Tommy Fleetwood enjoyed another big closing stretch with four straight back-nine birdies giving the Englishman a four-shot lead at the halfway point of the FedEx St. Jude Championship as he pursues an elusive first PGA Tour title.
Fleetwood carded a six-under 64 on Friday to sit 13 under after 36 holes at TPC Southwind, with his nearest challengers fellow Englishman Justin Rose and American duo Collin Morikawa and Akshay Bhatia at nine under.
Rose still has two holes remaining in his second round after severe weather stopped play, while Morikawa shot a three-under 65 and 18-hole leader Bhatia a one-under 69.
How is Scottie Scheffler doing?
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, the reigning Open and PGA champion, is six shots off the lead in a share of seventh place after 36 holes in Tennessee.
Fleetwood, who registered a seven-under 63 on day one when he birdied his last four holes, made three successive gains from the second in round two, including a 30-footer from the fringe, before picking up four shots in a row from 13 to 17.
His back-nine birdie burst began with a pair of 15-foot birdie putts at 13 and 14, and he then stuffed a wedge to five feet for a gain at 15 before two-putting from about 30 feet on the par-five 16th for a fourth straight birdie.
The 34-year-old bogeyed 18 after going from a bunker to thick rough but still has a healthy cushion heading into the weekend.
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Fleetwood has his sights set on an elusive PGA Tour title
Fleetwood to break PGA Tour duck?
Fleetwood said: “It hasn’t happened for me yet out on the PGA Tour, but I would much rather be up there and not quite get it done than not there at all.
“And who knows? Maybe this weekend is the weekend and we’ll see, and we’ll crack on from there.
“Of course, when you shoot two good scores, it’s easy to say everything has been going well but I think for the most part I’ve been very good off the tee, put myself in position to have a go at the course.
“My iron play has been good and solid, and I’ve rolled the ball well.”
World No 15 Fleetwood has seven wins on the DP World Tour against some of the stronger fields.
He has thrived on a big stage overseas, particularly the Ryder Cup, but is still seeking a first PGA Tour triumph.
He was on the verge in late June at the Travelers Championship until a stunning flip at the end, when he took three putts from just short of the green for bogey and Keegan Bradley made birdie to beat him.
FedExCup winners: Every past champion
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Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have both won the FedExCup
The Playoffs were launched in 2007 and have received multiple tweaks to the qualification and format since, with this year’s edition having three tournaments that all offer limited field sizes.
Only the top 70 in the season-long standings qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, with the top 50 after that progressing to the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland from August 14-17.
Both of those events offer 2,000 FedExCup points to the winner – four times the amount awarded for a regular PGA Tour event, with both also not having a 36-hole cut.
The top 30 in the standings after those tournaments qualify for the Tour Championship, taking place from August 21-24 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, with all three events exclusively live on Sky Sports.
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