Matti Schmid made the kind of shot players remember for a long time on Friday at TPC Southwind. The 173-yard tee shot on the par-3 fourth hole in the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship bounced into the cup for his first career hole-in-one.
It was a notable moment in the first tournament of the FedExCup Playoffs, where every shot carries extra weight. Schmid entered the week ranked 69th out of 70 players for the FedExCup title, which put him in a difficult spot with only the top 50 advancing to the BMW Championship starting Aug. 20 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
Why the ace matters
The hole-in-one does not change the math by itself, but it gives Schmid a timely boost in a tournament that already had major playoff implications. A player starting this far down the FedExCup standings needs a strong week to keep postseason hopes alive, and Schmid now has one of the most memorable swings of the championship on his card.
Schmid opened with a 73 in the first round, so the ace stood out even more as a positive moment in an otherwise demanding week. For a player trying to climb from 69th out of 70, that kind of shot can at least keep the door open for the rounds ahead.
For more on the event and the pressure at the top of the leaderboard, see Scottie Scheffler leads Fedex St. Jude Championship into Thursday start at TPC Southwind — and the pressure is obvious.
