Bhatia leads one to Pga St. Jude, Scheffler five drifting

Akshay Bhatia picked up four shots in the last three holes while he was going to a peer 62 eight sous to take ahead of the first round of the St. Jude Classic, the first event of the Fedex Cup US PGA Tour qualifiers.

Tommy Fleetwood in England also finished strong, ending with four consecutive birdies to crown one per 63 seven sous which put it in solo second, a blow in front of the compatriots Justin Rose and Harry Hall and American Bud Cauley.

The South Korean Kim Si-Woo was alone in sixth on 65 years, Colin Morikawa led a group of five out of 66 while the world number one Scottie Scheffler was satisfied with three under 67 which left it equal to the 12th.

Bhatia, who said that the most recent of his two Tourse Tour in the Texas Open in 2024, said that he had made a concerted effort in recent weeks to abandon the negatives, even if he feels that he was not one of his own standards.

This state of mind seemed to bear fruit on Thursday.

“Today, I felt quite relaxed,” he said. “I just don’t try to force anything. It’s ok to get angry with golf strokes, but not at home – not to depreciate you, which I tend to do.”

Four under 11 holes, Bhatia rebounded from a bogey to the 12th with an eagle in the 16th per five, where he drove in a 13 feet putt.

He emptied a 27 -foot sipt with 17th feet and glued his approach to the Fairway 18 to two feet from the spit for his seventh birdie of the day.

“I felt like I was not too raw,” he said. “I hit him in some fairway bunkers, which is OK here. It is easier to control the golf ball.

“I felt like I was not putting much throughout the day, but these last strokes managed to fall.”

– Fleetwood increases late –

Fleetwood played in more sensual afternoon conditions and saved its best for the end. Three-mine at 14 holes, he launched his closing burst with a two-feet to 15-year-old birdie, rolled in a seven feet at 16, made a five feet to 17 years old and pierced a 15-foot birdie at the last.

He said that staying patient through the first seven holes, when he felt that he had played well but had not made a lot of progress, was the key to the Tour, but 17 and 18 were his highlights of the day.

“Eighteen, you obviously still have work to do … You always have to get up and hit a golf coup on the last one. I really felt you well on the tee, but to hit a golf shot like that, it was literally exactly where I was aiming, so obviously this one,” he said by choosing his best photo of his Rafale of four birdies.

The tournament is the first of the three events in the playoffs and presents the 70 best players in the points classification.

SCHEFFLER, playing his first event since his full of his fourth major title – and his second major of the year – to The British Open from Royal Portrush, came to the top of the ranking.

He had four under 17 holes but made his only Bogey of the day at 18, where he missed a short putt by.

The champion of masters Rory McILroy, second behind Scheffler in the classification of the playoffs, chose to jump the event, confident that he would remain high enough on the list to go to the BMW championship next week.

The top 50 at the end of the tournament this week advanced to the BMW, with the top 30 after this tournament qualifying for the Tour championship in Atlanta.

BB / KSB