Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri carded a disappointing one-over 71 to lie tied 86th after the primary spherical of the FedEx St. Jude Championship right here. Lahiri, who’s coming into the FedExCup Play-offs every week after a Top-10 end, might want to do lots of work to get into the weekend.
It was a terrific day for Asian challenger, Si Woo Kim, who holed out for a tremendous eagle from 168 yards and shared the lead at 8-under 62 with American JJ Spaun. Sahith Theegala, an American of Indian origin, is in third place at 7-under, whereas Sepp Straka, KH Lee, Tony Finau, and JT Poston are tied fourth at 6-under.
The 27-year-old Kim, who withdrew from the ultimate spherical of the Wyndham Championship final weekend because of sickness, was in scorching type at TPC Southwind in Memphis the place he capped his day by sinking an strategy on the par-4 18th gap with an 8-iron. He had seven different birdies and a lone bogey.
Kim is hoping to change into the fourth Korean golfer to win this season and the second successive following younger compatriot, Joohyung “Tom” Kim’s victory on the Wyndham Championship on Sunday.
Lahiri hit 12 of 18 greens in regulation throughout his first spherical. Many of his approaches left him far from the pins and he additionally missed a few birdie possibilities from inside and round 10 toes. Starting from the tenth, Lahiri bogeyed the twelfth however discovered his first birdie on the 395-yard par-4 fifteenth gap. He hit his strategy from 115 yards and arrange a birdie. He bogeyed first and fifth and in between birdied third to complete at 1-over.
Kim modified his placing grip halfway within the spherical and it labored as he powered house for an inward 28 to mark a career-low nine-hole rating. It was additionally his first ever sub-par spherical at TPC Southwind in seven rounds.
Kim’s compatriots, KH Lee and ‘Tom’ Kim Joohyung additionally loved quick begins with rounds of 64 and 66 respectively to be tied fourth and 18th respectively. Other Asian gamers within the FedExCup Playoffs, Korean Sungjae Im and Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan carded scores of 70 and 73 respectively, and had been in peril of lacking the minimize.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the event on Wednesday because of a neck damage. Tony Finau, who gained the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic back-to-back final month, is amongst those that carded 64s, whereas present FedExCup No. 1 and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler returned a disappointing 71.
The top-70 ranked golfers in Memphis will progress into subsequent week’s BMW Championship, the place the sector can be additional diminished to 30 gamers for the season-finale, TOUR Championship.
The PGA Tour’s final prize, the FedExCup, can be awarded in Atlanta the place the winner can even earn US$18 million.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
