Tommy Fleetwood leads St Jude in search of first PGA Tour title
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Tommy Fleetwood plays a shot from a bunker on the 18th hole during the second round of the St. Jude Championship.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – England’s Tommy Fleetwood positioned himself to strike for a first PGA Tour title this weekend, firing a six-under 64 to take a four-shot lead in the weather-hit second round of the St Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Briton used birdie bursts on the front and back nines at TPC Southwind to build a 36-hole total of 13-under 127 in the first of three events of the FedExCup play-offs.
He had a four-shot lead over Collin Morikawa, Akshay Bhatia and Justin Rose when play was suspended for the day because of thunderstorms.
Morikawa fired a 65 and was joined in the clubhouse on 131 by fellow American and overnight leader Bhatia, who posted a 69.
Rose was nine under with two holes remaining when the sudden storm brought the round to a halt, before organisers suspended play for the day two hours later.
Fleetwood, a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour, has six runner-up finishes on the US tour, including a joint-second finish at the Travelers Championship in June.
“Maybe this weekend is the weekend,” he said. “It hasn’t happened for me yet on the PGA Tour, but I would much rather be up there and not quite get it done than not there at all.”
He started the day one shot off the lead and got going early with birdies from the second to fourth holes.
He then dropped a 16-foot birdie putt at the 13th to launch a run of four straight birdies, and can even afford to suffer a bogey at the 18th.
“Those were two nice runs to get on,” Fleetwood added of his birdie bursts.
“Yesterday I felt like I stayed very patient, and then today after a hot start I wasn’t feeling that comfortable with my swing, so actually then to get on a run after that – I hit great shots into 13, 14, I played those holes really, really well, played them perfect.”
Two-time Major winner Morikawa climbed the leaderboard with a round highlighted by a hole out for eagle from the fairway at the ninth.
For Bhatia, coming off a career-best round of 62, it was a frustrating day.
After two birdies and a bogey in the first four holes, he parred the rest of the way.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, coming off his fourth Major title at the British Open at Royal Portrush, was also frustrated on the way to a 66 that featured eight birdies and four bogeys.
It left him six shots off the lead. AFP
