TPC Southwind, the venue for this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship, was previously host of the PGA Tour’s similarly-named-but-actually-different St Jude Classic, an event which witnessed a spectacular hole-in-one during the 1977 pro-am by President Gerald Ford whose tenure in the White House had ended earlier that year.

By any normal standards, of course, this was a remarkable effort, but it was even more astounding for the simple fact that Ford was responsible because balls clobbered by the 38th President of the United States of America were historically more likely to crash into human beings rather than find the bottom of the hole. As the comedian Bob Hope once quipped: “It’s not hard to find Jerry Ford on a golf course, you just follow the wounded.”

Not that he was alone. In fact, while millions trembled at the prospect of Presidents in the Oval Office one day pressing a button and dropping a nuclear bomb, the reality is that (thank God) they’ve been more dangerous on the golf course.

In 1995 Ford played at another pro-am, in Palm Springs, California, alongside fellow Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr. and the trio appear to have treated it less like a sporting day out than a re-enactment of a Civil War battle. Ford clattered his ball around in 100 blows and clobbered one spectator. Clinton carded a 93 and hit a child. The winner on both counts, however, was Bush whose 92 won the golf game while his tally of two won the side bet on how many in the gallery the three of them could bruise and batter.

Hopefully, there is no such mayhem this week. Instead, the top 70 players in this year’s FedEx Cup rankings line up with two aims. The first is victory in the event, the second is ensuring they are ranking 50th or better by week’s end – because only then will they progress to the second Play Off event next week.

TPC Southwind is the host and while it is only the third time the tournament has visited the venue, it has been used on the PGA Tour since 1989 so we know what sort of test the players face. There is Bermuda grass on the greens, which is normal enough, and Zoysia grass on the fairways which is a mat-like grain that requires irons to sweep balls from it. The layout includes lots of water and half the holes are dog legs.

Each Way – Corey Conners at 33/1

This feels like a good week to take on the favourites. Scottie Scheffler has played the course six times, has just two top 20s, a best of of T14th and he has never been within four shots of the 54 hole lead. Xander Schauffele has just one top 20 in his six starts on the layout, when sixth in 2020 which is the only time he’s been top 10 at the end of rounds two, three or four. Rory McIlroy has comfortably the best record with four top 12 finishes in seven starts but he’s yet to win.

The Canadian Corey Conners has only cracked the top 20 once, but it came last year when he closed with a pair of 65s for sixth place and that’s a course profile much like Lucas Glover who won here 12 months ago. Conners is relentless with his tee-to-green game and he plays great approaches into the green, and both skill sets will be to his benefit this week. He hasn’t missed a cut since June last year and has four top 10s in his last seven starts. A big win seems due and this week is a good fit for him.

Each Way – Sam Burns at 50/1

Back in 2022 Sam Burns fired a pair of 64s to tie the 72-hole lead at Southwind before missing out on the title in extra holes. A year later he contended through 54 holes before slipping back to T20th and last year he made a sluggish start before closing neatly enough with 67-68. That flirt with the win here was not his first on Zoysia fairways – he won the Sanderson Farms Championship on them at Jackson Country Club. He’s in decent form, landing a first major championship top 10 in the US Open, sitting second with 18 holes to play in the Open, and he was T12th last time out in the 3M Open.

Each Way – Adam Scott at 66/1

The Aussie led by three shots after 54 holes on his course debut way back in 2007. He was T10th on his next visit 10 years later and was fifth the last time he ventured there two years ago. Last month he was second in the Scottish Open and then T10th in the Open at Royal Troon. “I’m trending,” he said after the latter result and he’s got a good chance this week.

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