J.J. Spaun produced a second round of 3-under 67 to take the sole lead of the FedEx St. Jude after Day 2 at the TPC Southwind.
The American, who tied for the lead after day 1, made a late birdie to take a one-shot lead in the opening event of the PGA Tour postseason over Sepp Straka, who birdied his last three holes for a 66, and Troy Merritt, who finished with 65 on day 2.
Denny McCarthy (9-under total) sits a further stroke back with Tony Finau, coming off two straight victories, tied for fifth (8-under) after shooting an 11th consecutive round at 68 or lower dating to the final round of the British Open.
Some notable names missed the cut after FedEx St. Jude Day 2 including world number 1 Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.
Scheffler, the Masters champion and No. 1 player for the last five months, never quite recovered from his detrimental first round, missing birdie chances on two of the last three holes to miss the cut by a single stroke.
McIlroy, meanwhile, finished with a 69 for only his second missed cut of the year while Spieth’s hopes of playing the weekend ended with a tee shot into the water on the par-3 14th that led to a 74.
All three are guaranteed to reach the BMW Championship next week.
