Akshay Bhatia shoots career-best 62
to lead in Memphis. Scheffler is 5 back
[August 08, 2025]
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — 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 62 to post his career low and
take 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 of the year, made bogey on the
final hole for a 67, his 10th straight round in the 60s.
Bhatia comes into the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 45, with only the
top 50 advancing to the second of three tournaments in the lucrative
postseason. The idea is to be among the top 30 who reach East Lake
for a shot at the $10 million bonus.
He was paired with Harry Hall of England, who is at No. 44. Hall was
matching Bhatia until the final two holes, when Bhatia rolled in a
25-foot birdie putt on the 17th and stuffed a short iron into 2 feet
on 18.
Bhatia said he has been spending too much time thinking about
numbers, whether it's his score or his world ranking or his position
in the FedEx Cup. The goal is to keep his mind peaceful.
“I felt pretty relaxed, and I’m just not trying to force anything,”
he said. “It's OK to get mad at golf shots but not at yourself.”
Justin Rose and Bud Cauley, who is at No. 53, also were at 64 on a
TPC Southwind that has 18 new greens and a course with much thicker
rough.
Fleetwood is all but set for the FedEx Cup finale at No. 9, though
he would love to get that first PGA Tour title to go along with
European tour wins against strong fields. He hit 13 out of 14
fairway, and the one he missed led to a birdie when he holed a
bunker shot on No. 9.
“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 said. “I hit the ball so well off the tee that I was
always giving myself an opportunity.”
And then it helped to see the putts drop, four straight birdies to
close out his round.
Fleetwood has the right outlook for this postseason series. Asked if
he looked at the three weeks as one big event or each tournament on
its own, Fleetwood said, “It really day to day.”
Projections can fluctuate with shots from anyone on any part of the
course. Rickie Fowler, who missed the top 70 who qualify for the
postseason last year, came in at No. 64 and shot 66, which projects
him inside the top 50.
Jordan Spieth was at No. 48. He had to rally on the back nine for a
69 that put him out of the top 50, and then back to No. 50 by the
end of the day.
[to top of second column] |
Scottie Scheffler hands his putter to his caddie on fourth green
during the first round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament
Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker
IV)
Scheffler is assured the No. 1 seed for at least
another week. He looked plenty sharp, giving himself a lot of looks
at birdie and converting four of them. He missed out on a good
birdie chance at the par-5 16th when he drove into the rough and
sent the next shot into a bunker about 100 yards short of the green.
He also took three putts from 70 feet on the final hole.
“Today was a good day. I did some solid stuff,” Scheffler said.
“Felt like I was close to playing a really great round but ended up
with a solid round. Overall a decent start.”
This is one of the more important weeks of the PGA Tour because of
what's at stake. Not only do the top 50 advance to the BMW
Championship, they are assured of being in all the $20 million
signature event for next year.
Among those on the bubble, Si Woo Kim (No. 46) opened with a 65 and
former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 67.
“It's kind of like dicey spot right now,” Kim said. “And started
struggling, so I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can get through to
next week.’ But tried to keep it as simple as possible, and that
helps me a lot. I had a great round, so hopefully I’ve got more room
the next couple days. Just trying to make it simple and not much
think about next week.”
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who might be the first playing
captain since 1963, opened with a 72. Bradley is No. 10 in the Ryder
Cup standings. He played with Maverick McNealy, who is 11th in the
standings. McNealy shot 66.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
