{
  "id": 845919,
  "title": "Rory McIlroy’s tough start at FedEx St. Jude Championship",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/rory-mcilroys-tough-start-at-fedex-st-jude-championship",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-14T06:44:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/sport/rory-mcilroys-tough-start-at-fedex-st-jude-championship-1.500640638"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rory McIlroy started off poorly at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, posting a four-over-par opening round. After a triumphant finish to The Open Championship, McIlroy's performance at the St. Jude saw him falter, ending the day nine strokes behind the leader, Jordan Spieth. McIlroy's round included three bogeys, a double bogey on the final hole, and he was left with a nine-shot gap to the pace. Spieth, currently outside the top 50 in the FedExCup standings, was outside the top 50 for the qualification places for the upcoming BMW Championship. England's Tommy Fleetwood shared the lead with McIlroy and Michael Thorbjornsen, sitting one shot ahead. Fleetwood credited his performance to sticking to his game plan and managing his iron play despite initial struggles. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made a solid start with a four-under-par 68, while Robert MacIntyre's disastrous round of 82, 12-over-par, kept him outside the cut.",
  "summary": "Dubai: Rory McIlroy endured a disappointing start to the FedExCup Playoffs, carding a four-over-par opening round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Making his first appearance since finishing tied for 40th at The Open at Royal Birkdale nearly a month ago, McIlroy was level par with just three holes remaining. However, a disastrous finish saw him tumble down the leaderboard and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "FedEx St. Jude Championship field set, PGA Tour Memphis opens FedEx Cup playoffs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/fedex-st-jude-championship-field-set-pga-tour-memphis-opens-fedex-cup",
        "published": "2026-08-09T22:00:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "FedEx Cup playoff field takes shape as Michael Brennan punches ticket with win",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/fedex-cup-playoff-field-takes-shape-as-michael-brennan-punches-ticket",
        "published": "2026-08-10T00:57:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Golf.com",
        "title": "Tour Confidential: LIV's lifeline, Bryson's big request, playoffs!",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/tour-confidential-livs-lifeline-brysons-big-request-playoffs",
        "published": "2026-08-10T01:19:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}