MEMPHIS (TNN) — Si Woo Kim shot from 167 yards in 18th fairway for eagle. This was his sixth-round total of 6-under par, which gave him a 62, and a share with J.J. Spaun. Kim and Spaun both have the assurance of playing next week. Spaun had eight birdies in a round so clean he couldn’t even decide which shot was his best. Spaun started the postseason at No. Spaun was 25 after he won his first PGA TOUR championship at the Valero Texas open. He was immediately sent to Augusta National for The Masters after that win. It was such a fast turnaround that he didn’t have time to enjoy the experience. He finished 23rd, and would love nothing more than to return. It is possible to make it to the FedExCup final. Spaun stated, “It will feel nice to punch another ticket there, be able to plan and get down Sunday or Saturday the week before. Take my time and enjoy the great tradition that comes along with it.” “Hopefully, keep playing well this week. I’ll still be there.” Jason Day and Rickie Fowler had enough stress to get into the PGA TOUR’s playoffs. They want to continue their journey now that they are here. Fowler tried a different caddie and putter and was finally able to see putts drop, although not enough. Day was able to play at the TPC Southwind without any bogeys after he had a spiked fever. Both players had a 5-under 65. It wasn’t enough to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship. But, there was hope. Sahith Theegala was a strong candidate for PGA TOUR rookie golfer of the year. He putted a 30-footer on his last hole to score a 63. Tony Finau was another winner, with two consecutive victories. Finau was at 68 for the 10th consecutive round, going back to his 66 in The Open’s final round. The FedExCup Playoffs are now underway and the focus is on who advances. Only 70 of the 125 qualified players will advance to the BMW Championship next Wednesday, then the top 30 go on to the final at East Lake. Fowler was ranked No. Fowler is at 125 and will need to play his best golf over the past two years in order to advance to the next round. Fowler stated, “Nothing to lose.” “Being at 125, we need to play well to get to next week. But it would be a huge bonus if that could happen and then move on. It was a bit of a gamble, but he was happy with his start. He used a 4-iron that he could hit from 220 yards up to 6 feet for eagle. Day had been outside the top 125 for three weeks, but was helped by a par 66 on the final day of Detroit to tie for 17th place and earn his spot in the playoffs. It was also a good thing because last week, Day opened with a 67, and then had to withdraw due to illness. When he fell asleep before the next round, he knew he was in trouble. His eyes were burning. His fever rose. Day was unsure of the severity of the fever, but he did check his temperature the next morning when he felt much better. It was 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.1 Celsius). Day felt he was heading in the right direction. The game also felt this way on a muggy, humid morning with occasional light rain. What about the pressure? Day believes it’s always there. However, at this stage, Day is trying to let the good stuff happen rather than trying to force it. Day and Fowler tied for eighth on a day where the average score was 66.6. This wasn’t enough to allow either player to advance. There is still a lot of work to do. He said that “it does not do anything for me to look forward,” but he did want to play next weekend. Scottie Scheffler is the No.1 player in the world and has had a slow start. The FedExCup’s No. 1 player in the world is Scottie Scheffler, which is a great thing. A frustrating day for the Masters champion saw a few missed shots on the green and some odd bounces. Rory McIlroy needed to make two last-minute birdies in order to save a 70. The next step for everyone is to make the cut. It is more important to some than it is for others.
By: The Associated Press
Title: Si Woo Kim, J.J. Spaun lead while others make moves in Memphis
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/daily-wrapup/2022/08/11/fedex-st-jude-championship-tpc-southwind-round-1-si-woo-kim-jj-spaun.html
Published Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2022 16:00:00 -0400
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