World number one Scottie Scheffler surged into a three-stroke lead at the St Jude Championship on Friday, matching the course record at TPC Southwind with a spectacular nine-under-par 61. Scheffler, who entered the opening FedEx Cup play-off event as the standings leader, became only the third player in tournament history to card a 61, joining Jay Delsing from 1993 and Bob Estes from 2001.
The American’s round began with a blistering streak of five consecutive birdies. Despite bogeys on the eighth and 12th holes, he added six more birdies to secure his fourth career round of 61 or better on the PGA Tour. Reflecting on his performance, Scheffler described it as a dream start, noting, “Probably one of the best starts I’ve had on tour, to be honest with you. I couldn’t tell you a time where I’ve been lower early in the round.”
He further elaborated on his consistency, stating, “My swing has felt really good in the past couple weeks, especially playing at home. It was nice to get out there and get things rolling early in the round and was able to keep the momentum going and shoot myself a nice round.”
The leaderboard shows Scheffler leading at -11. South Korea’s Im Sung-jae and Norway’s Viktor Hovland are tied for second at -8, while Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg sits one shot further back at -7. A group at -6 includes Nico Echavarria of Colombia, England’s Tommy Fleetwood, and Americans Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman.
Other notable scores include Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Thomas at -3, with Aaron Rai and E.H. Hall at -2. Shane Lowry is at +1, Justin Rose at +3, while Rory McIlroy and Jordan Smith are at +4. Alex Fitzpatrick sits at +5. With no 36-hole cut at FedEx play-off events, McIlroy will look to improve his standing over the weekend.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre withdrew before Friday’s play due to a knee injury. MacIntyre, who struggled to a 12-over 82 in the opening round, currently holds the 31st position on the FedEx Cup points list.
The field is competing to secure a spot in the top 50, which will advance to next week’s BMW Championship. The tournament continues with high stakes as players look to climb the rankings in the final rounds at TPC Southwind.
