Steep Weekend Climb Awaits Ex-Cal Golfers at the FedEx St. Jude Championship

Michael Kim came back to earth while fellow ex-Cal golfers Max Homa and Collin Morikawa took steps forward in the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Friday at TPC Southwind in Memphis.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made sure none of it mattered much.

Scheffler fired a 9-under par 61 to power into a three-stroke lead on the field after 36 holes of the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The top 50 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings after Sunday’s final round qualify to move on to Week 2 of the playoffs — the BMW Championship at Bellerive CC in St. Louis. They also will secure invitations to all eight signature events on the 2027 PGA Tour calendar.

At St. Louis, the top 30 finishers qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship, Aug. 27-30 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where golfers will compete for a $40 million purse, with $10 million going to the winner.

Morikawa, who began the week ranked No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings, is now projected to be at No. 8 by the end of play Sunday. He’s in good shape.

The two-time major winner carded a 1-under 69 on Friday and is even par through 36 holes, tied for 38th place, 11 strokes back of Scheffler.

The scenario is not as encouraging for Kim or Homa.

Kim made headlines Thursday by shooting a 5-under 65 to earn a five-way share of the lead. His day included sinking a 29-foot approach for a birdie and a 36-foot birdie putt.

But the 33-year-old couldn’t maintain the pace, settling for a second-round 72, which left him at 3 under and tied for 19th place.

More significantly, Kim’s standing in the FedEx Cup standings took a hit. Projected 24th in the standings after 18 holes, he slipped all the way to 60th, which would not advance him to the BMW Championship.

Kim, who made six birdies in the first round, did not manage another one Friday. He had bogeys on Nos. 3 and 6, but otherwise posted 16 pars, which resulted in him gradually sliding down the leaderboard.

It was just his second over-par round in his past 14.

Homa enjoyed the best day of the three Golden Bears, posting a 3-under 67 that included just one bogey. He is at even par through two rounds and tied with Morikawa and five others in 38th place.

But Homa began the week on the fence at No. 52 in the FedEx Cup standings and is now projected to wind up at No. 57, outside the group that will play next week.

Both Kim and Homa will need big performances the next two days to remain alive in the playoffs.

Scheffler, who won the 2024 Tour Championship, was spectacular on Friday. He birdied the first five holes and six of the first seven on his way to forging an 11-under score through two rounds.

Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im are tied for second place at minus-8 while Ludvig Aberg is one stroke back in fourth.

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