MEMPHIS — Tommy Fleetwood had a three-shot swing go against him early and a two-shot swing cost him on the final hole Saturday during the third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Fleetwood, chasing an elusive first PGA Tour victory, did enough right in between for a 1-under-par 69 and a one-shot lead over fellow English golfer Justin Rose with 18 holes remaining at TPC Southwind in the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
If that wasn’t enough, No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a huge presence only two shots back.
Still, those two holes were a reminder to Fleetwood that 18 holes can feel a long way off at this course against an elite field. There figures to be plenty of pressure at the top of the leaderboard and scattered among the rest of the 69-man field trying to advance in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
“It’s just another opportunity for me to go out and try and have the best round of golf I can, enjoy being in that position,” said the 34-year-old Fleetwood, who has seven career wins on the Europe-based DP World Tour but only some painful near misses when it comes to tasting victory on the PGA Tour.