Chris Kirk felt it early Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Kirk, who was already in the lead on the 14th hole, made a hole-in-one and finished at 7 under par. He finished the day at the top of the leaderboard at 6 under par. Hideki Matsuyama, Taylor Pendrith and Matthieu Pavon were in second place at 5 under par each at the end of the first day.
Kirk’s tee shot on the 14th hole bounced twice before rolling into the hole from 205 yards, giving the 39-year-old Knoxville native a three-shot lead at the end of his first round. He finished the round at 6 under par.
“I looked a little further to the left, with water on the right, but when I hit it, I hit it exactly the way I wanted it to from the contact point of view. I looked up and saw that it started a little further to the right, but came right back there,” Kirk said after his round.
This was also true of the 14th hole, which was renamed “The Bluff at 14” this year. The hole includes several viewing areas next to the green and free play is offered every day.
Kirk was ranked 28th in the FedEx Cup standings before this week’s event. He has six wins on the PGA Tour, most recently at The Sentry in January.
“I just feel really good physically and rested,” Kirk said. “I’ve had five of the last six weeks off, which for me after so much playing time this summer – I’m getting old. I need my rest. I’ve been able to spend a lot of time at home with my family, which has been fantastic, and been able to get in the gym and get back to my goal weight. So I feel rested, I feel good physically, I’m happy mentally to be here. That’s obviously really important for me.”
His ace marked the second year in a row that a golfer has hit a hole-in-one at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, last year when Sam Burns holed a shot on the 11th hole.
The tournament is the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and will take place Thursday through Sunday at TPC Southwind. The top 50 players in the FedEx Cup rankings after this event will qualify for the next leg of the playoffs, which will take place next week in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Reach sportswriter Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Chris Kirk hits an ace in the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship
