Tom Kim knew it would be an uphill climb to maintain the blazing pace he set over the first nine holes of the third round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Aug. 15. Kim, who didn't qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs in 2025, is grateful to be competing in the playoffs this summer. He shot six consecutive birdies from holes No. 2 to No. 7. "Momentum shift-wise, I felt kind of the same out there, but obviously driving in the fairway and giving myself looks and making some putts when I needed to really just helped," he said. More: PGA Tour leaderboard today: FedEx St. Jude Championship Round 3 scores in Memphis He was well on pace to at least tie the course record, which Scottie Scheffler did the day before. "I think you just kind of go in the zone. I had some good numbers. I hit it in the right spots," Kim said. "Obviously making the putts when I had the opportunities was big."
But as it often goes, Kim cooled off in the blistering heat after the turn, with birdies on just No. 10 and No. 15. He hit for par or better on every hole up until that point, meaning he still had a chance to tie the course record. "I think the back nine is somewhat more demanding," Kim said. "So I think the focus is more on just trying to, just kind of stay in the moment, and I would say just kind of ride the momentum." The momentum slipped away on No. 16, which he bogeyed.. He birdied No. 17, but on No. 18, he hit another "lousy" bogey. Despite that hiccup, Kim finished 7-under par for the day, springboarding him to within the top-15 after finding himself nowhere close to that in the early stages of the tournament. Kim has played in four of the past five FedEx St. Jude Championships, but after drinking six bottles of water and staying hydrated, he's just trying to enjoy being back in Memphis. Thoughts on Scheffler At the top of the leaderboard still is Scheffler, who finished 2-under for the day and has a two-stroke lead at 13-under through three rounds, ahead of Sam Burns and Sungjae Im, who are tied for second. "I think he's probably the best No. 1 in the world that we've had in a while," Kim said. "No one's been this dominant for this long. He works so hard, so he deserves everything." Reach Commercial Appeal sports intern Said Bravo at said.nonoal@commercialappeal.com This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tom Kim birdies six in a row in return to FedEx St. Jude Championship