Jordan Spieth Fires 65 to Share Lead at FedEx St. Jude Championship

Jordan Spieth opened the FedEx St. Jude Championship with a bogey-free 5-under-65, joining Michael Thorbjornsen, Jake Knapp, Michael Kim and Kurt Kitayama in a four-way tie for the lead. Spieth hit nine of 14 fairways and ranked 10th in strokes-gained off the tee. The 69-player field featured no alternates after Daniel Berger withdrew. Spieth, currently 54th on the FedExCup points list, must finish roughly inside the top 25 to break into the top 50 and advance to next week’s BMW Championship. He has not recorded a top-10 finish in 21 starts this season and underwent wrist surgery at the end of 2024.

ESPNJordan Spieth shoots 5-under 65 alongside Tommy Fleetwood in ‘stress free’ playoff opener

The FedEx Cup “bubble” intensifies as players outside the top 50 risk missing the $20 million signature-event bonus pool and the chance to compete in the Tour Championship. Spieth’s 54th-place standing places him on the cusp; a strong finish could secure his postseason run, while a missed cut would leave him outside the lucrative events for the remainder of the season.

Jordan Spieth shoots 5-under 65 alongside Tommy Fleetwood in ‘stress free’ playoff opener

He described his approach as patient and “non-reactive,” aiming to simplify his game rather than chase results. Tommy Fleetwood, paired with Spieth, highlighted the value of momentum and a “stress-free” round, while Adam Scott stressed that a good week could lock in a spot for the Tour Championship and shape his schedule for the next year.

Jordan Spieth shoots 5-under 65 alongside Tommy Fleetwood in ‘stress free’ playoff opener

• “I'm just in a very different place about the game of golf than I was the last couple seasons heading into this event,” — Jordan Spieth, at No

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• “I just tried to come into this week and just be as patient, nonreactive as possible, dumb it down to try to win the golf tournament and not worry about anything else," Spieth said.” — Jordan Spieth, at No

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• “If you look at the stats, you’ll see four or five missed greens, but I had a putter in my hand on every single one of them, they were on the fringe. If you want to count that as 18 greens, it becomes about as stress free as it can be,” — Jordan Spieth, at No

Jordan Spieth shoots 5-under 65 alongside Tommy Fleetwood in ‘stress free’ playoff opener

• “I think the tougher part was the last couple of years I was very clearly going in this direction [down]. I was not as good as I was earlier in the season,” — Jordan Spieth, at No

Jordan Spieth shoots 5-under 65 alongside Tommy Fleetwood in ‘stress free’ playoff opener

The second round on Friday will determine whether Spieth can climb into the top 50 and earn a place at the BMW Championship. Players on the bubble, including Spieth and Michael Kim (61st), must post strong scores to avoid missing the season-ending playoffs.

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