Update: Robert MacIntyre withdrew ahead of the second round, citing a knee injury.
Original story:
The FedEx St. Jude Championship was tight at the top on Thursday, as five names finished at 5 under to grab a share of the lead at TPC Southwind.
Seven more players are a shot off the lead heading into Friday’s second round.
It’s nowhere close to as tantalizing at the bottom where Robert MacIntyre has cleared the race for dead last by eight shots with an uninspired 12-over 82. MacIntyre is looking up at six-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who birdied just once on his front nine and once on his back on the way to a woeful 74.
The Scotsman didn’t get his first circle carded until the par-5 16th in an outing that saw him lose eight strokes to the field over five consecutive holes on the front nine. A triple bogey on the par-4 sixth — one of the course’s most forgiving holes in Round 1 — was the most costly error of all.
MacIntyre, who didn’t speak to reporters after the round, did par eight consecutive holes after the triple but he didn’t entirely avoid errors on his back nine. The six-time Tour winner double bogeyed at the par-4 15th and the final hole.
MacIntyre is set to tee off Friday with J.T. Poston (1 over) at 12:55 p.m. ET.
