MEMPHIS, TN — Jordan Spieth is feeling confident. The three-time major champion finished the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Aug. 13 at 5 under, which left him tied for the lead with Michael Thorbjornsen at TPC Southwind. "Just knowing that I'm a lot better golfer than I've been in a very long time and continuing to believe in that," Spieth said afterward.. "If low scores come, they come. If they don't, it doesn't change the fact that I know that I'm better than I've been in a long time."
After starting 1 under on the front nine, Spieth reeled off three straight birdies from the 11th to the 13th holes and then birdied No. 15. It has been an up-and-down season for Spieth, who went into the tournament in Memphis at No. 54 in the FedExCup standings. Only the top 50 golfers in the standings will advance to the next playoff event in St. Louis, so he has work to do the next few days. After his first 18 holes, he's No. 22 in the projected standings. Spieth said he believed he had a "lull" in the season where he was pressing too much, but he's in a better spot heading into the playoffs.
"The rest of the season statistically has been very good," he said. "I just missed a lot of those big events of just finishing in the top 20 like I did most of the other events this year, which would have left this week to be completely stress-free. But outside looking in versus inside trying to hold on to it is a little different mentality, maybe helpful, but after a good start, that all changes, right? It's only one round down, but Spieth looks like he could be in the mix heading into the weekend in Memphis. "I'm just in a very different place about the game of golf than I was the last couple seasons heading into this event," Spieth said. "Again, if it's going to work out, great. If it doesn't, I know next year is going to be an awesome year for me. So it takes a lot of the stress off of this week." Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jordan Spieth shoots 65 at FedEx St. Jude, vaults up projected standings