It wasn’t just the numbers at the top of the leaderboard concerning competitors in the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, but also the heat which hit 111 degrees.
The soaring temperatures made it feel like playing golf in a sauna as some players walked the fairways with an umbrella up, while others draped wet towels around their necks and on their heads.
Eric Larson, who usually caddies for Harris English, was even forced to seek medical attention. Andrew Argotsinger stepped-in as Larson received an IV and was treated for heat stroke.
Along with Larson, the FedEx Cup caddies of leading trio, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, removed their bibs around the fourth hole in order to try and provide a slight reprieve from the heat.
“I didn't get this wet in the shower this morning,” said leader Lucas Glover, who shot 64 to sit at 10-under on 130. He holds a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth at the tournament’s halfway point.
Spieth himself admitted he was caught out by the exhausting heat as he pledged to have a less intense warm up before the third round. He also said he would take two shirts in future and admitted he would be keen to wear shorts.
He said: “I'm humbled. It's just a different kind of heat. I’ll bring two shirts from now on and change at the turn because I just was taken aback a little bit.
“My shirt made me weigh five more pounds. If they gave us the option, I would have worn shorts, but I don't think it would have made that much of a difference. You'd have just seen the sweat dripping down my legs instead of having dark pants on.”
Further high temperatures and muggy conditions are predicted for the third round on Saturday after thunderstorms affected the first day. English pro, Tommy Fleetwood, is not complaining though as, referring to the Senior Open in Wales recently, he assessed: “It's better than playing in 50 mile-an-hour winds at Royal Porthcawl which we just saw the other day. It's easier than that.
“The disadvantage is just how sweaty it is, how slippy your hands can be and the grips and everything, and clearly energy levels. You've really got to focus on that and make sure you're drinking enough and sort of don't get ahead of yourself on the golf course.”
