Memphis, Tenn. – Tommy Fleetwood gave him a three-swing swing early, two-shot swing that cost him the final hole of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He still did enough to shoot one in under 69 and took a one-shot lead when Justin Rose won his first PGA Tour title.
If that’s not enough, Scottie Scheffler only has two shots.
Still, the two holes remind Fleetwood that it can feel like a long way to go in TPC Southwind. There is a lot of pressure expected to be on the top and spread among other members of the field trying to advance in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“It’s just another chance I’m out and trying and having the best golf I can have and enjoying that position,” Fleetwood said. “The more I put myself there, the more chance that this will happen, just go out and learn from every experience. But tomorrow may be my day, maybe not, but being there is the most important thing and I’m going to keep trying to do that.”
Fleetwood won a lot of championships in big stages around the world but didn’t win the game on the PGA Tour, leading the third round with a three-stroke lead Rose, who had to finish the second round of his storm delay in the morning.
On the third shot of the 5th three, Fleetwood’s second shot was insufficient and entered the water. He lowered the penalty and then knocked the wedge into the green bunker. Fleetwood said he noticed his golf ball and wedges moving slightly on the swing.
Rules officials looked into the video and determined if it moved – they couldn’t determine if it did because it was small – Fleetwood did not cause the video and did not issue a fine. He had a double bogey and Rose ran three birdies to lead.
“The third one is such a kerfuff and so messy,” Fleetwood said. “The second shot isn’t that bad, but if it’s in the water, it’s obviously a bad shot. From there, falling down, it feels like when I hit the ball, the ball has moved, thinning it, thinning in the back, just getting nothing.”
Fleetwood rebounded to not only regain the lead, but also able to restore it to three shots. But on the 18th hole, he drove into roughness and couldn’t reach the green, allowing the bogey to complete 54 holes under 14 strokes under 196.
Since the seventh hole, Rose has hit 5 feet from the roughness of the front pin to 5 feet. That gave him the 67-year-old game and played the final game with his Ryder Cup teammates.
Meanwhile, Scheffler gathered six birdies in his 65 rounds, trailing two shots. He made a lone taboo on No. 10, and Scheffler avoided another bogey when his bunker hit the sprinkler at No. 12 shot. He hit one from the 25-foot putter at the edge.
Scheffler has promised to keep the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup playoffs and will earn his fifth win of the year. If he does, he will be the first time he has won five tournaments in back-to-back seasons since three straight games between 2005 and 2007.
Schaffler has not yet entered the top ten since March.
U.S. Open champion JJ Spaun (65) and Andrew Novak (67) were three shots behind.
Sunday is one of the most critical days on the PGA Tour, not just Fleetwood. The FedEx Cup top 50 enters the BMW Championship’s second playoff game and secures a $20 million signature race next year.
Rickie Fowler and Chris Kirk, respectively, are expected to be in the top 50 with Bud Cauley and Jhonattan Vegas.
Jordan Spieth has set another 70 out of those who might be hit. Staying high on the rankings is key to players like Fowler and Cauley, as these attractions deserve more.
For Fleetwood, it’s about winning.
He ranks 15th in the world. He has 42 top ten, 28 top five and 11 top three – at most, all players have not won in the last 40 years. He has starred in two Ryder Cups in Europe and won the Powers Championship.
But the lack of a PGA Tour title is becoming a burden. Fleetwood took a shot lead on the final hole in the Travelers Championship in June until just starting from the green and losing to Keegan Bradley’s three putts.
Fleetwood’s hope in June is to get another chance as soon as possible, and his next one is on Sunday at TPC Southwind.
Information from ESPN Research and Associated Press are used in this report.
