MEMPHIS – Bryson DeChambeau found his groove Saturday at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
DeChambeau is playing his first tournament since having to miss the Tokyo Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 test and saying he wasn’t getting vaccinated. His third-round 7-under 63 tied for the best score of the day.
But Harris English, who has led since Thursday, closed with three consecutive birdies before a par on 18 to go into Sunday with a two-stroke lead at 18 under. Cameron Smith – who tied a PGA Tour record for fewest putts in a single round (18) on Friday – kept pace with his playing partner and will enter the final round tied with DeChambeau for second place, setting up a Sunday showdown at TPC Southwind.
“There’s a lot of good players behind me and my goal is just stick to my strategy and execute and whatever happens, happens,” said English, who won here in 2013 when the tournament was called the FedEx St. Jude Classic. “I can’t control what everybody else is doing. I can’t really put a number out there, but if you play good golf out here, you can shoot 7, 8 under. So who knows what it’s going to take, but I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing and we’ll see where it is after 18.”
Abraham Ancer is in fourth (14 under), while Scottie Scheffler and Ian Poulter (13 under) are tied for fifth. Dustin Johnson, a two-time winner in Memphis, headlines a group in a four-way tie for seventh at 11 under.
Seventh in this week’s Official World Golf Rankings, DeChambeau has easily been the top draw in Memphis. He entered the third round tied for seventh, four strokes behind English.
But DeChambeau put on a show for the galleries that swelled considerably Saturday as he played alongside Louis Oosthuizen. He was especially good on the back nine, racking up five birdies while steering clear of any bogeys. All eight of DeChambeau’s birdie putts came inside 10 feet.
“It was awesome being able to strike it that close to the hole all day,” he said. “Didn’t feel as comfortable as I would have liked with the swing, but the results were there so I was very pleased with the results. And honestly, if I can do that again tomorrow, I give myself a great chance to win. I like the front a lot better, but it’s just worked out really well this week on the last few holes, I guess the back nine.”
As hundreds of fans lined up outside the ropes down much of the 18th fairway and near the green, DeChambeau narrowly missed a birdie putt. Instead, he settled for a 2-foot tap-in to save par.
Shortly afterward, English left his birdie putt on No. 18 a foot short, and Smith capitalized. The Australian’s dandy approach shot left him with a 5-footer, which he drilled to close out the day’s action.
Jordan Spieth also fired a third-round 63, a marked improvement over his start at TPC Southwind. Spieth had an opening-round 1-over 71. Since getting off to a dreadful start – three bogeys and a double bogey through his first nine holes – Spieth is 10 under over his last 45 holes, thanks in large part to three straight birdies on Nos. 13-15 and an eagle on No. 16 out of a trap from 44 feet out.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.
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