FedEx Cup playoffs winners, losers: Rory McIlroy near bottom at St. Jude Championship

The FedExCup Playoffs have teed off with the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

The first round on Thursday, Aug. 13 at TPC Southwind in Memphis provided several storylines for golf fans to follow throughout the week.

Heading into the tournament, Scottie Scheffler led the field with 4,124 FedExCup points. He finished the first round in the top third of the pack, carding a 2-under 68. Last year's FedExCup winner, Tommy Fleetwood, carried momentum nicely from a strong season. He posted a score of 66 to finish 4-under and tied for sixth.

There were a few other players who made more striking headlines through the first 18 holes, including a few who were in a five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard.

Here are the winners and losers of the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship:

Spieth entered the week on the wrong side of the postseason conversation. He immediately grabbed a share of the lead with a 65. For a player who started the playoffs facing real pressure, that's about as good an opening statement as you could make.

Im entered the week on the bubble and was making an early charge. He had two excellent putts for birdie on the day, an 18-foot shot on the 14th hole and a 21-foot putt at the 17th hole, to finish the first round with a score of 4-under, tied for sixth.

Thorbjornsen continues to rise to stardom. The American golfer impressed with an eagle on the 16th hole that helped boost him to a score of 5-under. Sharing the first-round lead with Jordan Spieth in a playoff event against an elite field is another significant step in his ascent.

Matsuyama had a rocky start and found himself at +2, but the winner of the 2024 tournament rebounded with five straight birdies to finish his round. He finds himself tied for sixth place, carding a 4-under on the day.

Kim had six birdies and only a bogey kept him from taking the lead. He finished in the five-way tie at the top at 5-under. It's another comeback that fans will root for this weekend.

It was a nightmare start for MacIntyre. The Scottish golfer entered the tournament ranked No. 36 in the FedExCup standings with 1,191 points. But he had three bogeys a double-bogey and triple-bogey in his first nine holes and finished in dead last with a grotesque score of 82, which is 12-over.

Homa has been struggling to recapture his form. He did not find it at TPC Southwind Thursday. He finished with a 3-over.

Rose won last year's FedEx St. Jude Championship. His hopes of a repeat title look slim after posting a first-round score of 73, which is 3-over. A double-bogey on the ninth hole did not help his cause.

Fox, who entered the tournament with 1,342 FedExCup points, spiraled late. Three scores over par in four holes, including a triple-bogey on the 11th hole, put him at 3-over.

McIlroy finished the day 4-over, with only MacIntyre behind him. The three-time FedExCup winner had a double-bogey on the last hole to end on a low note.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FedEx Cup playoffs winners, losers: Rory McIlroy near bottom at St. Jude Championship