Theegala placed 26th, Spieth makes strong start at FedExCup Play-offs

Sahith Theegala was the best-placed among the Indian-origin quartet, carding a 1-under 69 to sit tied 26th after the opening round, as the FedExCup Play-offs began with the St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind here.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju was the next best at T-37 after an eventful even-par 70, while Akshay Bhatia and PGA champion Aaron Rai opened with 72s to share 53rd place.

At the top, Jordan Spieth rolled back the years with a bogey-free 5-under 65 to join Michael Thorbjornsen, Jake Knapp, Michael Kim and Kurt Kitayama in a five-way share of the lead.

Spieth, who has not won on the PGA Tour in more than four years, made the ideal start to a Play-off campaign in which every position matters. He and Kim are currently outside the crucial top-50 cut-off in the FedExCup standings, making a strong week essential if they are to advance to next week’s BMW Championship.

Theegala, who is backed by Hero, started and finished his round with birdies. He added two more birdies during his round but gave back shots with bogeys, including consecutive dropped shots on the 14th and 15th holes. His 69 left him in a solid position but with plenty of ground to make up over the next three rounds.

Bhatia, also supported by Hero, had a mixed day. He made two birdies but was undone by four bogeys, three of them coming during a difficult stretch from the 10th through the 14th. His 72 left him six shots behind the leaders.

Yellamaraju had perhaps the most dramatic round among the Indians. The Indo-Canadian produced an eagle, a birdie, a bogey and a double bogey, along with 14 pars, to finish level par. He began the Play-offs ranked 57th and needs to move into the top 50 to extend his season into the BMW Championship.

Rai, whose highlight this year was his PGA Championship success, struggled to find consistency and carded four bogeys against just two birdies. His 72 left him tied 53rd and facing an uphill task over the next three days.

The battle for the top 50 is one of the major storylines of the Play-offs. Players who finish inside that mark after the FedEx St. Jude Championship qualify for the BMW Championship in St. Louis next week.

More importantly, reaching the top 50 also guarantees entry into all of next season’s USD 20 million Signature Events.

Spieth knows the significance all too well. He finished 48th last year but subsequently dropped out of the top 50 ahead of the BMW Championship. Now, after missing the top-50 mark in each of the last two seasons, he has given himself an excellent platform with his opening 65. His round was built on patience. Spieth opened with eight consecutive pars before finally getting a putt to fall for his first birdie. He then caught fire, making four birdies in a five-hole stretch. One of the highlights was a spectacular 40-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th.

The absence of bogeys was just as important as the birdies. On a demanding day in sweltering conditions at TPC Southwind, Spieth kept mistakes off his card and matched the day’s lowest score.