Rory McIlroy shot a four-over par 74 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis to fall nine strokes behind the first-round leaders after a late collapse at TPC Southwind.
The Northern Irishman was level par with three holes remaining before dropping shots at the 16th and 17th, followed by a double bogey at the 18th hole when his tee shot found the water on the closing par four.
It was McIlroy's first competitive appearance since finishing tied for 40th at The Open at Royal Birkdale nearly a month ago. Despite the difficult start, he remains 12th in the 70-player FedExCup standings, well inside the threshold needed to progress in the PGA Tour playoffs, which feature no 36-hole cut.
On the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, analysts Jamie Weir and Brad Faxon debated whether McIlroy's extended break following The Open would ultimately help him in his pursuit of a record-extending fourth FedExCup crown.
Five-way tie for the lead in Memphis
Five American players held a share of the lead after opening with five-under par rounds of 65: Jordan Spieth, Michael Thorbjornsen, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp, and Michael Kim.
Spieth entered the week sitting outside the top 50 in the season standings required to qualify for next week's BMW Championship. "I just tried to come into this week and just be as patient, non-reactive as possible, dumb it down to try to win the golf tournament and not worry about anything else," Spieth said.
England's Tommy Fleetwood, who played alongside Spieth in the opening round, was one shot back on four-under par after carding a 66. Fleetwood highlighted his round with a chip-in for eagle at the par-five third hole.
"I feel good. I didn't really play very good in the practice days. Game's not really been that great. I've been showing a lot, like some good and some really not so good," Fleetwood said.
"Hit it great off the tee today. Still my iron play was iffy, but I did a good job of managing it for the most part. Still hit some really good shots, and you can never underestimate how good - I think shooting under par on this golf course is very good," Fleetwood added.
Scheffler stays patient as European contenders chase
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, paired with McIlroy in the marquee group for the first two rounds, opened with a two-under par 68 to stay within striking distance.
"I felt like I hit a lot of quality shots with my irons. I did a good job of being patient and not trying to force it too much," Scheffler said. "I feel like I was right on the edge of having a good day, kind of all day is how I would describe it. So, I felt like patience-wise, I did a pretty good job."
Scheffler was joined on two-under par by a trio of European players: Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, Norway's Viktor Hovland, and Austria's Sepp Straka. Ireland's Shane Lowry sits one stroke further back after posting a one-under 69.
England's Matt Fitzpatrick suffered a late setback when a closing double bogey dropped him to level par 70. Fellow countrymen Aaron Rai and Harry Hall finished on two-over par 72, while Justin Rose opened with a three-over 73. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre endured the hardest day in the field, submitting a 12-over par 82.
How the FedExCup playoff system works
The FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, running from August 13 to August 16, serves as the opening event of the three-tournament PGA Tour postseason. Throughout the regular season, players earned FedExCup points in standard events, signature tournaments, and major championships.
Only the top 70 players in the standings qualified for Memphis. Following Sunday's final round, the top 50 players will advance to the BMW Championship at Castle Pines from August 20 to August 23. From there, only the top 30 players will earn entry into the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake from August 27 to August 30.
Winners of the first two playoff events receive 750 FedExCup points, equivalent to the points awarded at major championships and The Players Championship. Former major winner Brooks Koepka was among those absent from the postseason after failing to qualify for the top 70, expressing extreme disappointment at missing out.
Before the Tour Championship, all player points will reset to zero. Under rules updated in 2025 that eliminated starting-stroke advantages, all 30 finalists will begin the Tour Championship at even par. The overall winner at East Lake will be crowned the 2026 FedExCup champion, receiving a $10m (£7.4m) prize and a five-year PGA Tour exemption.
Live coverage of the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship resumes from 5pm on Friday on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event.
