{"id":44612,"date":"2022-08-14T00:09:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T00:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/smith-zalatoris-on-crowded-fedex-st-jude-championship-leaderboard\/"},"modified":"2022-08-14T00:09:48","modified_gmt":"2022-08-14T00:09:48","slug":"smith-zalatoris-on-crowded-fedex-st-jude-championship-leaderboard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/smith-zalatoris-on-crowded-fedex-st-jude-championship-leaderboard\/","title":{"rendered":"Smith, Zalatoris on crowded FedEx St.  Jude Championship leaderboard"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The blistering Memphis heat broke Saturday, as the thick humidity all but dissipated, helping the FedEx St.  Jude Championship crowd swell to its largest size of the week. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Likewise, so did the leaderboard.  As the final pairing of Sepp Straka and JJ Spaun walked off the course at TPC Southwind, there were 15 golfers within four shots of Spaun, maintaining his lead through three rounds at 13 under.  The jammed-up leaderboard sets up a potential Sunday barn-burner with a tournament-record $2.7 million prize on the line. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Straka occupies second by himself at 12 under, while Cameron Smith, Will Zalatoris and Trey Mullinax are tied for third another stroke back. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Despite early exits from World No.  1 and FedExCup points leader Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, some prominent names remain in the hunt.  <\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">RICKIE FOWLER:<\/strong>Quintuple bogey on No.  18 in FedEx Cup Playoffs might end his season<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">GIANNTTO:<\/strong>How Chris Vernon developed a cult following on the PGA Tour from Memphis<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But it&#8217;s predominantly more obscure players populating much of the scoreboard.  Straka and Spaun have one Tour victory apiece.  Tyler Duncan, too, who is tied for sixth with Troy Merritt.  Hayden Buckley, winless in his PGA Tour career, is part of a large group of players tied for eighth at 9 under. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:418px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PNAS\/6dc50e26-7f1f-4b43-bf25-a48797670419-pgaday3015.JPG?width=660&amp;height=418&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PNAS\/6dc50e26-7f1f-4b43-bf25-a48797670419-pgaday3015.JPG?width=1320&amp;height=836&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Troy Merritt hits from the fairway during the FedEx St.  Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis , Tenn., Saturday, Aug.  13, 2022.\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">So, why the jumbled mess in Memphis?  The players point toward the high degree of difficulty that TPC Southwind poses. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;Yeah, it&#8217;s a tough course. It&#8217;s one of the tougher ones we play all year and you have to drive it well,&#8221; said Duncan.  &#8220;You just have to drive it well, that&#8217;s the biggest thing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Only four players \u2013 Sungjae Im (7-under-par 63), Buckley, Zalatoris and Joaquin Niemann (each 65) \u2013 shot 65 or better Saturday.  The course is also notoriously difficult because of its ponds and creeks.  Since 2003, TPC Southwind&#8217;s hazardous liquid has claimed 5,989 balls \u2013 1,180 more than any other course on tour. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:327px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PNAS\/e1ead106-251c-47b0-81ca-d5279a8c1732-pgaday3005.JPG?width=300&amp;height=327&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PNAS\/e1ead106-251c-47b0-81ca-d5279a8c1732-pgaday3005.JPG?width=600&amp;height=654&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Hayden Buckley plays a shot from the bunker during the FedEx St.  Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis , Tenn., Saturday, Aug.  13, 2022.\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Keeping it in the fairway is paramount, according to Smith.  He said the rain earlier this week made things a little easier on Thursday.  Since then, it&#8217;s been more difficult. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;As the fairways firm out a little bit like they did this afternoon, they&#8217;re quite tricky to hit,&#8221; said Smith.  &#8220;So, lots of good drives in some areas and I think that&#8217;s what really bunches up the field.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As challenging as it can be, Zalatoris is a big fan, and his play this week reflects his affinity for TPC Southwind. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;You can make a mistake real quick, but you can also have some birdie looks out here,&#8221; Zalatoris said.  &#8220;You know, I love playing this place. I played well here last year and got some good vibes running around this place.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:428px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PNAS\/334be053-f6ed-4044-8642-d79f21a394ca-_NH56669.jpg?width=660&amp;height=428&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PNAS\/334be053-f6ed-4044-8642-d79f21a394ca-_NH56669.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=856&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"JJ Spaun hits from the fairway during the FedEx St.  Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis , Tenn., Saturday, Aug.  13, 2022.\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Spaun credited patience as the primary reason he will be the last to tee off at 12:50 pm Sunday.  He fired a third-round 68, although he admitted feeling like he was going to get &#8220;lapped.&#8221;  He doesn&#8217;t think another 68 will be good enough to go into next week&#8217;s BMW Championship as a winner. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;You look at the names, I mean, those guys, major champions and multiple winners and you&#8217;ve got really hot golfers that are, you know, just playing really good,&#8221; Spaun said.  &#8220;It&#8217;s not going to be easy tomorrow and I don&#8217;t think if I play like how I did today, like I don&#8217;t think that will be enough.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I&#8217;m just going to give it all I&#8217;ve got and hopefully make some more birdies than I did today and we&#8217;ll see what happens after we add them up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The blistering Memphis heat broke Saturday, as the thick humidity all but dissipated, helping the FedEx St. Jude Championship crowd swell to its largest size of the week. Likewise, so did the leaderboard. As the final pairing of Sepp Straka and JJ Spaun walked off the course at TPC Southwind, there were 15 golfers within &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/smith-zalatoris-on-crowded-fedex-st-jude-championship-leaderboard\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Smith, Zalatoris on crowded FedEx St.  Jude Championship leaderboard<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46066,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/will-zalatoris-impossible-bounce-wins-fedex-st-jude-championship\/","url_meta":{"origin":44612,"position":0},"title":"Will Zalatoris&#8217; impossible bounce wins FedEx St.  Jude Championship","date":"August 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This was one of the craziest bounces in PGA Tour history. The final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship \u2014 the first round of the PGA Tour playoffs \u2014 provided some incredible drama on Sunday evening. Will Zalatoris and Sepp Straka entered a playoff tied at 15-under after the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Will Zalatoris inspects the lie where his ball landed on the final playoff hole","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/08\/will-zalatoris.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":45577,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/will-zalatoris-makes-most-of-three-hole-playoffs-to-win-fedex-st-jude-championship-in-dramatic-fashion\/","url_meta":{"origin":44612,"position":1},"title":"Will Zalatoris makes most of three-hole playoffs to win FedEx St.  Jude Championship in dramatic fashion","date":"August 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The 10-foot par putt in regulation was so crucial and the moment so important that Will Zalatoris doesn't remember screaming out when he made it, \"What are they gonna say now?\"It took three playoff holes to get the answer on Sunday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45505,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/2022-st-jude-championship-leaderboard-grades-will-zalatoris-escapes-bizarre-playoff-with-first-pga-tour-win\/","url_meta":{"origin":44612,"position":2},"title":"2022 St.  Jude Championship leaderboard, grades: Will Zalatoris escapes bizarre playoff with first PGA Tour win","date":"August 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The FedEx Cup Playoffs once again began in dramatic fashion. For the second consecutive season, the first postseason event needed extra holes. In a three-hole battle between Sepp Straka and Will Zalatoris, it was Zalatoris who proved victorious after what can only be described as a bizarre playoff.Having traded pars\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46616,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/what-if-will-zalatoris-wouldve-hit-off-the-rock-wall-at-the-fedex-st-jude-championship\/","url_meta":{"origin":44612,"position":3},"title":"What if Will Zalatoris would&#8217;ve hit off the rock wall at the FedEx St.  Jude Championship?","date":"August 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"What would've happened had Will Zalatoris played off the rock wall where his tee shot on the par-3 11th hole ended up?Zalatoris' ball bounced off the grass short and right of the pin location before tumbling toward a rock wall encompassing the green. The ball somehow didn't go in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43303,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/2022-st-jude-championship-leaderboard-jj-spaun-si-woo-kim-lead-early-as-fedex-cup-playoffs-get-underway\/","url_meta":{"origin":44612,"position":4},"title":"2022 St.  Jude Championship leaderboard: JJ Spaun, Si Woo Kim lead early as FedEx Cup Playoffs get underway","date":"August 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"An unlikely duo sits atop the FedEx St. Jude Championship leaderboard after Round 1 at TPC Southwind on Thursday. Si Woo Kim and JJ Spaun both shot 62 in the early wave, a stroke better than Sahith Theegala. 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After an entire round playing together, he wanted to get in one last shot. \u201cThat's what I love about what we do out here, there's always somewhere to go up and there's always something to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/06\/28\/USAT\/3eded726-2955-48ec-86b6-58f9afc1c343-C01_Brooks_Koepka.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PNAS\/e1ead106-251c-47b0-81ca-d5279a8c1732-pgaday3005.JPG?crop=1892,1064,x1,y249&width=660&height=372&format=pjpg&auto=webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44612"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44612\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}