Rory McIlroy faced a challenging opening round at the FedEx St Jude Championship, finishing with a four-over par 74 in Memphis. After a promising start, McIlroy’s round deteriorated due to a series of late bogeys, leaving him looking to regain momentum in the PGA Tour Play-offs.

The Northern Irishman, currently ranked 12th in the FedExCup standings, paired up with world number one Scottie Scheffler, marking his return to the event after skipping it last year.

Key moments from McIlroy's round included:

• A bogey on the par-five third, quickly followed by a birdie at the par-three fourth.
• Another dropped shot at the eighth, taking him to the turn at one-over.
• A 15-foot birdie putt on the 11th, raising hopes briefly before a wayward tee shot on the 16th led to another bogey.
• A disastrous finish with a double bogey on the 18th after hitting his tee shot into the water.

In contrast, Scottie Scheffler, making his return after finishing runner-up at the 3M Open, ended the day at two under, with only one bogey on the 15th. Scheffler commented, "I felt like I hit a lot of quality shots with my irons... I feel like I was right on the edge of having a good day."

The early clubhouse lead was set by American duo Michael Thorbjornsen and Jordan Spieth at five under, while England’s Tommy Fleetwood followed closely at four under after a solid round that featured an eagle at the third. Unfortunately, Robert MacIntyre from Scotland had a rough day, finishing at 12 over with four double bogeys.