Spaun keeps lead at St. Jude Championship

British Open champ Smith eyes top rank

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — J.J. Spaun did just enough right at the end to fashion a 2-under-par 68 and keep his one-shot lead Saturday in the Fedex St. Jude Championship with a familiar name lurking.

At stake for Cameron Smith is No. 1 in the world.

Already a banner year with his first major win at the British Open, and under heavy scrutiny for reports that he is headed to Saudi-funded LIV Golf, Smith birdied his last hole for a 67. That left him two shots behind and aware a victory moves him to No. 1 in the world.

“That’s been one of my goals probably since the start of the year is to try to get to that top spot,” Smith said. “Try and chase it down.”

The chase will start in a traffic jam. Spaun had a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th and holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the next hole to claim the 54-hole lead a 13-under 197.

Sepp Straka was there with him until he failed to save par from the bunker on the 18th for a 68 that left him one shot behind. Both are firsttime PGA Tour winners this year, and a victory in a Fedex Cup playoffs carries more weight — $2.7 million to the winner and a guaranteed spot at East Lake for the Fedex Cup finale.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world and in the Fedex Cup since March, missed the cut. That paves the way for Smith, whose three wins this year include The Players Championship, to reach No. 1 if he were to win.

Will Zalatoris is just as hungry, for different reasons. He has been a tough customer in majors, losing in a playoff at the PGA Championship and finishing one back in the U.S. Open. He is No. 14 in the world. And he has yet to win on the PGA Tour.

Zalatoris opened with a 71 that put him in such a hole that even his fiancee wanted to know their plans if he didn’t make it to the weekend. He shot a 63 and followed with a 65 on Saturday. That put him two behind, with Trey Mullinax (66).

■ LPGA: At Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Amanda Doherty of the United States kept alive her bid for a wire-to-wire win in the ISPS Handa

World Invitational, shooting 1-under 72 for a 12-under 206 total and a one-stroke lead over Peiyun Chien (70) of of Taiwan and Georgia Hall (70) of England entering the final round. Three players were another shot back.

■ DP World: At Ballymena, Northern Ireland, Ewen Ferguson of Scotland extended his ISPS Handa World Invitational lead to three strokes by shooting 2-under 68 for an 11-under

199 total entering the final round. John Catlin (66) of the United States was alone in second, and four players were another shot back.

■ Champions: At Snoqualmie, Wash., Miguel Angel Jimenez shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 to tie fellow 58-year-old Billy Andrade (66) for a two-stroke Boeing Classic lead at 10-under 134 entering the final round. Gene Sauers (64), Stephen Ames (68) and K.J. Choi (69) were tied for third.

■ USGA: At University Place, Wash., Saki Baba of Japan routed American Bailey Shoemaker 7 and 6 to reach the U.S. Women’s Amateur final. The 17-year-old Baba will face Canadian Monet Chun, 21, a rising junior at Michigan, in the 36-hole final Sunday.

The Associated Press Mark Humphrey J.J. Spaun follows through on a drive from the sixth tee Saturday in the Fedex St. Jude Championship’s third round at TPC Southwind. He led by one stroke.