Life is a lot different for Lucas Glover today relative to 11 months ago.

Glover had four career PGA Tour victories then but only one since 2009. He was contemplating life after golf and counting down the days toward an overdue trip to New York City with his wife, Krista. The vacation was scheduled for early August – the same week as Memphis FedEx St. Jude Championship, which is set for Aug. 12-15 this year.

Then, Glover got hot. He won the Wyndham Championship, which earned him a trip to the Bluff City instead of the Big Apple. He made the most of it, too, claiming victory over Patrick Cantlay in a one-hole playoff.

“This time last year, I was considering trying to figure out what I was gonna do (next), because I couldn’t put it together,” Glover, 44, said Wednesday ahead of the first round of the John Deere Classic, an event he won in 2021. “Then, a year later, here I am with a couple more years on the Tour, playing for all this new money we found, getting to play in all these signature events.

“So, yeah, I was starting to really think about it and started kicking the tires on commentating – the typical things golfers do when they can’t play anymore. A pretty big about-face from where I was 11 months ago.”

The blazing two-week run also assured Glover an exemption on the Tour for the next three years.

“Yeah, just basically locked up my job until my late 40s and, potentially, beyond,” he said.

Glover has not won a tournament since his 15-under at TPC Southwind, and there is no guarantee he will be back to defend his crown. The Florida resident heads into the John Deere Classic in Illinois 72nd in the FedExCup standings. Only the top 70 players qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Glover has five tournaments left to improve his standing, including the Scottish Open, British Open, the 3M Open and the Wyndham Championship.

Glover remains hopeful he gets to come back to Memphis – and not just for the barbecue. It will always be a special place for him, because it was the first time Krista ever saw Glover win in-person.

FEDEX ST. JUDE CHAMPIONSHIP 2023: See Lucas Glover win in playoff after Patrick Cantlay hits into the water

If Glover is to go on another run, leaning into what made him successful in Memphis last year could be a big help.

“Always being known as a ball-striker and having my short game pick me up on the weekend there in Memphis was very gratifying, because I work very hard on it,” he said. “ I got up and down from pretty much everywhere. Made a ton of putts and it was kind of one of those, ‘All right, this is why we work on it so much.’”

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Lucas Glover: FedEx St. Jude Championship revived PGA golfer's career