MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Standing beside Xander Schauffele, caddie Austin Kaiser surveyed the scene.
“Wind off the right. Slight. Decent wind for this hole here,” Kaiser said.
Schauffele, the 11th-ranked golfer in the world, and Kaiser were sizing up their second shot on the par-5 No. 16 at TPC Southwind during a practice round ahead of Thursday’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Then, Kaiser shifted into coach mode.
“We’re gonna bring it down right on that V (shape near the green). The right slant of that V. A little hurt,” he said of what the duo have deemed as the most pivotal shot on the designated Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole.
Golfers have been competing all season in the Challenge, a new event that will award the winner $1 million.
“I believe (the second shot is) where all the risk and reward is (on No. 16),” Schauffele said. “Based on where the pin is today, you can either get a little risky and try and challenge that bunker on the left. Or, you can sort of lay it out short to the right — or, miss the green right — and give yourself an easy up-and-down for four.”
While Schauffele is out of contention for the $1 million prize, the race remains tight with two events remaining. Brooks Koepka, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson are tied for the top spot, while Ian Poulter, Jason Kokrak and Justin Thomas are still within striking distance.
The Challenge takes a player’s two best scores from every participating event, and the player with the lowest average score to par on these holes will win. To be eligible, a player must complete a minimum of 40 rounds at designated tournaments.
How the contending golfers manage No. 16 this weekend in Memphis could determine who takes home the $1 million. The final event is the Wyndham Championship Aug. 1-4.
Koepka said this competition coming down to the wire adds to the intrigue as the regular season nears its end.
“Yeah, this is a big week. You could wrap up the Aon and the Wyndham, so that would be an incredible season to kind of cap all that off, especially with a win this week and really, I guess, solidify that,” he said.
“You’re not really thinking about, ‘Wow, if I make eagle here, I can jump those boys,’ or anything. You’re just trying to shoot the lowest score possible. So I’m sure if myself or Jason (part of Koepka’s group to start the tournament) makes eagle (on 16), I’m sure it will ring in the other person’s head.”
