Rory McIlroy opened the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis with a 4-over-par 74 on Thursday, suffering a collapse over his final three holes in extreme 110-degree heat. The Northern Irishman sits near the bottom of the leaderboard as Scottie Scheffler carded a steady 2-under 68.
Late Collapse Derails McIlroy in Memphis Opener
Rory McIlroy entered the opening round of the PGA Tour playoff opener at TPC Southwind looking to see where my game is,
but the results on Thursday left the star searching for answers. McIlroy played his final three holes in four over par, finishing his day with a 4-over 74 that left him third-to-last in the 69-player field.
The Northern Irishman arrived in Memphis sitting 12th in the FedExCup standings, aiming to build momentum following a mixed stretch since defending his Masters title in April, which included a tied-for-40th finish at The Open at Royal Birkdale. Playing in a marquee pairing alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler after skipping the event last year, McIlroy’s round unraveled in brutal conditions where the feels-like temperature reached 110 degrees.
How the Back Nine Unraveled at TPC Southwind
McIlroy’s round featured flashes of promise that quickly vanished under mounting mistakes. After recovering from an early bogey on the par-5 third hole with a birdie on the fourth, he dropped another shot at the eighth to make the turn at 1-over. A 15-foot birdie putt on the 11th provided a brief spark before his afternoon derailed on the home stretch.
A wayward tee shot to the right on the 16th led to a bogey on the par-5. On the 17th, his second shot bounced past the green toward the stands, forcing a penalty drop and leading to a five. The round finished with a double bogey on the 18th after a tee shot into the water and a short approach.
Statistics underscored the struggle. McIlroy bogeyed both par-5s, lost 2.14 shots to the field with his approach game, and hit only half of the fairways and half of the greens. He declined to speak with media members after completing his round.
Scheffler Navigates Heat for Steady Start
While his playing partner struggled, Scottie Scheffler put together a measured round in his first action since finishing runner-up at the 3M Open. The world number one and FedExCup points leader carded three birdies and a lone bogey on the 15th to finish at 2-under 68, sitting three strokes off the early clubhouse lead.
“I felt like I hit a lot of quality shots with my irons. It was just – you know, I did a good job of being patient and not trying to force it too much. I feel like I was right on the edge of having a good day … is how I would describe it. So, I felt like patience-wise, I did a pretty good job.”
Scottie Scheffler, World No. 1 and FedExCup points leader
Leaderboard Snapshot and Friday Outlook
At the top of the leaderboard, American duo Michael Thorbjornsen and Jordan Spieth claimed the early clubhouse lead at 5-under par. England’s Tommy Fleetwood sat just one shot back following a 66 that featured an eagle on the third hole. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre endured a difficult opening day, finishing at 12-over par after carding four double bogeys.
Both McIlroy and Scheffler face another severe test when second-round action continues in Memphis, with tee times scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET amid ongoing extreme heat conditions.
