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FedEx St. Jude Invitational 2020: Brendon Todd Leads by 1 Stroke After Saturday
August 2, 2020
Brendon Todd went five years between PGA victories before picking up two in November 2019. He's one round from notching his first since then at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee.
The 35-year-old shot his worst round of the week Saturday (69) and still held a one-stroke lead heading into Sunday's finale. He'll have to fend off some of the best golfers in the world to finish his third consecutive round atop the leaderboard.
Just behind the Georgia native loom the likes of Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas and Phil Mickelson, each no further than five strokes off the lead.
On a TPC Southwind course that's continued to see players post low scores, Round 4 should provide plenty of action.
Here's where things stand heading into Sunday.
FedEx St. Jude Invitational Leaderboard
1. Brendon Todd (-12)
2. Byeong Hun An (-11)
3. Rickie Fowler (-10)
4. Brooks Koepka (-9)
5. Justin Thomas (-8)
T6. Phil Mickelson (-7)
T6. Louis Oosthuizen (-7)
T6. Matthew Fitzpatrick (-7)
T6. Chez Reavie (-7)
Notables: T10. Jason Day (-6), T17. Dustin Johnson (-5), T22. Sergio Garcia (-4), T29. Collin Morikawa (-2), T40. Bryson DeChambeau (-1), T53. Rory McIlroy (+2)
Highlights
Byeong Hun An, 28, has been one of the most impressive surprises this week.
The No. 62-ranked golfer in the world could end up with his first PGA Tour victory after making the jump from the European Tour in 2016. An hasn't finished in the top 10 of a WGC event since 2016's Match Play, when he finished tied for ninth.
On Saturday, he was nearly flawless, posting six birdies and just one bogey, including four consecutive birdies from Nos. 13 to 16, allowing him to jump from third to second on the leaderboard. An could've found himself tied for the lead if not for a double bogey on No. 11 following a drive that went straight into the water hazard.
The round of the day went to Tom Lewis (six under par), who sank 10 birdies to jump 47 spots into a tie for 10th place. His score of 61 is the lowest of any golfer's this week, and it helped put him back into contention following consecutive rounds in the 70s.
Lewis rattled off five birdies on the front nine and five consecutive on the back nine. Only a bogey on 18 kept him from finishing at 10 under on the day.
The only former FedEx St. Jude champion still in the top 20 is Dustin Johnson, who won the event in 2018 and 2012.
Even without a top finish this week, it still marks significant rebound for the former No. 1-ranked golfer. Following his Travelers Championship victory in late June, Johnson missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament with back-to-back rounds of 80 and withdrew from last week's 3M Open with back issues following an opening-round 78.
Johnson put together his third round below 70 on Saturday and will have a chance to end his weekend in the top five should his play remain consistent.