Jordan Spieth off to the start he needs with a 65 to share the lead in PGA Tour playoff opener

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jordan Spieth believes he's playing better golf and he finally got a score to show for it Thursday. He was bogey-free for a 5-under 65 that gave him a four-way share of the lead in the FedEx St. Jude Championship and boosted his hopes of extending his season.

Rocket Classic champion Michael Thorbjornsen, Jake Knapp, Michael Kim and Kurt Kitayama also opened with 65s in the sweltering heat at the TPC Southwind. Spieth and Kim are outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup who advance to the BMW Championship next week.

This is the second straight year Spieth, at No. 54 and winless in more than four years, has been on the bubble going into the postseason. He was at No. 48 a year ago and fell out of the top 50.

He said the difference is the way he feels he is playing, even though he is the only player from the top 70 who qualified who has yet to register a top 10 this year.

“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.”

Kim is at No. 61 and likely would need to finish at least 11th to have a chance to move on.

But it's just one round, and it was crowded at the top. Seven players, including defending FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland and Adam Scott — were at 66. Four others were another stroke back.

So much emphasis is on getting into the top 50 because that locks up all the $20 million signature events for next season. Spieth has been on the outside the last two years and knows what's on the line this week.

More than half the field, however, already is assured of heading to Bellerive in St. Louis for the BMW Championship. For the likes of Woodland and Scott — both just inside the top 30 — a good week could lock them up for the Tour Championship and a shot at playing for the FedEx Cup.

It all comes with a reward of getting in all the majors.

“My only feeling has been make the most of this week, then it's all upside for me,” Scott said. “There's so much to gain from a good week right now, not only for the remainder of this season. It’s possible to lock up a spot in the Tour Championship this week, but also what it does into next year, the signatures and all the majors.

“It sets me up for what can be a year on my terms, which will be nice.”

Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world who has played the TPC Southwind more times (seven) without winning than any other course on the PGA Tour, opened with a 68. He was playing alongside Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who skipped last year knowing that his result had no bearing on his position the rest of the playoffs. McIlroy finished bogey-bogey-double bogey for 74.

The attention falls to Spieth, who won three legs of the career Grand Slam before his 24th birthday. But he had wrist surgery at the end of 2024 and has struggled to contend.

He opened with eight pars, finally got a putt to fall, and then ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch, including a 40-footers on the par-3 14th. Mostly, no bogeys on the card was a plus.

“I just tried to come into this week and just be as patient, nonreactive as possible, dumb it down to try to win the golf tournament and not worry about anything else,” Spieth said. “Just knowing that I’m a lot better golfer than I’ve been in a very long time and continue to believe in that. 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.”

Jackson Koivun, who won the 3M Open in his third start as a pro and narrowly got the final spot in the postseason at No. 70, played as a single and shot 71. The 69-man field is due to Daniel Berger choosing not to play, and there are no alternates.

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts to a missed putt on the first green during the first round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Adam Scott, of Australia, follows his ball to the nineth green during the first round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Scottie Scheffler hits on the second hole during the first round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Jordan Spieth uses a towel to wipe his face during the first round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Jordan Spieth walks across the first green during the first round of the St. Jude Championship golf tournament Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cade Cavalli took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Michael Busch delivered the Cubs' lone hit with an opposite-field bloop single to left with two outs in the seventh. The Nationals Park crowd then applauded Cavalli, who was trying to throw Washington’s first no-hitter since Max Scherzer did it twice in 2015.

Cavalli (10-5), who turns 28 on Friday, retired the first 15 batters before walking Dansby Swanson to open the sixth. Swanson was quickly erased on Michael Conforto’s double-play grounder.

Cavalli walked Swanson again with two outs in the eighth, but struck out Conforto looking to finish his day. The right-hander struck out 10 while setting career highs in innings (eight) and pitches (103).

Clayton Beeter worked a perfect ninth for Washington.

The Nationals didn’t muster a baserunner against Kevin Gausman (6-11) until Abimelec Ortiz’s one-out single in the fourth. Two pitches later, Dylan Crews laced an RBI double to left-center.

Washington’s first two men in the fifth reached base before Andrew Pinckney’s sacrifice fly. After CJ Abrams singled, Ortiz hit a three-run shot to right-center to make it 5-0. Daylen Lile added an RBI single later in the inning to end Gausman’s day.

Ortiz has four homers in 11 games this season and hit .389 (7 for 18) with three homers and seven RBIs during the Nationals’ six-game homestand.

Gausman allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings while striking out seven in his second start since joining the Cubs from Toronto at the trade deadline.

RHP Clay Holmes (4-5, 2.86 ERA) makes his second start as a Cub as Chicago returns home Friday to begin a three-game series against St. Louis. LHP Andrew Alvarez (2-3, 3.76) starts Friday as Washington opens its three-game series at the New York Mets.

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Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) reacts after the struck out during the fourth inning of a baseball game next to Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz, right, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli, left, talks with catcher Keibert Ruiz, right, during the third inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)