Chris Kirk aced the 14th, shot 6-under-par 64 and captured the first-round lead at the St. Jude FedEx Championship on Thursday at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn.
Kirk took his only bogey of the round on the last hole, scratching a 5 on the 449-yard par-4 to close with five birdies, one bogey and the hole-in-one, where he landed his high tee shot short and right of the pin and watching it roll on a fast track into the cup.
“The adjusted number I think was 200 or 201 (yards),” Kirk said. “We had it a little bit down the hill, just a breath of breeze off the right, and 6-iron for me, which was, in this heat, it’s a perfect number. I’m usually around 196 or 197 with a 6-iron. Everything is going a couple yards further with the heat this week.
“I was looking a little further left than that with water on the right, but as soon as I hit it, I hit it just how I wanted to contact-wise, looked up, saw it started a touch right but was drawing right back to it. Yeah, nice bonus.”
By day’s end, Kirk was hanging onto a one-stroke lead over Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, Taylor Pendrith of Canada and Matthieu Pavon of France. The group tied at 4-under 66 featured the top two golfers in the world rankings, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, along with Englishmen Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and three others.
The playoff-opening event features the top 70 in the points standings, and only the top 50 after this week advance to next week’s second leg, the BMW Championship. Kirk entered the week No. 28 in points, but Rose (No. 55) is among those who stand to enter the top 50 with a strong week.
Kirk, 39, has one win this season and six in his career.
“I just feel really physically good and rested,” Kirk said. “I’ve had five of the last six weeks off, which for me after playing a lot this summer — I’m getting old. I need my best. I was able to spend a lot of time at home with my family, which was fantastic, and able to get in the gym and get back to the weight that I like to be at.”
Late in the day, Matsuyama sank four birdies in a five-hole stretch to match Kirk at 6 under. But he bogeyed No. 17 to slip into a tie for second.
Still, that was far better than he could have hoped for after he, his caddie and his coach were robbed in London as they were on their way back to the United States from the Olympics in Paris. Matsuyama won bronze in Paris, and the medal wasn’t taken in the incident.
Matsuyama’s caddie and coach lost their passports in the incident and could not accompany him to the playoff event.
“We didn’t even know it happened,” Matsuyama said. “We were just having a friendly dinner, and Shota was the first one, ‘Hey, where is my bag?’ Of course it was frustrating, but we really didn’t know it happened. It was just kind of all of a sudden.”
Rose, who shot 61 to tie the TPC Southwind course record in August 2023, went bogey-free with four birdies Thursday, including birdies at three of the final four holes. The 44-year-old is without a win this season but has the 2018 FedEx Cup Championship on his lengthy resume.
“Obviously, this is a confidence-based game, no doubt,” he said. “I kind of haven’t been getting many looks, but I feel like when I have had my looks, I’ve hung in well. I’ve kind of competed hard. Still feel like my game gets better in the bigger moments, which is nice.”
Scheffler’s highlight was a string of three birdies at Nos. 4-6. The Olympic gold medalist and six-time winner on tour this year is vying for his first FedEx Cup championship.
“I feel like my endurance is something that I’ve been working on,” Scheffler said. “Finding ways to manage my way through the season mentally, as well, I think that can be a big part of the grind, and this year I feel like I’ve taken it easier on myself than I have in the last few years mentally, so that’s helped as the year has gone on.”
–Field Level Media
