Akshay Bhatia fired a masterful opening-round 62 (-8) to take a one-shot lead at the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship. The 23-year-old put on a clinic at TPC Southwind on Thursday, recording seven birdies and an eagle against just one bogey in what marked the lowest round of his PGA TOUR career.
Bhatia led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and ranked 11th in SG: Off-the-Tee—showcasing a complete ball-striking performance as he surged to the top of the leaderboard.
Tommy Fleetwood wasn’t far behind Bhatia’s brilliance, carding a seven-under 63 to grab solo second after the opening round. The Englishman tallied eight birdies against a single bogey, while leading the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and sitting fourth in SG: Approach.
Despite entering the week as the tournament favorite, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler quietly opened with a three-under 67. Scheffler appeared to be in cruise control for much of the day—four-under through 14 holes with a spotless card—but couldn’t find another birdie down the stretch. A bogey on his final hole dropped him into a tie for 12th, leaving some work to do heading into Friday, as he’s now five shots back.
A three-way tie for third at six-under features Harry Hall, Justin Rose, and Bud Cauley—all of whom leaned heavily on stellar putting to get there. Hall posted the cleanest scorecard of the group, going bogey-free with six birdies. All three players finished the day ranked inside the top five in Strokes Gained: Putting—something that comes as no surprise, particularly for Hall, who leads the PGA TOUR in that stat this season.
In terms of odds to win, DraftKings Sportsbook still has Scheffler as the betting favorite at +360, while Fleetwood sits at +450 and Bhatia +700.