Scottie Scheffler entered the final day of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis with a two‑shot advantage, hoping to secure his first victory since the opening tournament of the year in January. After posting a remarkable 61 in the second round—a new course record at TPC Southwind—Scheffler had built a three‑stroke cushion at the halfway point.
However, a bogey on the 17th hole on Saturday trimmed that lead to two strokes as he finished the day with a solid two‑under‑par 68, bringing his total to 13 under for the tournament. Trailing the world number one were Sam Burns and Sungjae Im, both delivering impressive performances that kept them within striking distance. Burns produced a flawless, bogey‑free round of eight‑under 62, while Im carded a three‑under 67.
Their scores placed them at 11 under, just two strokes behind Scheffler, making them the closest challengers as the field headed into Sunday’s decisive round. Scheffler’s path to the trophy has been a story of near‑misses since his win at The American Express in California earlier this year. Although he has not captured another title, he has consistently been in contention, racking up five runner‑up finishes—including a recent second place at the 3M Open—and nine top‑five finishes overall in the intervening months.
His resilience and ability to stay near the top of the leaderboard have kept him firmly in the conversation for the FedExCup Playoffs. Only the top 70 players in the season‑long FedExCup points race qualify for the FedEx St.
Jude Championship. From there, the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship in August, and the field is further narrowed to the top 30 for the Tour Championship later that month. Winners of the first two playoff events earn 750 points each, after which points are reset to zero heading into the Tour Championship.
In the final event, all competitors start at even par, a change from the previous starting‑strokes model that will be eliminated in 2025. The ultimate prize at the Tour Championship is the FedExCup title, which carries a $10 million prize (approximately £7.4 million) and a five‑year exemption on the PGA Tour. For Scheffler, a win would not only add another trophy to his résumé but also solidify his position as the leading player heading into the season‑ending showdown. During his third round in Tennessee, Scheffler experienced a brief setback when he bogeyed the fourth hole.
He quickly rebounded with birdies on holes two, 11, 12 and 16, before a mis‑hit on the 17th—where his second shot landed in a left‑hand bunker—resulted in another bogey. Despite that hiccup, his overall performance remained strong enough to maintain the lead. Defending FedExCup champion Tommy Fleetwood also remained in contention after a solid two‑under‑par round on Saturday.
His highlight was a spectacular birdie putt on the 13th hole, and he currently sits at eight under, sharing fourth place with Jake Knapp and sitting five strokes behind Scheffler. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, found himself languishing near the bottom of the leaderboard. After a two‑over 72 on Saturday, he sits tied for 67th place at six over par, a full 19 strokes behind the leader. The world number two has yet to post a sub‑par round this week.
On the day, McIlroy was even par heading into the 18th hole of his third round but incurred a double bogey after his tee shot found water. He did manage back‑to‑back birdies on holes nine and ten, but bogeys on holes two and 13, along with the costly final‑hole mistake, left his tournament hopes in jeopardy. Fans can watch the final round live on Sky Sports Golf starting at 4 p.m.
on Sunday, with streaming options available through NOW. For those looking to play the sport themselves, Sky Sports offers a booking service for over 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland, allowing golfers to find a venue by entering a course name, city, or postal code. While the search function may occasionally return no results, trying a different query often yields a suitable option. In summary, the FedEx St.
Jude Championship has set the stage for an exciting finale. Scheffler holds a slim but comfortable lead, Burns is poised to make a move with his hot form, and McIlroy’s struggles serve as a reminder of the thin margins that separate victory from disappointment in professional golf. The outcome on Sunday will not only determine the tournament champion but also shape the narrative heading into the final playoff events of the PGA Tour season.