days and then you hop on a plane and you lose time. You have to be mentally ready and manage yourself physically.
“It comes with the job. But all the players love Memphis, the community, they love the course. It should be a great event.”