Jordan Spieth Makes Bold Claim About His Game Amid FedEx Cup Push

Jordan Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood opened the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship with strong performances at TPC Southwind on Thursday. The tournament is the first event of the 2026 FedEx Cup Playoffs, with players looking to improve their standings as the postseason continues.

Spieth entered the week at No. 54 in the FedExCup standings and needs a strong result to move into the top 50 and qualify for next week’s BMW Championship. Fleetwood, meanwhile, returned to Memphis after several strong performances at the course, including a tie for third in 2025.

Both players put themselves in contention after the opening 18 holes. Spieth finished with a bogey-free 65 to share the lead at 5 under, while Fleetwood carded a 4-under 66 to sit one stroke behind the co-leaders.

Jordan Spieth Agrees With Tommy Fleetwood’s Stress-Free Assessment

GettyJordan Spieth of the United States with Tommy Fleetwood of England

Jordan Spieth agreed with Tommy Fleetwood’s description of their opening round as “stress-free” after the two played together Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Fleetwood said after his round that playing alongside Spieth was enjoyable and that their momentum helped them through the hot conditions at TPC Southwind.

“We’d have had a really good better-ball score actually, probably,” Fleetwood said. “I don’t know what it would be, but Jordan is always great to play with. I had a really good time with him. He played great.”

Fleetwood added that having momentum in the pairing made the demanding conditions easier to handle.

“It’s always helpful when you have momentum in the two-ball really, so that was nice,” Fleetwood said. “Especially on hot days and we’re really grinding it out, it was nice to be kind of stress-free for the most part. All of that sort of makes a difference.”

Jordan Spieth was then asked whether he agreed with Fleetwood’s assessment. He pointed to his approach around the greens and said his missed greens did not create significant problems.

“Yeah, if you look at the stats, you’ll see four or five missed greens, but I had a putter in my hand on every single one of them, they were on the fringe.

If you want to count that as 18 greens, it becomes about as stress-free as it can be,” Spieth said.

The response reflected the nature of Spieth’s round. He stayed patient after finding trouble early and avoided making a bogey. Once he made a putt on No. 9, he said the pressure eased further, and he made several more putts on the back nine.

Jordan Spieth’s Strong Start Carries Added Importance

Jordan Spieth’s opening-round performance was significant because of his position in the FedExCup standings. He arrived in Memphis at No. 54 and is trying to reach the top 50 to advance to the BMW Championship.

The three-time major champion entered the playoffs without a top-10 finish in 21 starts during the regular season. Despite that record, Spieth said he believes his game is in a much better place than it was during the previous couple of seasons.

“I think the tougher part was the last couple of years I was very clearly going in this direction [down],” Spieth said. “I was not as good as I was earlier in the season.”

Spieth finished Thursday tied for the lead with Jake Knapp, Michael Thorbjornsen, Michael Kim, and Kurt Kitayama at 5 under.

Fleetwood was among the group one stroke back at 4 under, alongside Sungjae Im, Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland, Chris Gotterup, Bud Cauley, and Adam Scott.

Spieth also highlighted the importance of remaining patient rather than focusing on his position in the standings.

“Just knowing that I’m a lot better golfer than I’ve been in a very long time and continue to believe in that,” he said. “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.”

The opening round leaves Spieth in a strong position heading into Friday, while Fleetwood remains within one shot of the lead as the FedEx St. Jude Championship continues.

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