Bhatia shoots steady 2nd round to stay second in St. Jude Championship

Memphis (USA), Aug 9 (IANS) Indian-American golfer Akshay Bhatia followed up his career-best round of 8-under 62 with a solid second-round 69, bringing his 36-hole total to 9-under par at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Bhatia is currently tied for second place with Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose, trailing leader Tommy Fleetwood by four strokes.

Fleetwood, who shot back-to-back rounds of 63 and 64 (13-under), remains at the top of the leaderboard. He is seeking his first PGA TOUR win after several close finishes, including six runner-up results and 42 top-10s since 1983.

Bhatia, a two-time PGA TOUR winner, recorded two birdies and a bogey in his opening four holes before playing steady golf with 14 consecutive pars. His performance keeps him firmly in the mix going into the weekend, in only his second appearance at this event, where he finished T-12 in 2024.

Meanwhile, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, fresh off his Open Championship win, sits at 7-under after a second-round 66, despite three bogeys on the back nine. He is tied for seventh with Bud Cauley, Jacob Bridgeman, and Maverick McNealy, who had not completed his round due to weather delays.

Aaron Rai, another player of Indian origin, carded 70 and 69, putting him at T-39. He currently ranks 55th in the FedExCup standings and will need to crack the Top 50 to qualify for the next round of playoffs.

Kurt Kitayama made a big move with a 63, bringing him into the top five and continuing his late-season surge following his win at the 3M Open. Weather disruptions, including lightning, forced the suspension of play and evacuation of spectators. As the tournament heads into the weekend, all eyes will be on Bhatia and Fleetwood—one looking to continue his rise, the other to finally break through.

Earlier, Akshay Bhatia was on fire at TPC Southwind, carding a career-best 8-under 62 to take the outright lead after the opening round of the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs.

The 23-year-old Bhatia, already a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, delivered a stellar performance marked by seven birdies and an eagle against one bogey. He made the turn at 4-under, then picked up another birdie on the 11th before briefly slipping with a bogey at 12. But his finish was spectacular—an eagle on the par-5 16th followed by back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18.

--IANS

bsk/