Scheffler holds two-shot lead over Burns and Im into St. Jude final round

Scottie Scheffler shot 2-under 68 in the third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Saturday to build a two-shot lead into the final round, per ESPN. Scheffler stands at 13-under 197. Sam Burns and Sungjae Im are tied for second at 11-under 199 after Burns fired 62 and Im posted 67.

Scheffler, the world No. 1, is chasing his first victory since January. According to ESPN's reporting, he has recorded five runner-up finishes and five other top-4 finishes since that sole win this year. Burns and Scheffler will be paired together in Sunday's final group for the first time, according to the ESPN story. Burns beat Scheffler with a long birdie putt in a playoff at Colonial in 2022, the only other Sunday they played together as contenders coming in a 2021 Tour Championship pairing where both were out of contention.

Burns, per ESPN, has close calls at the U.S. Open and British Open this year but no victories. Multiple players on Sunday face FedEx Cup qualification jeopardy. Sungjae Im entered the week at No. 53 in the FedEx Cup standings and is the only player projected to move into the top 50 going into the final round, according to ESPN. Only the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship next week, and top-50 finishers assure themselves spots in all $20 million signature events next year. Jordan Spieth came in at No. 54 and is at risk of missing that threshold; he opened with a 65 but shot 72 on Saturday, falling from a tie for fifth to a tie for 19th, per the ESPN recap. Spieth did not record a birdie until the 11th hole. Keith Mitchell (No. 49 projected) and Maverick McNealy (No. 50 projected) sit tied for 22nd and are on the cut line, ESPN reported.

Tommy Fleetwood and Jake Knapp lie five shots back at 8-under after rounds of 68 and 67, respectively. Brian Harman came into the week at No. 65 in the FedEx Cup and shot 69 to move into a tie for sixth; Harman secured all major entries for next year with his 2023 British Open victory at Hoylake, per ESPN.

Scheffler struggled early on Saturday. According to ESPN, he hit only one green in regulation through the opening five holes, bogeyed the par-4 fourth, and did not record his first birdie until the par-3 eighth. He then ran off consecutive birdies early on the back nine and made a 12-foot par save on the 15th hole to finish with his 2-under round. The heat index topped 100 degrees during play, per the ESPN report.