MEMPHIS — Akshay Bhatia had a blazing finish to get his PGA Tour postseason off to a good start, closing eagle-birdie-birdie for an 8-under-par 62 as he posted his career low and took a one-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood in the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Scottie Scheffler, playing for the first time since winning the British Open for his second major championship of the year and the fourth of his career, made a bogey on the final hole at TPC Southwind for a 67, his 10th straight round in the 60s. The American star was tied for 12th in a field of 69 players, with reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy — No. 2 behind Scheffler in the Official World Golf Ranking — electing to sit out the postseason opener because he doesn’t need to play this week to be part of next week’s BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Bhatia came into the playoffs at No. 45 in the FedEx Cup standings, and only the top 50 will advance to the second of three tournaments in the lucrative postseason. The idea is to be among the top 30 who reach Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club on Aug. 21 for the Tour Championship and a shot at the $10 million bonus that goes to the tournament winner.
The 23-year-old Los Angeles native was paired with Harry Hall of England, who is at No. 44. Hall was matching Bhatia until the final two holes, when the American player rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th and used a short iron to put the ball a couple feet away from the cup on 18.
Bhatia said he had been spending too much time thinking about numbers, whether it’s his score, his world ranking (No. 40) or his position in the FedEx Cup. Now the goal is to keep his mind peaceful, even while playing on a course that has 18 new greens and much thicker rough than in the past.