Finally, a world number 1 performance from the world number 1. Since Scottie Scheffler won the American Express in January 2026, he’s been winless in the last 6 months. Not that he hasn’t played well—he has five runner-up finishes—but the second win has been out of his reach. However, a part of that turned in his favor today, and if everything goes well, the win should follow.
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Scottie Scheffler did almost everything right on Friday at TPC Southwind, the very course he said was ‘punishing.’ And yet the world No. 1 opened with five straight birdies, shot a 9-under 61, and tied the course record. He finished the day at 11 under, three shots clear of the field after 36 holes at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
The world number 1 golfer is now the fifth to tie this course record since it opened in 1989, 3 years after Justin Rose last accomplished the feat in 2023. And was he happy?
Well, speaking after the round, Scheffler called it “a dream start.” He added, “Probably one of the best starts I’ve had on TOUR, to be honest with you. I couldn’t tell you a time when I’ve been lower early in the round.”
Interestingly, Scheffler didn’t even know anything about his record while playing, showing how focused he was on the round itself.
And what’s even more interesting, this comes on the same course where Scheffler has never won. Yes, this PGA Tour venue has stood up to the world number 1 over his 20 PGA Tour wins. The best he managed was a T3 last year, one of his only two top-tens at Memphis in eight starts. But surely, Scottie’s Friday here looked way better than his Thursday.
After round 1, Scheffler finished in the top third of the pack, carding a 2-under 68. But now he has quickly changed the tone of his tournament with one of his best starts on the PGA Tour. His putting also improved from Thursday. He gained over three strokes with the flat stick on Friday compared to less than one on the opening round.
These class results probably came from a plan he always tries to follow, “I think that’s always the plan to get off to a good start,” Scheffler said. However, he had a few close calls even today.
Scheffler sank the birdie putt on 13 and agreed, “Hit a poor shot at 13 but was able to get out of the bunker there, hit a nice shot and give myself a look.” Not just that, Scheffler bogeyed Nos. 8 and 12 too, but followed each with a birdie on the next hole. That kept his round moving in the right direction.
There was almost another highlight waiting at the end…
Scheffler had a birdie putt on No. 18 to break the course record but left it short. He did not dwell on it. Instead, he said he wanted to rest, keep striking the ball well, and carry that play into the next two rounds.
Looking ahead, Scheffler said, “I think in golf there’s always little things you’re looking to improve on, but today was a day in which I’ll just go get some rest and, yeah, I struck the ball nicely today and hopefully do more of that over the next couple of days.”
A big opportunity opens up for the world No. 1 at the event. It’s a chance for him to bag his third career win in the FedExCup Playoffs. And possibly his first chance to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Clearly, holding onto the lead is worth the shot.
The interview also included a personal reminder about Sunday. If the tournament comes down to the 72nd hole, Scheffler will only need to look left from the 18th tee to see his family!