Akshay Bhatia posted a career-best, eight-under spherical of 62 to earn a one-shot lead over Tommy Flettwood on the St. Jude Championship to open the FedEx Playoffs.
Bhatia comes into the playoffs ranked forty fifth, with solely the highest 50 advancing to the second of three tournaments earlier than that’s whittled down once more to the highest 30 at East Lake for a shot on the $10m bonus.
Defending champion and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, taking part in for the primary time since claiming his fourth main win – and second of the 12 months – at The Open, is 5 off the lead after bogeyed the ultimate gap for a gap 67.
“Today was a good day. I did some solid stuff,” mentioned Scheffler, who’s assured of the No 1 seed for at the least one other week. “Felt like I was close to playing a really great round but ended up with a solid round. Overall, a decent start.”
Bhatia loved a blazing end to his report spherical, incomes an eagle on the sixteenth earlier than breaking away from paying companion, England’s Harry Corridor, with additional birdies at 17 and 18.
“I felt pretty relaxed, and I’m just not trying to force anything,” Bhatia mentioned afterwards. “It’s okay to get mad at golf shots but not at yourself.”
Justin Rose and Bud Cauley, like Corridor, additionally posted 64s at TPC Southwind to take a seat two off the lead and one again from Fleetwood in second.
Tommy Fleetwood is one shot off the lead after the opening spherical of the St. Jude Championship
The favored Englishamn is virtually assured of reaching the FedEx Cup finale, sitting at No 9 within the rankings at the moment, however remains to be seaching for that elusive first PGA Tour title.
The 34-year-old hit 13 out of 14 fairways, and the one he missed led to a birdie anyway when he holed a bunker shot on the ninth.
“People talk about this golf course as a second-shot golf course, but it’s only a second-shot golf course if you’re in the fairway,” Fleetwood mentioned. “I hit the ball so well off the tee that I was always giving myself an opportunity.”
Elsewhere, Rickie Fowler, who missed the post-season final 12 months, got here into the St. Jude Championship at No 64 within the rankings however his opening 66 initiatives him pushing inside the highest 50.
Jordan Spieth, beginning at No 48, needed to rally on the again 9 for a 69 that had him briefly outdoors of the highest 50, earlier than being again in it by the top of the day.
The FedExCup is a season-long factors competitors the place gamers earn factors primarily based on how they carry out in PGA Tour occasions, with further factors on provide on the majors, The Gamers and the PGA Tour’s ‘Signature Occasions’.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are each former winners of the FedExCup
The playoffs have been launched in 2007 and have obtained a number of tweaks to the qualification and format since, with this 12 months’s version having three tournaments that every one provide restricted area sizes.
Solely the highest 70 within the season-long standings qualify for the FedEx St Jude Championship, held at TPC Southwind in Memphis from August 7-10, with the highest 50 after that progressing to the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Membership in Maryland from August 14-17.
Each of these occasions provide 2000 FedExCup factors to the winner – 4 instances the quantity awarded for a daily PGA Tour occasion, with each additionally not having a 36-hole minimize.
The highest 30 within the standings after these tournaments qualify for the Tour Championship, going down from August 21-24 at East Lake Golf Membership in Atlanta, with all three occasions completely stay on Sky Sports activities.
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