2023 St. Jude Championship was an incredible finish to a fabulous day of golf! Tommy Fleetwood was the one who climbed the highest, carding a stunning 6-under 64 to take the lead. Fleetwood rises to the occasion with a stellar performance, putting himself atop the leaderboard. Competitors such as Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler face obstacles that impede their progress.
Fleetwood’s round on Saturday was bolstered by a stunning run of four-straight birdies that showcased just how dialed in he truly was. He made two of the most important medium-range 15-foot birdie putts on 13 and 14. Then, he truncated a separator to just five feet, paving the way for yet another birdie on the 15th hole. He stood on the tee of the par-5 16th hole in just two strokes. Then, he two-putted from nearly 30 feet to make his fourth consecutive birdie!
Kurt Kitayama stole the show with a season-best performance, registering the day’s lowest score by four strokes at 63. This amazing achievement shot him up to the top five on the leaderboard. Kitayama knows he has nothing to lose heading into the last tournament of the season. He’s very much cognizant of his competitors and very much keeping one eye on them and one eye on the competition.
“But you can’t control what everyone else is doing. If you play well, it’s going to take care of itself. That’s kind of my mindset,” – Kurt Kitayama
It was a very rough day for Jordan Spieth. He finished with a 70 and trailed Fleetwood by 12 shots. While Spieth was able to card three birdies in his round, he experienced trouble with three bogeys. His only bogey came at the last hole. Chipping from the bunker into juicy thick rough, he became disheartened as he lipped out an 8-footer for par that seemed to be on its way before stubbornly stayed up on the lip.
Scottie Scheffler came in hot and cold on all the right notes and sat at 3-under 66. Three bogeys on the back nine prevented him from moving further up the leaderboard. He ended up six strokes behind winner Tommy Fleetwood and voiced his desire to do better in the future rounds.
Bud Cauley shot a remarkable 69 on Sunday, allowing him to finish tied for seventh. Judging by the sound of his music, he’s committed to standing out in this crowded space.
Fleetwood—and there’s that name again—sure sounds optimistic about his tour prospects. He taps into what he’s learned from previous experiences, while understanding the unique choke of putting yourself in contention.
“It hasn’t happened for me yet out on the PGA Tour, but I would much rather be up there and not quite get it done than not there at all,” – Tommy Fleetwood
As the matches continue, each player will be hoping to carry their success through to the later rounds. The tension increases as peers face off and must weigh the risk of an imperfect performance with the need to win.
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