Rahm, who is coming off a tie for 11th at last week’s Open Championship,
has a three-stroke lead over five others including Bubba Watson, Cameron
Smith, Patrick Cantlay and a pair of Japanese players Hideki Matsuyama
and Shugo Imahira.
Rahm needed just 23 putts on Thursday, using his red-hot putter to
shoot five under on the front nine on the TPC Southwind course in
Memphis, Tennessee. His eight birdies overall ties his career most on
the PGA Tour.
He hit nine of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens to take his fifth career 18-hole lead.
It has been a whirlwind last couple of months for Rahm who competed
in two majors on two different continents, won the Irish Open, appeared
at the Spanish Masters and attended the wedding of a friend.
“I didn’t do anything Monday or Tuesday, I just rested and stretched
at the hotel, in the room,” said Rahm, who tied for third at this year’s
US Open.
“And then yesterday I came with the plan of playing 18 holes. I
putted and warmed up, and after four holes I was dead. I couldn’t swing
properly.
“I was really tired, so I just decided to just finish the round of nine holes, eat and just putt a little bit and go.
“I tried to put a little emphasis on being rested and it paid off
today. I have three more days to go and hopefully the battery lasts.”
Rahm is seeking his second title of 2019 after teaming up with Ryan
Palmer to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team competition.
“My last 10 holes, I made a lot of putts. I hit really good putts and
I read the greens properly, but I think the main key out of all that,
it was my positioning,” he said.
World No. 1 Brooks Koepka opened with a two-under 68. Koepka finished
in a tie for fourth at The Open to join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods,
Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth as the only players to finish in the top
five in all four majors in a single year.
After playing his first nine holes in three-over 38, 2016 champion
Dustin Johnson finished with a one-under 69, seven shots back of Rahm.
Leading first round scores here on Thursday in PGA Tour’s WGC-St. Jude Invitational in Memphis (USA unless noted):
62 – Jon Rahm (ESP)
65 – Cameron Smith (AUS), Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), Shugo Shugo Imahira (JPN), Bubba Watson, Patrick Cantlay
66 – Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN), Alexander Norén (SWE), Nate Lashley (USA), Andrew Putnam, Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Ian Poulter (ENG)
67 – Corey Conners (CAN), Bryson DeChambeau, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose (ENG), Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG)
68 – Poom Saksansin (THA), Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Chez Reavie , Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
69 – Marc Leishman (AUS), Li Haotong (CHN), Lucas Bjerregaard (DEN),
Sergio Garcia (ESP), Kang Sung-Hoon (KOR), Henrik Stenson (SWE), Xander
Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Dustin Johnson, Danny Willett
(ENG), Rory McIlroy (NIR)
70 – Adam Scott (AUS), Rafael Cabrera (ESP), Jordan Spieth, Tony
Finau, Matt Kuchar (USA), Kevin Na, Eddie Pepperell (ENG), Matt Wallace
(ENG), Paul Casey (ENG)
