– When Scottie Scheffler (-3) teed off today for the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first playoff of the FedEx Cup, Akshay Bhatia (-8) had already finished his round and set the bar for the lead very high, in the clouds. So it wasn’t a matter of demanding the impossible from the World Number One and the current FedEx Cup ranking leader. However, surely most of us were convinced that the Texan, true to his formidable standards, wouldn’t be too far off by the end of the day. These kinds of certainties in golf are foolish, but one must admit they make some sense when such prodigies are involved.
Well, it hasn’t been the case. Let’s say that for now, Scottie has given everyone a breather, even more so after missing a short putt on the 18th to record his first bogey of the day and leave his score at 67 strokes on this par 70 at TPC Southwind in Memphis. Scheffler hasn’t been ‘super’, on fire, but there have been so many times he’s been seen in this B version finishing very close to the top…
– Bhatia has won the battle against the demon of frustration today, with which he seems to have been struggling all year, as he noted after signing his formidable scorecard of 62 strokes. The Californian says he felt “quite relaxed today and didn’t try to force anything. It’s okay to be angry with the shots, but not with yourself, not to self-deprecate, which is what I usually do. I’m just trying to have a bit more peace on the golf course. I think this game can consume your life, your happiness, so I’m trying to find ways to change that because I feel like I don’t want to live my life around an unstable game. That will drive me crazy. It’s been like that this year, so I’m just trying to feel a bit more comfortable with whatever happens and enjoy what I have and be grateful for what I do for a living.”
It’s something like the eternal struggle of the golfer. Bhatia arrived at the event ranked 45th and, therefore, with the mission of securing his presence in the second playoff. For now, this start almost guarantees it… Unless he starts self-deprecating too much on the course, as he says.
– Excellent start also for Tommy Fleetwood (-7), who closed the round with more than just fireworks: four consecutive birdies between holes 15 and 18 to stay two strokes off the lead and once again present a strong bid for his first victory on the PGA Tour. No lack of determination here.
– Although it’s too early to start doing the math, let’s say that right now, after the first round, there are two players who arrived outside the second playoff and would now be in, which are Bud Cauley (-6), who came in ranked 53rd and projects to 24th, and Rickie Fowler (-4), who projects from 64th to 48th. Min Wo Lee (from 50th to 57th) and Jake Knapp (from 47th to 55th) would be the ones left out.
– Viktor Hovland (+4) has his presence in the second playoff secured, but this poor start in Memphis is not very encouraging for the European team with a month and a half to go until the Ryder. It’s not, of course, alarming, but it’s a bit more concerning in the case of a player expected to be one of the team’s pillars and who hasn’t quite hit top gear.
