Jordan Spieth among leaders at St. Jude Championship as playoffs get underway

[p]Fellow Americans [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/knapp-jake/nwZvjPjN/"]Jake Knapp[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kitayama-kurt/6VVijYoK/"]Kurt Kitayama[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thorbjornsen-michael/l4vvpI4A/"]Michael Thorbjornsen[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kim-michael/YPF1xJAE/"]Michael Kim[/a] were also at 65 after 18 holes in the FedEx Cup playoff opener at sweltering TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.[/p][p]It marked the most players to share the lead in any playoff event after the first round.[/p][p]Hot at their heels on 66 was a pack including major winners [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scott-adam/QkZT3jCc/"]Adam Scott[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/woodland-gary/lQRqur2j/"]Gary Woodland[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matsuyama-hideki/GOHJOEb5/"]Hideki Matsuyama[/a] plus defending playoff champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fleetwood-tommy/Svq63qoo/"]Tommy Fleetwood[/a].[/p][p]"[b]Heat is the biggest challenge[/b]," Scott said. "[b]Just pacing yourself. I don't think you can drink enough[/b].[/p][p]"[b]You sweat a lot out there. The thing that comes with that is the mental errors. But overall, I played a pretty good round[/b]."[/p][p]American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/berger-daniel/vNKbvcSM/"]Daniel Berger[/a] was absent due to a back injury, leaving 69 golfers trying to reach the top 50 in points to qualify for next week's second playoff event in St. Louis.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/spieth-jordan/p0739Ny4/"]Spieth[/a], who reached the playoffs without a top-10 finish in 2026, won the 2015 Masters and US Open and 2017 British Open but has not taken a PGA title since the 2022 Heritage.[/p][embed guid="2e66da6e-6171-453d-b124-c1fbd169a772" url="https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/2088027553780883652" social-type="twitter" /][p]He reeled off five birdies in seven holes starting with a 12-foot putt at the ninth. He sank a 40-foot putt at the par-three 11th, a 24-footer at the 13th and closed the run on a 17-foot birdie putt at 15.[/p][p][b]"I just tried to come into this week and be as patient, nonreactive, as possible, dumb it down to try to win[/b]," Spieth said. "[b]Just knowing I'm a lot better golfer than I've been in a very long time and continue to believe in that[/b]."[/p][p]At 54th in points, he needs a good result to advance in the playoffs but called his round "about as stress-free as it can be."[/p][p]Thorbjornsen battled illness and the heat but had an eagle off an eight-foot putt at 16 and two birdies on the last four holes, closing with a 40-foot chip-in.[/p][embed guid="aa614b24-0f7c-4a46-b491-a03274454ff2" url="https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/2087963443068285032" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]It was a little tough dealing with the heat and there's still a sickness, kind of hacking up on every hole, but I was very solid tee to green[/b]," he said.[/p][p]Knapp birdied his first three and last three holes.[/p][p]"[b]I like that part of it. Opening with three birdies is always nice[/b]," Knapp said. "[b]I hit the ball really well all day[/b]."[/p][h2]'Right on the edge'[/h2][p]Kim birdied three of the first five holes and two of the final four.[/p][p]"[b]Nice to get off to a good start[/b]," Kim said. "[b]Hopefully I can keep it going[/b]."[/p][p]Kitayama was three-under over the first three holes and also birdied two of the last four.[/p][p]"[b]Really liked how I hit it[/b]," Kitayama said. "[b]I gave myself a lot of good looks[/b]."[/p][p]World number one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scheffler-scottie/bXfIuBYu/"]Scottie Scheffler[/a] shared 17th on 68.[/p][p]"[b]I didn't feel like I hit a ton of fairways. I was in the first cut a lot[/b]," Scheffler said. "[b]I did a good job of being patient and not trying to force it too much[/b].[/p][p]"[b]I was right on the edge of having a good day kind of all day[/b]."[/p][p]Second-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcilroy-rory/djwanksN/"]Rory McIlroy[/a], the reigning Masters champion, was 68th, next-to-last, on 74 after bogeys at 16 and 17 and a double bogey at 18, where his tee shot found water.[/p]