England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick on Friday birdied the first four holes as he powered to a two-stroke lead in the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee, where he is seeking a first PGA Tour title.
The 24-year-old, who has won five European Tour titles since turning pro in the wake of a stellar amateur career, is seeking to improve on his best PGA Tour finish — runner-up at Bay Hill earlier this year.
He was in good position heading into the weekend of the elite World Golf Championships event at par-70 TPC Southwind after a six-under 64 for a nine-under total of 131.
Photo: AFP
He was two strokes in front of overnight leader Jon Rahm of Spain, Australian Cameron Smith and Americans Patrick Cantlay and Billy Horschel.
It was a further stroke back to Japan’s Shug Imahira, who carded a 69 for 134.
Fitzpatrick’s sizzling start owed plenty to crisp iron play. He rolled in a 26-foot birdie putt at the second, but stuck his approaches at the first and third eight feet from the pin and made those before landing his tee shot at the fourth nine feet from the hole and making that.
Unable to get up and down for par from a greenside bunker at the eighth, he drained seven-foot birdie putts at the ninth and 12th before making another long one at the 16th.
“My irons have been pretty good all year to be honest. My putter is what I’ve been struggling with,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s obviously done well so far this week.”
A victory would see Fitzpatrick book a place in the PGA Tour’s season-ending playoffs. He has already penciled in some time off in those weeks and said that qualifying would be a “bonus.”
“Obviously, I’d love to win,” Fitzpatrick said. “Winning a WGC is a goal of mine, but we’re only halfway through the tournament, so hopefully just keep pushing on and see where we end up.”
Rahm, who on Thursday surged to the first-round lead with an eight-under 62, had bogeys at three, four and 12 — where he was in the water — before his first birdie of the day.
He followed another bogey at 15 with birdies at 16 and 17 for a one-over 71 that put him on 133.
He was joined there by Cantlay and Smith, who both carded 68s, and Horschel, who fired a 66 that included a 22-foot eagle at No. 3 — his 12th hole of the day.
Horschel’s chance to take solo second evaporated with a bogey at his final hole, the ninth.
Smith also closed with a bogey, at 18, his only miscue in a round that included three birdies.
World No. 1 Brooks Koepka carded a 67 to head a group on 135 that also included England’s fourth-ranked Justin Rose, Alex Noren, Ian Poulter, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson.
Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama were among five players who were five off the lead on 136.
Taiwan’s C.T. Pan carded an even-par 70 to finish in a group tied for 47th on two-over 142.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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