2022 St. Jude Championship leaderboard: J.J. Spaun tests staying power with one-stroke lead after Round 3

A crowded pack with plenty of names just off the lead should set up an exciting final round in Memphis.

As he did the first two nights, J.J. Spaun will sleep on the lead as he heads into the final round of the St. Jude Championship alone at the top of the leaderboard. Beginning the third round with a one-stroke lead, the Texas Open winner made par on his first nine holes of the day before dropping a shot.

With his ship taking on water, Spaun remained calm. Playing his final eight holes in 3 under, Spaun signed for a 2-under 68 to reach 13 under -- good enough to maintain his one-stroke edge over his playing competitor, Sepp Straka.

While Spaun came into the FedEx Cup Playoffs having recently discovered the form which led him to victory in April, Straka was reeling. Missing the cut in his last six tournaments, the big Austrian now has an opportunity to prove that momentum may in fact be overrated.

Both players will vie for their second victory on the season and of their careers on Sunday, but it will certainly not be a two-man race.

Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith is hot on their heels at 11 under. A win -- his fourth of 2022 -- would allow him to surpass Scheffler as the world No. 1. Will Zalatoris sits at the same number and is still in search of his first victory on the PGA Tour. He has notched three runner-up finishes this year alone and appears ready for his breakthrough moment.

Then there is the hottest golfer on the planet, Tony Finau, who headlines a crop of premier players at 9 under and looks to become the first player to successfully defend his title at a playoff event. Alongside Finau are Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns, and Sungjae Im, among many others.

Factor in the pressure of postseason implications and the possibility of qualifying for the BMW Championship, and the final round of the St. Jude Championship is bound to heat up.

The leader

1. J.J. Spaun (-13): An overarching theme of this tournament has been the staying power Spaun will have on this leaderboard, and on Saturday he proved capable of keeping that momentum. Sputtering out of the gates, it would have been easy for the San Diego State product to pack it in. Instead, he battled his swing and was rewarded with the 54-hole lead.

It is difficult to not like his chances on Sunday, as he has put together a well-rounded effort through three rounds. Spaun ranks third in strokes gained tee to green, while also standing second in strokes gained approach and 11th in strokes gained putting. While his off-the-tee numbers may not jump off the page, they are still impressive as he has hit just over 76% of his fairways.

Other contenders

2. Sepp Straka (-12)

T3. Will Zalatoris, Cameron Smith and Trey Mullinax (-11)

T6. Tyler Duncan and Troy Merritt (-10)

T8. Sungjae Im, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns, Hayden Buckley, Andrew Putnam, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman and Ryan Palmer (-9)

There are a plenty of scary names at 9 under, and Fitzpatrick may be the one which stands out the most. Signing for rounds of 68-66-67 up to this point, the Englishman's consistency has shined through and may be the perfect recipe for TPC Southwind given the amount of trouble around every corner.

He arrived in the FedEx Cup Playoffs off a three-week break and showed some rust on Thursday. Quickly shaking it off, Fitzpatrick should love his chances tomorrow, as the conditions will only get firmer and faster in the Memphis heat.

"I think you miss a fairway, it's hard," said the U.S. Open champion. "You don't know what lie you're going to get; you don't know whether you're going to get a jumper or not. That for me is what makes it play so difficult. You've got to hit fairways to give yourself a chance to making birdies and even just holding onto par. I think obviously the greens are getting firmer as the week's gone on and that makes it more difficult as well obviously."

Captain Immelman must be smiling

While the focus is on the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Presidents Cup will be here before we know it. The International Team has a tall mountain to climb at Quail Hollow Club next month, but if Saturday's play was indicative of their team's success, they could have a realistic chance to upset the United States side.

Sungjae Im fired the round of the day with a 7-under 63 alongside his future teammate Corey Conners, who was exquisite from tee to green. A few groups behind them, Joaquin Niemann signed for a 6-under 64 while his fellow countryman Mito Pereira went around TPC Southwind in an effective manner, gaining roughly three strokes from tee to green.

"Everything was pretty solid today," said Niemann. "It's been pretty good the last three days taking out that triple bogey that I made the first round. I've been hitting the ball great, pretty much the same the three days. Yeah, was happy the way it's going on right now."

Who needs a big Sunday to advance to the BMW Championship?

The field will be trimmed to 70 players next week for the BMW Championship at Wilmington Country Club. As such, tomorrow's pressure lies on the shoulders of not only players at the top of the leaderboard, but also those hovering around that top 70 cutoff point.

Name	Projected FedEx Cup Ranking	Position on the Leaderboard
Adam Scott	64	T25
Cam Davis	67	T36
Taylor Pendrith	68	T64
Marc Leishman	69	69
Taylor Moore	70	T44
Ryan Palmer	71	T8
Brendon Todd	74	T52
Adam Schenk	76	T25
Beau Hossler	78	T61

2022 St. Jude Championship updated odds and picks

• Cameron Smith: 4-1
• J.J. Spaun: 9/2
• Will Zalatoris: 9/2
• Sepp Straka: 9-1
• Trey Mullinax: 12-1
• Matt Fitzpatrick: 14-1
• Tony Finau: 16-1
• Sam Burns: 18-1
• Sungjae Im: 20-1
• Troy Merritt: 22-1
• Tyler Duncan: 33-1
• Brian Harman: 35-1

It is a little surprising to see Smith listed as the favorite as he sits two strokes off the lead, but the world No. 2 most definitely commands respect. Because of this and the addition of other big names in the picture, Spaun's price is a smidge too inflated as he has shown no reason to not believe he can close this tournament out. If searching for a number with some more sizzle, Im at 20-1 or Duncan at 33-1 would be the other two names to possibly warrant an investment.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 5:50 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Spaun ties Straka with birdie on difficult 17th

Just the third birdie of the day on the long par 4, J.J. Spaun has regained a share of the lead. Now heading to the final hole, the Texas Open winner will attempt to lead after completion of play for the third straight day.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 5:34 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Smith finishes strong

A couple birdies in his final three holes sees Cameron Smith get into the clubhouse at 11 under. It is unknown how many strokes off the lead he will be, but he should have a great chance to reach world No. 1 with a victory. This would be Smith's fourth title of the season as he continues to rise to the occasion on golf's biggest stages.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 5:07 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Straka takes solo lead as he reaches 12 under

With a birdie on the par-4 13th, the big Austrian finds himself alone at 12 under. There are currently three players at 11 under including Trey Mullinax who began the week 70th in the FedEx Cup standings and looks well on his way to playing himself into next week's BMW Championship.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 4:41 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Zalatoris gets in the clubhouse at 11 under

Just missing from six feet on the 18th hole, Will Zalatoris signs for a 5-under 65 and remains in a share of the lead at 11 under. He is currently alongside Troy Merritt, J.J. Spaun and Sepp Straka and will hope to be in the same position by the end of the day as they still have the majority of their back nine to play.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 4:17 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

We have a new co leader

Will Zalatoris has ascended to 11 under thanks to another birdie on the par-5 16th. He is joined by Sepp Straka as J.J. Spaun dropped his first shot of the day on the par-4 10th. Zalatoris is still in search of his first career victory and many pegged this week as a fantastic opportunity. He is proving those people correct.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 3:56 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Final pair make the turn

It was a middling opening nine from J.J. Spaun and Sepp Straka as both players find themselves at 11 under and in a share of the lead. They just don't seem to be firing on all cylinders and because of this have given numerous players in front of them an opening as Tony Finau and Will Zalatoris are only one stroke back.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 3:35 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Leaders giving a chance to early movers

Through seven holes, the overnight lead has not moved and remains at 11 under. This is music to the ears of Sungjae Im and Joaquin Niemann who put together rounds in the mid 60s in the morning hours. If the lead stretches to 13 under, these players will still be in it and if it remains at 11 under by day's end, they will have a real chance to win.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 3:09 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Really nice turnaround from Will Zalatoris

Opening with a 1-over 71, Will Zalatoris bounced back on Friday with a 7-under 63 to get into contention. He has continued this play as he is now gotten to 9 under for the tournament. This is two strokes behind the quartet of leaders at 11 under which is an unlikely cast of characters.

[Aug 13, 2022 at 2:46 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

This leaderboard is something...

Troy Merritt has joined J.J. Spaun at 11 under and underlines what is quite an odd leaderboard. Outside of Sungjae Im and Tony Finau, there are no real fixtures inside the top 10. If it remains this way, it will certainly ramp up the pressure as it would mark the biggest career win for one of these competitors.