Hideki Matsuyama of Japan took the lead alone in the third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship (total prize money of $20 million) on the PGA Tour.
Matsuyama shot a 6-under 64 with one eagle, five birdies and one bogey in the third round on the third day of the tournament at TPC Southwind (par 70, 7,243 yards) in Memphis, Tennessee on the 18th (Korea time).
Matsuyama, who had a total of 17-under 193 in the third round, led Nick Dunlap of the U.S. by five strokes, and will see his 10th victory on the tour in six months since the Genesis Invitational in February.
Matsuyama, who won the Genesis Invitational in February this year, beat Choi Kyung-ju (8 wins) to record the most wins on the PGA Tour, and if he wins this tournament, he will become the first Asian player to win 10 games.
He became the Masters champion in 2021, setting a record for the first Asian national to win a men’s major tournament.
Matsuyama, who was tied for the lead in the second round, showed a strong overall sense of shot, including a 4.5-meter eagle putt at the third hole (par 5).
Matsuyama, who won the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, later moved from France to the United States, and his caddie and coach were robbed of his passport, so he was unable to accompany him to the tournament, but rather showed his potential to lead by five strokes.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. tied for fourth with 10-under 200, seven shots behind the leader.
Among South Korean players, Ahn Byung-hoon ranked highest at 3-under 207 and tied for 31st.
The tournament is the first round of the playoffs, where only the top 70 FedEx Cup points in the 2024 season will compete.
At the end of the tournament, only the top 50 will compete in the BMW Championship in the second round of the playoffs.
Ahn Byung-hoon, who came to the playoffs in 12th place in the FedEx Cup, virtually confirmed his advance to the second round.
Kim Joo-hyung, who tied for 13th in the second round, lost three shots on the day and fell to 2-under 208 and tied for 39th.
Kim Joo-hyung, who started the tournament in 43rd place at the FedEx Cup, must at least maintain his current ranking to advance to the second round.
Lim Sung-jae is tied for 45th with a 1-under 209, and Kim Si-woo is tied for 58th with a 1-over 211.
The FedEx Cup ranking is ninth in Lim Sung-jae and 38th in Kim Si-woo, which is not a big problem in advancing to the second round of the playoffs. 메이저놀이터
