Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju is in prime position heading into the weekend at the PGA Tour’s playoff opener.
Yellamaraju shot a 5-under 65 Friday in the second round of the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, which put him in a tie for fifth, three shots back of leader Sungjae Im at the conclusion of his round.
It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Mississauga, Ont., native. Yellamaraju came into the week 57th in the season-long FedEx Cup standings and will need to move into the top 50 to advance to next weekend’s BMW Championship. Yellamaraju needs to finish no lower than a three-way tie for 16th, which would guarantee him a berth in next week’s field at Bellerive just west of St. Louis.
The 25-year-old PGA Tour rookie made four birdies and an eagle with just one bogey Friday to put him in prime position to contend heading to moving day Saturday.
Yellamaraju was one of three Canadians in the field this week. He’s joined by Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.) and Nick Taylor (Abbotsford, B.C.) who also need high finishes at the St. Jude to extend their seasons.
Taylor also had a nice round Friday, posting a 2-under 68 to put him at 3-under for the week in a tie for 19th upon finishing his round. He came into the week with the most work to do of any of the Canadians, needing a tie for 10th or better to move onto next week. He made four bogeys and two bogeys in Friday’s round.
Conners was 1-over in the opening round on Thursday and shot the same score Friday, putting him at 2-over for the week in a tie for 55th as the early afternoon. He came into the week 59th in the FedEx standings needing to finish in a tie for 14th or better.
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| Pos. | Player | TOT | THRU | R2 | Current Proj. Rank (Top 50 Advance) | Minimum Finish Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T9 | Sudarshan Yellamaraju | -5 | F | -5 (65) | 49 | Three-way T16 |
| T19 | Nick Taylor | -3 | F | -2 (68) | 63 | Solo 10th |
| T52 | Corey Conners | +2 | F | +1 (71) | 61 | Two-way T14 |
