BMW Championship, Round 3 updates: FedExCup Playoffs

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Justin Thomas, a 13-time PGA TOUR winner at age 27, seemed to have very little left to learn on TOUR until last month. He's been learning ever since. After Thomas missed a par putt in the third round at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, microphones caught him using a homophobic slur. Told later that the outburst had made the broadcast, he was mortified. He called it humiliating, embarrassing and inexcusable. Now making his first PGA TOUR start since Kapalua, Thomas was apologetic and said he has been working to try and answer the questions from Kapalua. Questions like how the word wound up in his head, how it came out in a burst of anger, who it affected, and why. "I apologized many times for what I said," Thomas said from the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, where he finished T3 and solo third the last two years. "But I didn’t publicly say - which I feel terrible about - that I didn’t apologize to the people that were affected and offended by what I said, and I feel like I should take the time now to say that." Thomas was dropped by his clothing sponsor Ralph Lauren but has said he respects the decision. His first priority has not been to find a replacement, he said Tuesday, but to use the episode as an opportunity to grow as a person even as he competes on the game's biggest stage. "I’m continuing to try to progress and get better each and every day and each and every week," Thomas said. "I’ve had some great conversations with a lot of friends, and the amount of support and sponsors and family friends that have reached out, that’s probably meant a lot more than a lot of people know. That’s kind of what’s helped me get through all this." Rory McIlroy, who is making his first start at the Waste Management this week, said in Abu Dhabi that Thomas "realized he made a big mistake ... and completely owned up to it. He said he messed up; he's going to try to be better. And you know, Justin is true to his word." Thomas said his parents, other friends, and remaining sponsors also have reached out. "Even for instance like last night," he said, "I had a talk with Titleist and a lot of the high-ups in their company just in terms of the stuff that they’ve done as a company and diversity and inclusion training, and now I have the opportunity to kind of be a part of that training with them. "They sent that invitation out to me," he continued, "and that’s - it’s stuff like that to where just like they’re wanting themselves to get better, they are offering me if I want to be a part of that, too. Again, like I said, it’s stuff like that that kind of has really kept me upbeat and kept me in a great mood and kept me very optimistic about the growth that I can have."

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — J.J. Spaun did just enough right at the end to fashion a 2-under 68 and keep his one-shot lead Saturday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Spaun had a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th and holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the next hole to claim the 54-hole lead a 13-under 197. Sepp Straka was right there with him until he failed to save par from the bunker on the 18th for a 68 that left him one shot behind. Both are first-time winners on the PGA TOUR this year, and a victory in a FedExCup Playoffs event carries even more weight — 2000 FedExCup points to the winner and a guaranteed spot at East Lake for the FedExCup finale. Cameron Smith, who’s already had a banner year with a win at THE PLAYERS Championship and his first major at the The Open, birdied his last hole for a 67. That left him two shots behind and fully aware a victory moves him to No. 1 in the world. “That’s been one of my goals probably since the start of the year is to try to get to that top spot,” Smith said. “Try and chase it down.” The chase will start out in a traffic jam. Will Zalatoris is just as hungry, for different reasons. Zalatoris has been a tough customer in the majors, losing in a playoff at the PGA Championship and finishing one back in the U.S. Open. He is No. 14 in the world. And he has yet to win on the PGA TOUR. Zalatoris opened with a 71 that put him in such a hole that even his fiancee wanted to know their plans if he didn’t make it to the weekend. “I told her, ‘Let’s cross that bridge when he get there,’” Zalatoris said with a smile. He decided to let his new caddie, Joel Stock, read putts in their second official round together. Zalatoris shot a 63 and followed with a 65 on Saturday. He also was two behind, along with Trey Mullinax (66). As for the chase to the next Playoff event, consider Tyler Duncan. He is No. 118 in the FedExCup, and only the top 70 move on to the BMW Championship next week in Delaware. Duncan had a 67 and was tied for sixth. He was three behind, and even if he doesn’t win, he can move on if he can hold his position. That won’t be easy with so many players in the mix — 16 players separated by four shots. That group includes Sam Burns and Tony Finau. A winner in his last two starts, Finau ended his streak of 11 consecutive rounds at 68 or lower. He made a bogey on the last hole gave him a 69, leaving him four behind.

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