Fitzpatrick shoots 64 to take lead

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Matthew Fitzpatrick is playing at TPC Southwind for the first time in his young career, and the 24yearold Englishman has found a course that fits him very, very well.

Fitzpatrick shot a 6under 64 on Friday in the FedEx St. Jude Invitational to take a twostroke lead into the weekend at the World Golf Championships event.

He birdied the first four holes and finished with seven birdies and a bogey. He took the lead with his fifth birdie and added two more on the back nine to finish at 9under 131.

“The golf course probably suits me more than most,” Fitzpatrick said. “If you miss a fairway, you don’t know how it’s going to come out of the rough so that makes it tougher. If I can just keep hitting fairways and greens, then give yourself a lot of chances. And … the greens are so pure. Hopefully, from there just keep doing what I’m doing really.”

This is the third time Fitzpatrick, who is still looking for his first tour win, has had the lead or shared the lead and second this year. He led after the third round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finished second.

“It’s a nice place to be,” he said.

Billy Horschel (66) had a chance to catch Fitzpatrick after a birdie on his 17th hole. The 2014 FedExCup champ hit his tee shot on the par3 eighth to 4 feet only to pull his tee shot left on No. 9 and finish with a bogey. He was tied for second with Patrick Cantlay (68), Cameron Smith (68) and firstround leader Jon Rahm (71). Shugo Imahira (69) was another stroke back.

“I had a couple bad tee shots that cost me bogeys, but other than that, doing a lot of good things,” Horschel said. “Probably could have been lower if I had made a few more putts my first nine holes on the back side, get a little bit of momentum, but 4under par on this course any day is really good.”

Topranked Brooks Koepka had a 67 to match 2018 FedEx Cup champ Justin Rose (68), Bubba Watson (70), Ian Poulter (69), Webb Simpson (66), and Alex Noren (69) at 5 under.

“This golf course you kind of knew everybody was going to be jampacked,” Koepka said.

Fitzpatrick played a season at Northwestern and won the 2013 U.S. Amateur, becoming first English champ since Harold Hilton in 1911. He turned pro in 2014 and has won five times internationally.