MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) \u2014 Scottie Scheffler settled in after a rough start Saturday for a 2-under 68, giving him a two-shot lead over Sam Burns and Sungjae Im in the FedEx St. Jude Championship going into a final round where so much is at stake from the top to the bottom of the leaderboard.<\/p>\n
Scheffler is trying to break a streak of five runner-up finishes and five other top 4s since his lone victory this year in his first tournament of 2026. <\/p>\n
He was at 13-under 197 and will be in the final group with Burns, his closest friend in golf, who got back into the mix with a 62. His year has been marked by close calls in the U.S. Open and British Open, but Burns has no victories to show for it. <\/p>\n
This will be the first time they are paired together in the final group.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always a little weird just because I want him to have success so much and I think he wants the same for me,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cTomorrow we\u2019ll go out there and play our game and see where things finish up at the end of the day. It will be competition like normal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be fun being out there with your friend but it\u2019s also a bit weird at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just the two of them. Im shot 67 and was tied with Burns at 11-under 199. The next closest to Scheffler was FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood (68) and Jake Knapp (67), both five shots behind.<\/p>\n
Jordan Spieth took another step back and gave himself another Sunday at the TPC Southwind filled with high stress. Spieth is at No. 54 in the FedEx Cup, and only the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship next week in the FedEx Cup playoffs.<\/p>\n
The top 50 is the magic number this week because those players are assured to getting into all the $20 million signature events next year. Spieth, who opened with a 65, didn\u2019t make a birdie until the 11th hole in his round of 72 that dropped him from a tie for fifth to a tie for 19th, which is projected to leave him out of the top 50.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s not alone. Brian Harman came in at No. 65 and shot 69. He was in a tie for sixth, needing to move up a few spots to advance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat signature series, it\u2019s where you want to be,\u201d Harman said. \u201cIt\u2019s where the best golf is played. I\u2019d love to have a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
He at least is in all the majors next year from his 2023 British Open victory at Hoylake.<\/p>\n
Going into the final day, Im is the only player projected to move into the top 50 \u2014 he started at No. 53 and held his own in the final group Saturday with Scheffler.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to focus on each shot,\u201d Im said. \u201cEvery shot matters.\u201d <\/p>\n
Scheffler only hit one green in regulation through the opening five holes. He was in the right rough on the par-5 third and had a clean enough lie to try to reach the green or at least advance it close. But it hit a tree right above him and dropped straight down. He pulled his short iron out of mangled rough to the side of a bunker and still had 111 yards. He hit that to 12 feet and made the par putt.<\/p>\n
He bogeyed the next from behind the green, didn\u2019t get a birdie until the par-3 eighth and then ran off consecutive birdies early on the back nine that restored his lead. He also made a 12-foot par save on the 15th hole.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time you\u2019re holing those 10- to 15-footers, it\u2019s really nice to keep the round going,\u201d Scheffler said. \u201cI holed a few of those today. It was definitely important to keep the momentum in the round.\u201d<\/p>\n
The heat index topped 100 degrees, and towels soaked in ice water were available on every tee. Keith Mitchell looked utterly exhausted walking out of scoring, from the heat and from the stress of projections that keep him right at No. 49 with one round remaining.<\/p>\n
He was tied for 22nd, along with Maverick McNealy, who was projected at No. 50. <\/p>\n
Burns is thinking only about winning, and that starts with making up a two-shot deficit on the No. 1 player in the world. The only other time they\u2019ve played together on a Sunday was the 2021 Tour Championship \u2014 both out of contention \u2014 though Burns did beat Scheffler with a long birdie putt in a playoff at Colonial in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cScottie is obviously playing great, as he always does. He\u2019s not going to lay down,\u201d Burns said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to play great tomorrow. So you\u2019re going to have to go out there and put a really good round together and see if you can catch him.\u201d<\/p>\n
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