Séamus Power made an impressive beginning to the inaugural FedEx Cup playoff event, gaining momentum through his initial round of 67 in Memphis and amping up his chances of cracking the top half a hundred for the following week’s competition.
The Waterford native showcased a commendable performance on the FedEx St. Jude Championship greens, acquiring four birdies within his first nine holes all near the hole, the only slip being at the fourth. Completing the round with an uninterrupted series of pars, Power posted a three-under score, lagging by three from clubhouse leader Chris Kirk.
Trailing Power by one shot was Rory McIlroy, rounding up the day at two under. McIlroy expressed pre-tournament ambitions to swing the season back in his favour with the FedEx Cup title, and a phenomenal shot at the 18th hole seemed to reorient his first round.
McIlroy’s round was nothing short of eclectic, as an eagle at the par 5 third hole evened the score; nonetheless, moments of struggle at the 10th and 12th holes resulted in bogeys. Despite these setbacks, he managed a birdie at the 16th and a near out-of-bounds drive at the 18th. A successful birdie conversion from a 145-yard approach shot put McIlroy at a 68, two above Shane Lowry who ended with an even-par round of 70 at TPC Southwind.
Leader Chris Kirk’s score of six-under-par 64 counted a remarkable ace at the 14th hole, a drawn shot from a distance of 205 yards that took a few small bounces before settling in the hole’s centre.
Meanwhile, on the LPGA Tour at the Women’s Scottish Open, Leona Maguire ended in the middle standings following a one-over-par initial round of 73 at Dundonald Links. After her unfortunate last-place finish at the Olympics the week prior due to illness, she managed a decent round with two birdies and three bogeys. Cavan’s Lauren Walsh followed at five over, and Stephanie Meadow rounded up at two over after a darkness-induced suspension caused by earlier weather delay.
In the ongoing tournament, Minjee Lee from Australia is at the forefront on four under. Meanwhile, Lydia Ko, the Olympic gold winner, performed a solid round of 69 and is two behind the lead. The Czech Masters in Prague, part of the DP World Tour, saw Tom McKibbin trailing after a subpar performance, scoring 73, a one-over-par, on a day of low scores. Pieter Moolman lead the day with a tremendous eight-under-par 64. Gary Hurley from Waterford trailed McKibbin by a single shot at two over. Concurrently, in the Challenge Tour, Mark Power from Kilkenny posted an impressive first round of 64, eight-under-par, leading the Finnish Challenge by two strokes.