Glover takes over from Speith as St Jude leader, Im charges into tied third

Winner at the Wyndham Championship last week, Lucas Glover replaced US compatriot Jordan Speith at the top of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Friday, even as a pack of Koreans jostled for a shot at a never-before Asian victory at the season-ending series.

With rounds of 66 and 64 on the par 70 TPC Southwinds course in Memphis, Glover led former Hero World Challenge winner Speith by a shot with Sungjae Im and Joohyung ‘Tom’ Kim a further shot behind along with three others.

Glover’s 10 under 130 gives the five-time PGA Tour winner the 36-hole lead for the 10th time though he has never managed to convert the position into a win so far, while Speith followed his first round 63 with a 2 under 68 on Friday to slip back a place.

Behind the two Americans, Sungjae Im shot a sparkling 5-under 65 to tie for third place alongside a bogey-free Tom Kim (68) on a sweltering day in Memphis.

The two Koreans are seeking Asia’s first ever win in a Playoffs event with Byeong Hun An (68) and Si Woo Kim (67) not far behind in tied 18th, five shots off the pace while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (69) was T30 and also looking to progress into next week’s BMW Championship which is limited to the top-50 players.

The 25-year-old Im, who is a two-time tour winner hit six birdies against a lone bogey for a two-day total of 8 under 132. In contrast, Kim managed only two birdies but was delighted to stay in the hunt after a tough day.

Im, whose round was highlighted by a chip-in birdie on the par-3 eighth, his penultimate hole, was pleased to be in contention. “Everything went well. The tee shots have been good for two days, and I was able to hit second shots comfortably from the fairway. My approach play has been okay, and if there was anything to be desired, it was a little disappointing I missed a few putts.

“I don't think I've played in such hot weather recently, so it was not easy. I was sweating so much on every hole, and I had a hard time concentrating but I think I ended the day well by holding on.”

Since the FedEx Cup began, no Asian has won a Playoffs event or the Tour Championship, which rounds off the annual series. Im was runner-up at the latter event last season and also third in the 2021 BMW Championship and said on Friday he hoped to see all four Koreans in the Playoffs finale at Atlanta.

“Yes, I saw the leaderboard. Si Woo and Tom are kind of safe for the Tour Championship, while me and Ben are not. I hope we play well and get in together,” he said.

Tom Kim, also a two-time PGA Tour winner, was happy to grind out a 68. “It was tough. So hot out there, golly. It was so freaking hot,” the 21-year-old said. “It was just a grind. The birdies were not going in. They were like stopping right in front of the hole or just...

“I had a few good looks, a few good chances on the fairway, but didn't really quite capitalise. Obviously would have liked to shoot 4- or 5-under par. Had a chance for sure, wasn't to be, but definitely walked away with a bogey-free 2-under par that keeps me in the tournament. For sure I'll be pleased with it.”

Glover started last week’s Wyndham Championship in 112th place on the FedEx Cup rankings but victory propelled him to 49th. Should he win this week, he will rise to third heading into the BMW Championship.

“I hit it nicely. I hit it in the fairway a bunch and hit a lot of greens, and the ones I missed were a couple on the fringe and then a couple of easy up-and-downs,” the 2009 US Open champion said. "The course is drying out a little bit, and yeah, played nicely, so here we are.”