MEMPHIS — Daniel Berger made five straight short par putts Thursday to start the first round of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Nothing fancy about any of them. All relatively straight-forward knockdowns, all within 8 feet of the cup. Then, came No. 15 at TPC Southwind – a course with which the 28-year-old has a fond history.
Off the tee, Berger landed just off the left of the mild doglegged fairway. The approach shot found the green but left him with an almost 77-foot putt.
A few practice reps and a couple of deep breaths later, Berger drained the highlight-worthy birdie putt, kickstarting a round that saw him finish in the somewhat crowded upper tier of the leaderboard at 4-under.
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More than that, Berger’s putt – more than twice as long as the 30-foot eagle putt he made six months ago to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – underscores his level of comfort with TPC Southwind that he shares with a number of others currently on the PGA Tour.
Berger is one of a handful of golfers well positioned headed into the second round who have fared well in Memphis during their careers. Berger won the event in 2016 and 2017 when it was known as the FedEx St. Jude Classic, firing 13 under and 10 under, respectively. Last year, he shot another 10 under, good enough for a tie for second behind champion Justin Thomas.
Dustin Johnson was at 1 under on the same course he has torched numerous times during his career. Johnson won the event in 2012 and 2018, but he also has five other finishes inside the top 25 in the last 10 years.
Dustin Johnson tosses a ball to the fans after finishing his first round at the World Golf Championships FedEx-St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind on Thursday, August 5, 2021, in Memphis. Photo by Joe Rondone/The Memphis Commercial Appeal
“Yeah, it’s a golf course that I really enjoy playing,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I’ve had a lot of success here, so yeah, I always love coming back here and playing. Obviously, now it’s a WGC, but I played even before that. Yeah, it’s a place where I’ve got a lot of good memories. I feel like (that) the course sets up well for me. It’s a good track, you’ve got to hit a lot of good golf shots if you want to play well.
“I don’t know, I’ve just always liked the golf course ever since the first time I played it.”
Harris English, who won the event in 2013 at 12 under, beating Phil Mickelson by two strokes, roared out of the gate Thursday. He made seven birdies on the front nine – tying the course record for lowest nine-hole score at 28 and equaling Joel Edwards’ total in 2002.
English steadied himself after a pair of bogeys early on the back nine and had a two-shot lead at 8 under.