Tommy Fleetwood clings to 1-shot lead in Memphis as Scottie Scheffler lurks

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tommy Fleetwood had a three-shot swing go against him early and a two-shot swing cost him on the final hole Saturday in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He did enough right in between for a 1-under 69 and a one-shot lead over Justin Rose as he goes for his first PGA Tour title.

If that wasn't enough, Scottie Scheffler had a huge presence only two shots back.

Still, those two holes were a reminder to Fleetwood that 18 holes can feel a long way off at the TPC Southwind. There figures to be plenty of pressure at the top and scattered among the rest of the field trying to advance in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“It’s just another opportunity for me to go out and try and have the best round of golf I can, enjoy being in that position,” Fleetwood said. “The more I put myself there, the more chance there is of it happening, and just go out and keep learning from every experience. But tomorrow might be my day, it might not, but being there is the most important thing, and I’ll continue to try and do that.”

Fleetwood, who has won plenty on big stages around the world but not on the PGA Tour, started the third round with a three-shot lead over Rose, who had to finish his storm-delayed second round in the morning.

On the par-5 third, Fleetwood's second shot came up short and into the water. He took his penalty drop, and then hit wedge over the green into a bunker. Fleetwood said he noticed his golf ball move ever so slightly on his swing with the wedge.

Rules officials studied the video and determined that if it moved — they couldn't determine if it did because it was so slight — Fleetwood didn't cause it and no penalty was issued. He made double bogey, and Rose ran off three straight birdies to take the lead.

“The third was just such a kerfuffle and such a mess,” he said. “It was not that bad of a second shot, but it’s obviously a terrible shot if it’s in the water. From there, drop, sort of felt like the ball had moved when I hit it, thinned it over the back, just made a double for nothing really.”

Fleetwood rebounded to not only regain the lead but build it back to three shots. But on the 18th hole, he drove into the rough, couldn't reach the green and made bogey to finish 54 holes at 14-under 196.

Rose hit out of the rough to 5 feet from the front pin for his first birdie since the seventh hole. That gave him a 67 and put him in the final group with his Ryder Cup teammate.

Scheffler, meanwhile, put together six birdies in his round of 65 and was two shots behind. He made his lone bogey on No. 10, and Scheffler avoided another when his bunker shot on No. 12 hit a sprinkler that kept it from going on the green. He holed a 25-foot putt from the fringe.

Scheffler, already assured of keeping the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup playoffs, is going for his fifth win of the year. He has not finished out of the top 10 since March.

U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun (65) and Andrew Novak (67) were three shots behind.

Sunday is one of the more critical days on the PGA Tour, and not just for Fleetwood. The top 50 in the FedEx Cup advance to the second playoff event at the BMW Championship and are assured of getting into all the $20 million signature events next year.

Rickie Fowler and Chris Kirk each had a 66 and were projected to move into the top 50, along with Bud Cauley and Jhonattan Vegas.

Among those who could get bumped out are Jordan Spieth, who had to settle for another 70. Key for the players like Fowler and Cauley are staying high on the leaderboard because those are worth more points and they have more room to make up.

For Fleetwood, it's about winning.

He is No. 15 in the world. He has starred in two Ryder Cups for Europe and won against strong fields. But the lack of a PGA Tour title is becoming a burden. He had a one-shot lead on the final hole at the Travelers Championship in June until taking three putts from just off the green and losing to Keegan Bradley's birdie.

His hope in June was to get another chance sooner rather than later, and his next one is Sunday at the TPC Southwind.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Justin Rose, of England, reacts to his tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Scottie Scheffler walks off the first green during the third round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Scottie Scheffler hits from the 14th tee during the third round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tommy Fleetwood, of England, reaches to touch fans as he walks off the 18th green during the third round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Tommy Fleetwood, of England, reacts to his tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.

Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.

The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.

Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

In Friday’s case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting and thus depriving some Cabinet members who were not convened of their due rights to deliberate on his decree.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.

Yoon’s defense team said they will appeal the ruling, which they believe was “politicized” and reflected “the unliberal arguments by the independent counsel.” Yoon’s defense team argued the ruling “oversimplified the boundary between the exercise of the president’s constitutional powers and criminal liability.”

Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.

Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.

South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.

South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity. Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.

Some observers say Yoon will likely retain a defiant attitude in the ongoing trials to maintain his support base in the belief that he cannot avoid a lengthy sentence but could be pardoned in the future.

On the night of Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised speech, saying he would eliminate “anti-state forces” and protect “the constitutional democratic order.” Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly, but many apparently didn’t aggressively cordon off the area, allowing enough lawmakers to get into an assembly hall to vote down Yoon’s decree.

No major violence occurred, but Yoon's stunt caused the biggest political crisis in South Korea and rattled its diplomacy and financial markets. For many, his decree, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, brought back harrowing memories of past dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed leaders used martial law and emergency measures to deploy soldiers and tanks on the streets to suppress demonstrations.

After Yoon's ouster, his liberal rival Lee Jae Myung became president via a snap election last June. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to look into allegations involving Yoon, his wife and associates.

Yoon's other trials deal with charges like ordering drone flights over North Korea to deliberately inflame animosities to look for a pretext to declare martial law. Other charges accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine’s drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor.

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)