Fleetwood clings to one-stroke lead at St Jude

Stimpmeter · August 10, 2025, 1:15pm

Tommy Fleetwood, chasing his first PGA Tour title, clung to a one-stroke lead over fellow Englishman Justin Rose after Saturday’s third round of the St Jude Championship.

Fleetwood closed with a bogey to card a one-under 69 and stand on 14-under 196 after 54 holes at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, in the first FedEx Cup playoff event.

“I’ve been really good off the tee, which is a strong quality around this golf course,” Fleetwood said. “At times you get into a nice flow and feel comfortable with your routine.”

Rose, the 2013 US Open champion and 2016 Olympic gold medallist, birdied the last to shoot 67 and finish on 13-under 197.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler fired a 65 to sit third on 12-under 198, with fellow Americans JJ Spaun, the US Open champion, and Andrew Novak sharing fourth on 11-under 199.

Fleetwood, a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour making his 162nd PGA Tour start, has six runner-up finishes on the US circuit, including a playoff loss to US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley in June’s Travelers Championship.

“I would way rather be there and fail than not be there at all,” Fleetwood said. “It hurts when it doesn’t happen for you and people talk about it more and more. It’s not my favourite time, but the more I put myself there, the more chance there is of it happening.

“Tomorrow might be my day, it might not. But being there is the most important thing and I’ll continue to try and do that.”

Scheffler, aiming to become the first player to defend the playoff crown, leads the Cup points list and has won four of five prior events this year when in the top five after 54 holes.

Fleetwood took the lead by one over Rose with a 14-foot birdie putt at the 12th to reach 14 under. Rose slipped two adrift with a bogey after missing the green at the par-three 14th.

Both birdied the par-five 16th – Rose tapping in after reaching the green in two, Fleetwood holing from just inside 14 feet.

Rose found the left rough off the 17th tee, punched out short of the green and made bogey to fall three back. But Fleetwood needed three to reach the green at the 18th and missed a 29-foot par putt for bogey, while Rose rolled in a birdie from just inside five feet to close within one.

Fleetwood carried a three-shot lead into the third round but stumbled early – following a birdie at the 2nd with a double-bogey at the par-five 3rd after finding water with his second shot and a greenside bunker with his fourth.

Rose responded with a 16-foot birdie putt at the 3rd, a 36-foot birdie at the 5th and a tap-in birdie at the 6th after his approach finished inches from the hole.

Fleetwood bogeyed the 7th to hand Rose the solo lead, but the 2013 US Open winner found water at the 9th for bogey while Fleetwood birdied to level the scores.

South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen and Aldrich Potgieter are in 63rd and 67th place respectively after carding four-over 71 and six-over 73.

The top 70 on the season’s points list qualified for this week’s tournament, with the top 50 advancing to next week’s BMW Championship.

The top 30 after the BMW will qualify for the Tour Championship.

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

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