Korean duo Sungjae Im and Tom Kim ground out matching 1-under 69s at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Saturday for a share of tied sixth place as American Lucas Glover maintained control of the US$20 million showpiece, the first of three FedExCup Playoffs events.
Im, a two-time PGA TOUR winner, notched three birdies against two bogeys in the third round at TPC Southwind while Kim, who is the highest ranked Asian at 14th place entering the Playoffs, penciled down two birdies against a lone bogey.
Related: Sungjae Im joins Joohyung Kim to lend weight to Asian challenge
They enter the final day on 9-under 201, trailing the in-form Glover by five shots and in need of truly low final round similar to the stunning 61 which Justin Rose produced on Saturday to tie the course record.
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Countrymen Si Woo Kim and Byeong Hun An are a further two strokes back in T16 after carding matching 68s while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was left frustrated after letting slip an impressive outward 5-under 30 before settling for a 70 which left him tied 38th on 206 and in danger of missing next week’s BMW Championship which is restricted to the Top-50 on the FedExCup points list.
Im is aiming for a strong finish in Memphis this week to bolster his chances of qualifying the TOUR Championship, which is limited to the Top-30. Last season, he finished runner-up to post Asia’s best ever performance since the launch of the FedExCup in 2007. Currently, Im is projected to move up to No. 24 from No. 32 on the FedExCup standings.
With 2,000 points available to the winner here, Kim knows very well he can still contend for the FedExCup title if he can narrow the gap on Glover, who won last week’s Wyndham Championship.
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Glover, who traded five birdies against a lone bogey to lead by one shot from Taylor Moore (65), will seek to capitalise on his 54-hole lead as he pursues consecutive victories and emerge as a surprise contender for the FedExCup. Before last week’s tournament, he was ranked 112th.
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At 43 years old, he became the first player over 40 to hold a 54-hole lead in the FedExCup Playoffs since Tiger Woods, who was 42 during the third round of the 2018 TOUR Championship. If Glover secures a win on Sunday, he’s projected to rocket up to No. 3 in the standings.
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Glover admitted that his victory last week has given him a massive dose of confidence. “A hundred percent. I felt great today. I’ve been knocking on the door before last week a few times, been in the last group a few times and all that. Kind of led up to the good feeling today,” he said.
“In Detroit, I think that first week when I was kind of in the hunt a little bit, I was a little nervy early on, but I felt really good today, and that’s good leading up to tomorrow because I’ve been there a bunch the last five, six weeks. Any experience, situation like this is good to lean on.”
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England’s Tommy Fleetwood carded a 66 for solo third, two behind Glover, while reigning FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy carded a 68 for a share of tied sixth, five back off the pace. Jon Rahm, who entered the Playoffs as the No. 1, shot a second straight 67 for a share of 42nd place.
