MEMPHIS - PGA Tour veterans Jason Day and Rickie Fowler faced enough stress just to make sure they got into the postseason. Now that they're here, they want to keep going.
Fowler had a change of caddies and putters and finally started to see some putts fall - though still not enough to his liking - and Day recovered from a spiked fever and burning sensation in his eyes for a bogey-free round Thursday at TPC Southwind as each opened with a 5-under-par 65.
That wasn't good enough to lead the FedEx St. Jude Championship, only to hope.
Si Woo Kim holed out from 167 yards in the 18th fairway for an eagle to cap a superb run of 6 under over his last six holes, giving the 27-year-old South Korean a 62 and a share of the lead with J.J. Spaun, a 31-year-old American who won the Texas Open in April for his first PGA Tour triumph. Kim's most recent of three career wins was at the American Express in January 2021.
Sahith Theegala, who could make a strong case to be the tour's rookie of the year, holed a 30-foot putt on his final hole for a 63. Among those another shot back was Tony Finau, coming off back-to-back victories in his past two starts, though he sat out the Wyndham Championship that closed the regular season last weekend. Thursday's round was Finau's 10th consecutive at 68 or lower, dating to a 66 in the final round of the British Open last month.
Day and Fowler were in a large group tied for eighth on a day when the average score was 68.6.
Of the three Baylor School graduates in the tournament, Keith Mitchell was highest on the leaderboard, tied for 49th at 68 after using four birdies to offset a double bogey. Stephan Jaeger and Luke List were in the group tied for 86th at 71.
While victory is always the ultimate goal, as the FedEx Cup playoffs begin, the emphasis is as much on who advances. Only the top 70 from the 125 players who qualified advance to the BMW Championship next week in Wilmington, Delaware, and then the top 30 move on to the finale, the Tour Championship at Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club.
Fowler made it on the number in qualifying for the postseason and needs his best golf of the past two years to get through to the next round.
"Nothing to lose," he said. "Being 125, obviously need to play well just to make it to next week, but it would be a big bonus if we can do that and move on. Kind of leave it all out there, see what happens, but definitely happy with the start."
He was helped late in his round with a 4-iron shot from 220 yards that set up a six-foot eagle putt.
Day and Fowler were outside the top 125 three weeks ago until the PGA Tour decided players suspended for joining the rival LIV Golf circuit should not count in the standings. That improved them nine spots, and Day also was helped by a 66 in the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic two weeks ago to tie for 17th and secure his spot in the postseason.
That was a good thing, too, because last week he opened the Wyndham Championship with a 67 and then had to withdraw with an illness. Day knew he was in trouble when he fell asleep at breakfast before the next round. His eyes were burning. His fever spiked. Day wasn't sure how bad the fever was, but he checked his temperature the next day, when he felt much better, and it was 101.
The big takeaway was he felt he was trending in the right direction, and his game felt that way on a soft, muggy morning with occasional light rain.
As for the pressure? Day feels it's always there for him, but at this point, he's trying to let good golf happen instead of trying to force it - and not get too caught up in his position.
"It does nothing for me to look ahead," he said, "but I do want to play next week."
AP photo by Mark Humphrey / Si Woo Kim, center, shakes hands with Mackenzie Hughes after Kim made an eagle from the 18th fairway at TPC Southwind during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Thursday in Memphis.Kim, who won The Players Championship in 2017, and Spaun, who had eight birdies Thursday in such a clean round he couldn't even think which shot was the best, are both assured of playing next week.
Spaun began the postseason at No. 25 on the strength of his win at the Texas Open, which sent him immediately to Augusta National for the Masters, such a quick turnaround that he didn't get a chance to soak up the experience. He tied for 23rd and would like nothing better to return. Making it to the FedEx Cup finale is likely to do the trick.
"It will be nice to punch another ticket there and be able to plan it out and get down Sunday, maybe even Saturday the week before, take my time and enjoy all the little things that come along with that great tradition," Spaun said. "Hopefully keep playing well this week and the next couple weeks, and I'll be there."
Scottie Scheffler has the luxury of a slow start as No. 1 in both the Official World Golf Ranking and the FedEx Cup standings, and that's a good thing for him. The Masters champion had a frustrating day of a few odd bounces and a lot of missed chances on the green for a 71.
For everyone, the next step is making the cut. It means more to some than others.