Defending champion Lee Westwood is four shots off the lead following a disappointing first day at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
The former world number one carded a one-under-par round of 69 on Thursday as he was upstaged by American David Mathis, who shot five-under to earn a one-shot lead.
With the rest of golf’s elite sitting out this week ahead of the US Open, Westwood was installed as the favourite with the bookmakers to retain the title he won in 2010. However, his long game left a lot to be desired on day one, meaning the 38-year-old has much work to do on Friday.
The Englishman failed to make 40 percent of fairways in a round that consisted of three birdies and two bogeys, with all three birdies coming over his final four holes of the day, and it was left to Mathis to write the headlines.
Starting on the back nine, he was in good form with birdies at the 11th, 13th and 16th, and he continued that with three more in his first five holes after the turn. The 37-year-old picked up shots at the second, third and fifth, and not even a solitary bogey at the par-three eighth could keep him off top spot.
Mathis has five players hot on his trail on four-under, with John Merrick, Kris Blanks, Kevin Kisner, Robert Karlsson and Colt Knost having all carded opening-round 66s in Memphis.
But one man right out of contention, at eight-over-par, is Sergio Garcia following a nightmare visit to the third hole at TPC Southwind. The 31-year-old Spaniard put three straight shots into the water before finding the greenside bunker with his eighth shot of the third hole. He then pitched out to just inside 13 feet and two-putted to finally complete the par-five hole in 11 shots. However, the damage was already done.
