Hideki Matsuyama and Denny McCarthy made nearly 300 feet worth of putts on Friday, so it was expected they would be tied for the lead heading into the hot weekend of the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Matsuyama bounced back from a rough start — missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the second hole and hitting his tee shot into the water on the par-3 fourth hole — with two long birdie putts and a 3-wood shot to about 12 feet on the par-5 16th for an easier birdie. He shot a 6-under 64.
McCarthy, known for his smooth putting stroke, made the most of the smooth greens at TPC Southwind. He sank three birdie putts from about 25 feet or more to offset two bogeys, finishing with a round of 63.
Both players were at 11-under 129, one shot ahead of Sam Burns, who shot a 63 with a 29 on the front nine before cooling off.
Scottie Scheffler finished strong with three consecutive birdies for a 65 and was two shots behind.
The first PGA Tour playoff event is crucial. Points are worth four times as much, and the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings move on to the BMW Championship next week and are guaranteed spots in all the $20 million signature events next year.
Jordan Spieth’s season nears its end. He had two double bogeys on par 3s, including one from the water on the fourth hole and another after taking two shots to get out of a bunker on the 14th hole, resulting in a 75 that placed him in a tie for 65th.
Spieth has mentioned the possibility of wrist surgery in the offseason, and he could use the next three months off if he doesn’t play two of his best rounds of the year.
Other players with better seasons could afford a less-than-perfect performance. Rory McIlroy, the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, had a disappointing round on a day with a heat index of around 110 degrees (40 degrees Celsius). He played the two par 5s at 3 over par and shot 73, leaving him tied for 58th.
This week is important for McCarthy, who has not won on the PGA Tour and is currently ranked No. 45. Winning this week would move him into the top five in the standings and guarantee a place in the Tour Championship for the top 30 players.
The same applies to Justin Rose, who is outside the top 30 at No. 55. He shot another 66 and is tied for fifth place with Nick Dunlap, who shot a 65.
Remarkably, McCarthy is competing despite what he described as a torn labrum, though he didn’t go into many details.
“I don’t want to share too much. It’s bothering me, but I’ve managed to push through the last few days,” he said. “The heat helps. I’m looking forward to the challenge this weekend.”
Matsuyama is also reserved about his game, simply stating: “I missed a short putt on 2, hit it into the water on 4, but after that, I played and putted really well.”
Regarding the hot weather? “Today was nice and cool,” the Japanese player said with a smile, which was translated into English.
Matsuyama was in good spirits despite having his bag stolen last week in London, which included his wallet and the passports of his caddie and coach. They are currently in Japan trying to get new passports. Despite this, he is tied for the lead in Memphis.
On Saturday, players will start in groups of three from both sides of the course to avoid thunderstorms expected in the morning.
Scheffler and Xander Schauffele drew the most attention from a crowd that was subdued by the intense heat. Their pairing featured three of the four major championships and $44 million in PGA Tour earnings this year.
Schauffele started strong but faced problems on the challenging 12th hole — hitting the water off the tee, and then after a penalty drop, his shot hit the cart path and went over the green near a bush. Despite this, he managed a double bogey, shot a 69, and was six shots behind.
Scheffler played without any bogeys but didn’t make much progress until the final holes. He made a birdie on the 15th by sticking a wedge close, got up and down for birdie on the 16th, and sank a birdie putt from just under 25 feet on the 17th.
What stood out about his round was seeing caddie Ted Scott walk all the way up to the green on the second hole (71 yards) and the ninth hole (102 yards) to ensure the yardage was accurate, then jogging back to Scheffler’s shot in the extreme heat.
“As he was running up to the ninth green, I was thinking, ‘Why is he doing that? I’m in the rough.’ He wanted to make sure the distance was right on the green,” Scheffler said. “He did that twice today, and I guess he got tired because he didn’t do it the rest of the day.”
