FedEx St. Jude Classic 2022: J.J. Spaun Takes 1-Shot Lead Behind 2nd-Round 67
J.J. Spaun maintained his lead at the FedEx St. Jude Championship after a solid second round Friday at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
Spaun entered the day tied with Si Woo Kim for the top spot after a scorching opening round that saw him finish at eight-under par. He followed that up with a three-under 67 and 11-under par total Friday.
Here's a look at the leaderboard:
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1. J.J Spaun: -11
T-2. Sepp Straka: -10
T-2. Troy Merritt: -10
4. Denny McCarthy: -9
T-5. Brian Harman: -8
T-5. Tony Finau: -8
T-5. Cameron Smith: -8
T-5. Ryan Palmer: -8
T-9. Adam Scott: -7
T-9. Emiliano Grillo: -7
T-9. K.H. Lee:-7
T-9. Sahith Theegala: -7
T-9. Kevin Kisner: -7
T-9. Tyler Duncan: -7
T-9. Trey Mullinax: -7
T-9. Lucas Glover: -7
Full leaderboard available at PGATour.com.
Spaun had a solid start to his afternoon at TPC Southwind, carding a birdie on hole No. 1 before draining another on the third.
He slipped up on No. 7 with a bogey but bounced back with another birdie on the eighth.
The 31-year-old was just as good on the back nine, carding two birdies and a bogey. One of his best shots came on the 17th, when he birdied to take a one-shot lead.
Spaun has just one PGA Tour victory, which came at the Valero Texas Open in April, when he finished 13-under par. He has been full-time on the tour since the 2016-17 season, and a victory at TPC Southwind would be huge for the San Diego State product.
Tony Finau is one of the players who remains within striking distance of the lead. The 32-year-old posted a two-under 68 on Friday for his 11th consecutive round in the 60s on the tour.
Finau is tied for fifth at eight under, though he is looking to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2017 to win three consecutive starts.
Sepp Straka and Troy Merritt, who are tied for second, finished Friday's round at four-under 66 and five-under 65, respectively. Straka held on to the lead for a while, carding five birdies on the day.
Kim, meanwhile, dropped all the way to a tie for 27th after finishing Round 2 at three-over 73 with three bogeys.
Other notables include Jon Rahm and Rickie Fowler, who are tied for 33rd. Rory McIlroy, Tom Hoge, Billy Horschel and Scottie Scheffler are among those who missed the two-under cut.
The third round is set for Saturday, and Spaun will look to hang on to his lead ahead of the final round and improve his positioning in the FedEx Cup standings.
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