McIlroy makes woeful start to FedExCup Playoffs as Spieth shares lead
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- Rory McIlroy shot a four-over 74 in the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, dropping shots at 16 and 17 before a double bogey at the closing par four after finding water with his tee shot.
- Jordan Spieth shares the first-round lead at five-under par with Michael Thorbjornsen, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp and Michael Kim, having started the week outside the top 50 in FedExCup standings.
- Tommy Fleetwood sits one shot back after a 66 that included a chip-in eagle at the par-five third, though he conceded his iron play was "iffy" and his game "hasn't really been that great."
- Scottie Scheffler opened with a two-under 68 from the same marquee group as McIlroy, saying he was "right on the edge of having a good day, kind of all day" and credited his patience.
- Robert MacIntyre had the worst round of the day at 12-over 82, while Matt Fitzpatrick (level par), Justin Rose (three-over), Aaron Rai and Harry Hall (both two-over) all made slow starts.
- The FedExCup Playoffs format sends only the top 50 to the BMW Championship (Aug 20-23) and the top 30 to the Tour Championship (Aug 27-30), where the winner earns $10m and a five-year PGA Tour exemption.
- McIlroy sits 12th of the 70-player field, comfortably inside the top-50 cutoff, and the no-cut format leaves him three rounds to climb back into contention.
Why it matters: McIlroy's nine-shot deficit is the headline, but the no-cut structure and his 12th-place standing mean his season is not in jeopardy — he only needs to finish inside the top 50 to advance to the BMW Championship, giving him wide latitude to chase the form that eluded him at Royal Birkdale.
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