Scottie Scheffler torched TPC Southwind with a 61, grabbing a three-shot FedEx St. Jude lead as Jordan Spieth fights to keep his playoff season alive.
Scottie Scheffler didn’t just take the lead Friday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He sent a message to everyone chasing him.
The world’s No. 1 golfer ripped through TPC Southwind with a 9-under 61, matching the course record and building a three-shot advantage halfway through the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs.
Scheffler sits at 11-under 129 through 36 holes after producing 11 birdies against only two bogeys in brutal Memphis heat.
And he wasted absolutely no time getting started.
Scheffler birdied each of his first five holes, instantly turning what had been a crowded leaderboard into another Scottie chase.
That’s a familiar feeling for the PGA TOUR.
Scheffler entered Memphis already holding a massive 794-point advantage over Matt Fitzpatrick in the FedExCup standings.
Now he’s positioned to add even more separation while chasing something he’s surprisingly never accomplished: a victory at TPC Southwind.
Scheffler has played the course seven times without winning, more appearances without a victory than at any other TOUR stop in his career. That drought suddenly looks very vulnerable.
Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im are his closest challengers at 8-under. Hovland fired a 64 Friday, while Im followed his opening-round 66 with another 66. Ludvig Åberg is another shot back at 7-under after a 65.
Then there’s Jordan Spieth, who has far more than a trophy riding on the weekend.
Spieth posted a 69 to reach 6-under after sharing the opening-round lead. He began the week 54th in the FedExCup standings, meaning he needs to climb inside the top 50 to advance to next week’s BMW Championship.
That top-50 cutoff carries another major reward: qualification for the PGA TOUR’s lucrative $20 million Signature Events next season.
While Scheffler surged, Rory McIlroy continued heading the opposite direction. Playing alongside Scheffler, McIlroy followed Thursday’s 74 with a 70 and sits 4-over, tied for 60th.
So the weekend has two very different battles developing.
Scheffler is trying to finally conquer TPC Southwind and turn another dominant season into another playoff victory.
Spieth and several others are simply trying to keep their seasons alive. And after Scheffler’s Friday fireworks, everyone else may already be playing for second.
