GERMANTOWN (Tenn.) – Will Zalatoris was nine strokes back at 86th after the first round FedEx St. Jude Championship. His fiancee was curious about his plans for the weekend. Although a missed cut seemed more likely than winning, it seems that this is a long time ago. Projected FedExCup standings Zalatoris will enter the final round just two shots off the lead after scores of 63-65 Friday and Saturday, respectively, and could be hoisting his first PGA TOUR trophy come Sunday. TPC Southwind is known for its unpredictable layout and has a history of wild finishes. His turnaround was evident. He is trailed by two other players who won their first PGA TOUR victories earlier in the year. J.J. Spaun, the Valero Texas Open winner, is currently at 13 under. He is one behind Honda Classic champion Sepp Straka. Zalatoris would love to be there. TOUR’s best player without a win is the player who performs best on difficult courses. TPC Southwind falls into this category. Players who miss the Bermuda fairway are penalized by the Bermuda rough. Since 2003, no TOUR course has seen more balls in the water. On a course with a short length, accuracy off the tee can be crucial. Spaun won by three strokes over Straka on Saturday’s last three holes. He made two birdies and Straka bogeyed 18. Matt Fitzpatrick (9 under) said, “You miss fairways, it’s difficult.” “You don’t know what lie will be given, and you don’t know if you’re going to get jumper or not.” TPC Southwind’s last round is a good example of what the leaders can expect. Harris English and Bryson de Chambeau combined for an impressive back-nine 81 on Sunday, while they were under the pressure of having to be in the lead and running out the clock. Sam Burns was eight behind at the beginning of last year’s final round. Hideki Matsuyama was nine behind. Abraham Ancer was four shots behind the leader, and they shot 64 and 63 to win the playoff. The lead will be four shots for Spaun, with 15 players starting Sunday at 4 under. Eight others will start Sunday at 5 under. Six players are within four shots of Scottie Scheffler’s lead and would replace him at the top of the FedExCup standings by winning: No. 2 Cameron Smith (T3). 12 Zalatoris, the third-ranked Burns, (T8), No. 10 Sungjae im (T8), No. 14 Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick(T8) and No. 7 Tony Finau (T8). Smith, the winner of this year’s PLAYERS AND The Open, would also become world No. With a win, Smith would be world No. Spaun shot 68 on Saturday, with birdies on two holes and the other on three. Scheffler will not be in their crosshairs, having landed three balls in the water during the first round. Scheffler, the season’s top player, was at the range Saturday to get some time before next week’s BMW Championship. Two players who have struggled in recent months to make cuts are now leading. It’s amazing. Spaun and Straka will be in the final group for day two. They have combined for one top-10 result since May 1st (Spaun’s Top 8 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic two weeks ago). Spaun claimed he was struggling after taking too many days off following his win. Straka said that he needed a break. Straka won his first PGA TOUR championship earlier this year at a course that has more water than Sea World, PGA National’s Champion Course. Straka won his Honda title and finished in the top 10 at THE PLAYERS (RBC Heritage) and T3. However, he missed six of his previous cuts this week. He shot 39 over par at those six events. He finished 13 over par at the Wyndham Championship last week, but he said that the three days he took to get there after shooting 78-75 had been very helpful. What did he do to get there? Straka stated, “Absolutely nothing.” “Watched Braves.” The final round at TPC Southwind might be a little more stressful.
By: Sean Martin
Title: Will Zalatoris continues to rise at FedEx St. Jude Championship
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/news/2022/08/13/will-zalatoris-continues-to-rise-at-fedex-st-jude-championship-tpc-southwind-fedexcup-playoffs.html
Published Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2022 15:30:00 -0400
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