Scottie Scheffler enters the weekend with a firm grip on the FedEx St. Jude Championship after delivering one of the best rounds of the PGA Tour season.
The world's No. 1 golfer fired a course-record 9-under 61 on Friday at TPC Southwind, erasing a three-shot deficit and turning it into a three-shot lead entering Saturday's Round 3. Scheffler made 11 birdies during a stunning second round, including birdies on each of his first five holes and six of his first seven, to move to 11-under for the tournament and separate himself from the field.
Now the focus shifts to whether anyone can reel him in.
Sungjae Im and Viktor Hovland begin Saturday three shots back, while the rest of the chasing pack will try to keep pace with a player who has spent much
of the season reminding everyone why he's the top-ranked golfer in the world.
Follow along throughout the day for Round 3 tee times, live leaderboard updates, scores, highlights and notable performances from the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
How to watch St. Jude Championship
The 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship will be broadcast on ESPN, with streaming available on the ESPN App and Disney+.
St. Jude Championship leaderboard, Round 3
➤ Complete FedEx St. Jude Championship leaderboard
- 1. Scottie Scheffler -11 (2)
- T2. Viktor Hovland -9 (2)
- T2. Sungjae Im -9 (1)
- T4. Si Woo Kim -7 (14)
- T4. Kurt Kitayama -7 (14)
- T4. Sam Burns -7 (8)
- T4. Brian Harman -7 (4)
Scottie Scheffler, St. Jude Championship leader, is on the course
The chase for the Round 3 lead is now official: Scottie Scheffler is on the green on Hole No. 1. After his scintillating round of 61 on Aug. 14, the world's No. 1 golfer is in the driver's seat, carrying a three-stroke lead into the start of his round. Are we in for another historic round? Let's find out.
Almost go time 👀#FedExChamp pic.twitter.com/601Y4510Fy
— FedEx St. Jude Championship (@FedExChamp) August 15, 2026
First it was Tom Kim, now Si Woo Kim makes a run
Good day to be named Kim. Tom Kim finished his day with a minus-7 63 and sits tied for eighth after gaining 37 spots in early play. His nine birdies on the round set the tone for the day, but hot, dry conditions could lead to more impressive scores.
Si Woo Kim seems to be up next. After starting the day at minus-2, his six birdies through 12 have him all the way up into a tie for second with Viktor Hovland, who just finished his first hole, and Sungjae Im, who is on the course with leader Scottie Scheffler.
Hideki Matsuyama has entered the chat
While Tom Kim is all the way up to a tie for fourth after another birdie on 15 (his eighth of the round), Hideki Matsuyama is one to watch. Matsuyama is in a tie for sixth after starting his round with a pair of birdies, now at minus-6 on the tournament
Rory McIlroy finishes Round 3 at 72
It's not been the performance Rory McIlroy was seeking. The Masters champion carded a 2-over 72 during Round 3, finishing his round with a double-bogey 6 after finding the water on his tee shot on 18. McIlroy is plus-6 for the tournament, currently sitting in a tie for 63rd.
J.T. Poston into Top 10 with eagle
J.T. Poston is lurking and has vaulted into a tie for the Top 10 with an eagle and two birdies on the front nine. He's at minus-5 for the tournament, just outside the Top 5.
Tom Kim into Top 5 with seventh birdie
We might see some low, low scores today. Tom Kim has vaulted into a tie for fifth, posting a 7-under score through 12 holes. Kim now has seven birdies and no bogeys in a sizzling Saturday round. For those of you keeping score, Kim has gained 40 spots during Round 3 and is minus-6 for the tournament.
A 29 on the front moves Tom Kim inside the top 10. 🔥#FedExChamp pic.twitter.com/Dy3RZu69AX
— FedEx St. Jude Championship (@FedExChamp) August 15, 2026
Tom Kim surges into top 10 with sixth birdie
Tom Kim is heating up and has moved into a tie for ninth with six consecutive birdies on Holes 2-8. Kim has vaulted 36 spots up the leaderboard and into contention at minus-5 for the tournament
Eli Manning pranks golfers with mini FedEx truck
Eli Manning, the former New York Giants quarterback, is becoming the clown prince of sports. His latest bit involves a radio-controlled FedEx truck/tee marker, which Manning and the golfers had some fun with in the video below:
Best driver on TOUR?
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 15, 2026
Easy. @EliManning and his tiny @FedEx truck. pic.twitter.com/ovHGr7ag65
Rory McIlroy in need of late surge
He's not playing poorly, but Rory McIlroy is on the outside looking in at a top-50 finish. McIlroy is plus-1 through eight holes, currently tied for 64th at plus-5 for the tournament.
Hot day ahead in Memphis for St. Jude Championship
It's already 85 degrees, with 68% humidity at TPC Southwind in Memphis, and the day is only going to get hotter. Expect those moisture-wicking golf shirts to earn their keep this weekend, with the Saturday, Aug. 15 daytime high expected to reach 98 degrees, while the Sunday, Aug. 16 forecasts calls for a high of 99. Stay hydrated, friends.
Matti Schmid's torrid start finally cools
Make that four consecutive birdies to start the round for Matti Schmid, who vaulted all the way into a tie for 34th before he finally cooled down, carding a par on No. 5. Schmid has been the big mover thus far in Round 3, jumping 20 spots with his hot start.
Matti Schmid moves up
One day after carding his first-ever ace on tour, German golfer Matti Schmid is making a charge up the leaderboard. Back-to-back birdies to start Round 3 vaulted Schmid up nine spots and into contention for a top-50 finish, as he's now tied for 45th in the early going.
Round 3 is underway with Rory McIlroy on the course
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Smith and Ricky Castillo are among the golfers on the course as Round 3 gets underway at TPC Southwind.
Scottie Scheffler's birdie binge among his greatest rounds
Fans watching Aug. 15 saw one of Scottie Scheffler's greatest rounds ever on the PGA Tour. His minus-9 Round 2 featured 11 birdies, including five consecutive to start the round. The crazy thing? It wasn't even Scheffler's best round this year. Read on to see where the performance ranked among Scheffler's lowest rounds on tour.
Bubble watch: Jordan Spieth looking to stay in FedEx Cup chase
It's not just about winning this week. The top 50 golfers in the standings will survive and advance to play next week in the BMW Championship. Here's a look at the golfers who need a strong performance to keep playing:
We’ve officially reached the weekend in Memphis 👀
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 15, 2026
Who’s staying inside the top 50 when the dust settles @FedExChamp? pic.twitter.com/n7hpvIy5TH
Saturday groups to watch at St. Jude Championship
Scottie Scheffler won't tee off until 1:45 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 15 as tournament leader, but here are a few intriguing groups to watch as play starts at 8 a.m. ET. Full tee times are below.
- 8:20 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Jordan Smith
- 9 a.m. — Justin Rose, Harris English
- 1:15 p.m. — Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman
- 10:25 a.m. — Max Homa, J.J. Spaun
St. Jude Championship full tee times Saturday
All times Eastern
- 8 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Ricky Castillo
- 8:10 a.m. — Matt McCarty, Alex Fitzpatrick
- 8:20 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Jordan Smith
- 8:30 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Eric Cole
- 8:40 a.m. — Matti Schmid, Ben Griffin
- 8:50 a.m. — Kristoffer Reitan, Nicolai Hojgaard
- 9 a.m. — Justin Rose, Harris English
- 9:10 a.m. — Aldrich Potgieter, Michael Brennan
- 9:20 a.m. — Rickie Fowler, Corey Conners
- 9:35 a.m. — Tom Kim, Russell Henley
- 9:45 a.m. — Jackson Koivun, Sepp Straka
- 9:55 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Sahith Theegala
- 10:05 a.m. — Michael Thorbjornsen, Ryan Gerard
- 10:15 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Sam Stevens
- 10:25 a.m. — Max Homa, J.J. Spaun
- 10:35 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Harry Hall
- 10:45 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Ryo Hisatsune
- 10:55 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Jacob Bridgeman
- 11:10 a.m. — Maverick McNealy, Kurt Kitayama
- 11:20 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Cameron Young
- 11:30 a.m. — Min Woo Lee, Bud Cauley
- 11:40 a.m. — Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas
- 11:50 a.m. — Pierceson Coody, Alex Noren
- Noon — Nick Taylor, Michael Kim
- 12:10 p.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns
- 12:20 p.m. — Alex Smalley, Hideki Matsuyama
- 12:30 p.m. — Adam Scott, Patrick Rodgers
- 12:45 p.m. — Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup
- 12:55 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Jake Knapp
- 1:05 p.m. — Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Keith Mitchell
- 1:15 p.m. — Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman
- 1:25 p.m. — Nico Echavarria, Tommy Fleetwood
- 1:35 p.m. — Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg
- 1:45 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scottie Scheffler starts St. Jude Championship Round 3: updates, leaderboard
