Bhatia, Rai and Theegala sure to qualify for next stage of FedEx Cup Play-offs
Memphis (Tenn), Aug 16 (IANS) It was not the best of days for the Indian-origin quartet at the FedEx Cup St. Jude Championship, the first of the three Play-off events on the PGA Tour.
None of the four came under par, though three of them were likely to get to the next event, for which only the Top-50 on FedEx Cup standings will qualify. Aaron Rai (71) was T-38 for the week and 35thon the FedEx standings, while Hero supported Akshay Bhatia (73) was 67thfor the, and 14thin FedEx standings, where he started the week, and another Hero-backed player, Sahith Theegala (79) was 68thand 44thon the FedEx standings. The lone man staring outside was Sudarshan Yellamaraju (76), whose third round pushed him down to 57thon the standings and only Top-50 will advance.
Meanwhile Scottie Scheffler settled in after a rough start for a 2-under 68, giving him a two-shot lead over Sam Burns and Sungjae Im going into a final round. 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.
He is 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. This will be the first time they are paired together in the final group.
Im shot 67 and is 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.
Jordan Spieth took another step back and gave himself another Sunday at 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.
The top 50 is the magic number this week because those players are assured of getting into all the $20 million signature events next year.
Spieth, who opened with a 65, didn’t 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.
He’s 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. Harman is in all the majors next year from his 2023 British Open victory at Hoylake.
Going into the final day, Im is the only player projected to move into the top 50 after he started at No. 53 and held his own in the final group Saturday with Scheffler.
The heat index topped 100 degrees, and towels soaked in ice water were available on every tee.
–IANS
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