Jon Rahm started at half throttle at FedEx St. Jude Championship that runs through Sunday in Memphis. The Basque golfer is in 30th place after signing a card of 67 (-3), five shots behind the leadersKorean Si Woo Kim and American JJ Spaun, both with -8.
Rahm arrives at the tournament after a three-week disconnect following the British Open at Saint Andrews and following the birth of her second child. He makes it as number 6 in the world. The Basque has not been out of the top 5 in the world since September 14, 2019. During this time, Jon has been number one for 43 weeks and won a major, the 2021 US Open.
Barrika’s has the lowest stroke average in FedEx Playoff history (minimum 20 rounds) with an average of 68.14. He also has 4 top-10 finishes in five appearances in the first Playoffs event, including three third-place finishes in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
Jon’s trip to Memphis was delayed a bit more than usual because on Friday the 5th he became the father of his second child. Little Eneko was born and tried to hurry as much as possible to spend as much time as possible with his new offspring, as well as with mother, Kelley, and his other son, Kepa. They are all perfect.
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lead duo
If Woo Kim and JJ Spaun lead PGA Tour rookie Sahith Theegala by one strokewith Tony Finau, JT Poston, KH Lee of South Korea and Sepp Straka of Austria tied for fourth at 6-under 64 at TPC Southwind.
Kim chipped in for eagle on the par 4 18th to reach 8 under par, moments after going on a streak of four birdies. Kim’s 8-iron shot from about 168 yards was right on the pin, and after two jumps he fell into the cup.
Kim tied his streak of birdies at Nos. 13 to 16 with an adjustment to his putt grip midway through the round. The first two birdie putts came from about 13 and 24 feet, respectively.
Spaun, for his part, added eight birdies and no bogeys. It’s the start he’s been looking for as he tries to recapture his form when he won the Valero Texas Open in April.
Theegala’s bogeyless 63 marked his 49th round of the PGA Tour-leading 60 this season. He started with three birdies on the back nine, made three in a row on numbers 2-4 and sank a 25-foot putt on his final hole, the par-4 ninth.
The St. Jude is the new first stage of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The top 125 players in the regular season qualified standings (120 are playing), and only the top 70 after this week they will advance to the second stage, the BMW Championship.
Two prominent players on the bubble helped themselves to a strong start. The former World No. 1 Australian Jason Day, who entered this week ranked 113th in the points standings, shot a bogey-free 65. He is tied with, among others, Rickie Fowler, whose opening 65 included a stellar eagle on the par-5 16th.
Fowler, who was the last player on the 125 course and broke up with his caddy last week, drove the 16th green in two and only had a 6-foot shot for eagle. That moved him into a big tie for eighth at 5 under.
Max Homa, Joohyung Kim from South Korea, and Adam Scott from Australia are among those with -4. Jon Rahm leads the way in a multiple tie for 30th place at -3, with Justin ThomasCameron Smith, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, and Cameron Young.
Northern Ireland’s Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy were caught with 70-shot cards. The world number 1, Scottie Scheffler, and Will Zalatoris, suffered to close the first day with a 71 (+1).
Classification after the first day
Kim Si-woo (KOR) 62 (-8)
. JJ Spaun (USA) 62 (-8)
3. Sahith Theegala (USA) 63 (-7)
4. JT Poston (USA) 64 (-6)
. Tony Finau (USA) 64 (-6)
. Lee Kyoung-hoon (KOR) 64 (-6)
. Sepp Straka (AUT) 64 (-6)
8. Troy Merritt (USA) 65 (-5)
. Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 65 (-5)
. Sam Burns (USA) 65 (-5)
. Lee Hodges (USA) 65 (-5)
. Rickie Fowler (USA) 65 (-5)
. Ryan Palmer (USA) 65 (-5)
. Michael Thompson (USA) 65 (-5)
. Jason Day (AUS) 65 (-5)
. Lucas Glover (USA) 65 (-5)
. James Hahn (USA) 65 (-5)
…
Jon Rahm (ESP) 67 (-3)
Jordan Spieth (USA) 70 (Pair)
Rory McIlroy (NIR) 70 (Pair)
Scottie Scheffler (USA) 71 (+1)
Will Zalatoris (USA) 71 (+1)
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
