St. Jude Rd 1: Five Share Lead, McIlroy Stumbles to 74

Five golfers share the lead at five under after the opening round of the St. Jude Championship, the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Rory McIlroy shot 74 to fall four over, and Robert MacIntyre's 82 was the worst round of the day, putting his FedEx Cup status in real danger.

Jordan Spieth, Michael Thorbjornsen, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp, and Michael Kim posted matching 65s to sit tied atop the leaderboard at TPC Southwind. Tommy Fleetwood, Gary Woodland, Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Chris Gotterup, Bud Cauley, and Adam Scott are a shot back at four under after rounds of 66, according to PGA Tour scoring. That's 12 players inside a single shot of the lead with three full rounds still to separate them. Scottie Scheffler, the preview's pick to win the week, opened with a 68 to sit T17, and Xander Schauffele's 67 has him T13; both are within range with three rounds left to make a move.

McIlroy's day unraveled late. He was one over through 15 before back-to-back bogeys at 16 and 17, then closed with a double bogey at the 18th after finding water off the tee, according to Golf Channel and ESPN. It's his first start since a tie for 40th at The Open, and a round that leaves him needing a big weekend just to get back into playoff position.

MacIntyre's round was worse, and it matters more. A five-hole stretch on the front nine, bogey, bogey, double bogey, triple bogey, sent him out in 43, and he never recovered. He entered the week around No. 36 in the FedEx Cup standings, and an 82 puts real pressure on the top-50 cutoff that determines who advances to the BMW Championship.

Spieth's lead is worth reading carefully rather than as a cushion. He entered the week around No. 54 in points, outside the top-50 line, so a share of first is a lifeline back into playoff position, not a comfortable margin. Sharing the lead with three players who don't carry the same standings pressure is a fairly different position to be in.

St. Jude is the first of three FedEx Cup Playoff events, and there's no 36-hole cut this week; the full field plays all four rounds. What decides who moves on is the points standings after Sunday: the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship, and that field is then cut to the top 30 for the TOUR Championship. That's a meaningfully different structure from a normal Tour stop, and it's why a score like MacIntyre's or a position like Spieth's carries more weight than it would in a regular-season event.

CBS also carried the tournament's television coverage. For the full field entering the week, including the standings picture that makes Spieth's and MacIntyre's positions worth watching, see the FedEx Cup Playoffs field report. For the pre-tournament storylines heading into this week, see the St. Jude Championship preview.