Gold Medalist Scheffler Shows No Signs of Slowing in PO Game 1

FedEx St. Jude Championship 1R 4 Under Par
Hole-in-One Kirk Leads at 6 Under, Matsuyama 2nd
McIlroy 18th, Im Sungjae and An Byeonghun Tied 28th

Paris Olympic gold medalist Scottie Scheffler (USA) is on an unstoppable run.

Scottie Scheffler is teeing off on the 15th hole during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. [Memphis, USA=AP·Yonhap News]

On the 15th (local time), at TPC Southwind (par 70, 7,243 yards) in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, during the first round of the PGA Tour FedEx St. Jude Championship (total prize money $20 million), Scheffler recorded a 4-under-par 66, placing him in a tie for 5th. Chris Kirk (USA) took the top spot on the leaderboard with a 6-under-par 64, including a hole-in-one on the 14th hole (par 3), reducing his score by six strokes.

Scheffler made five birdies and one bogey. He started off well with a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4) and showed concentration with three consecutive birdies from the 4th to the 6th holes. However, in the back nine, he exchanged one birdie for one bogey and was unable to reduce his score further. He is two strokes behind the leader, a position from which a comeback is certainly possible. This tournament is the first playoff (PO) event featuring only the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup rankings. Scheffler is currently leading the FedEx Cup rankings.

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is tied for 2nd place at 5-under-par 65, just one stroke behind, along with Taylor Pendrith (Canada) and Matthieu Pavon (France). Matsuyama, the Paris Olympic bronze medalist, was unable to bring his caddie and coach to the United States due to their passports being lost while traveling. While the group was victimized by a theft incident during a transfer in the UK, fortunately, Matsuyama did not lose his Olympic medal or passport. He teamed up with a temporary caddie and secured a spot near the top of the leaderboard.

Im Sung-jae is making an iron shot on the 18th hole of the first round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
[Memphis, USA=Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News]

Paris Olympic silver medalist Tommy Fleetwood (England) and Xander Schauffele (USA), who has won two major tournaments this year, joined the group tied for 5th place. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is tied for 18th at 2-under-par 68. South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun each reduced their scores by one stroke, tying for 28th place at 1-under-par 69. Im is ranked 9th and An 12th in the FedEx Cup standings. Their advancement to next week’s PO second round, the BMW Championship (total prize money $20 million), is virtually secured. Kim Si-woo finished the first round tied for 43rd at even par 70, and Kim Joo-hyung tied for 58th at 1-over-par 71.

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