St Jude Classic:Ireland's Graeme McDowell is two shots off the clubhouse lead after a first round of 66 in the St Jude Classic in Memphis. The Portrush golfer is tied for second with fellow Europeans Jose Maria Olazabal and Mathias Gronberg after he carded six birdies and two bogeys, but American Brian Gay leads after a 64.
Dubliner Pádraig Harrington could only manage a two over 72, after hitting two birdies and four bogeys.
Phil Mickelson, playing his first round since his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, shot a 68 to lie two under.
The American had said he needed to return to competition to give himself a mental break from his family's troubles as well as to get him in the groove ahead of next week's US Open at Bethpage.
Olazabal, playing on the PGA Tour for just the second time since April and without a win in the United States for seven injury-hit years, hit a bogey-free round that needed 27 putts while Gronberg had just one bogey, at the par-four 12th.
The pair were later joined on four under by McDowell and Americans Rich Beem and Chris Stroud.
Stroud joined Olazabal and Gronberg in a share of the lead when he finished with a birdie at the ninth, his last while of his compatriots, Jerry Kelly, Vaughan Taylor and David Toms all closed with 67s, as did Robert Allenby of Australia.
Like McDowell, Gay started on the back nine and, bar a dropped shot on the 17th, shot a flawless round, carding seven birdies.
Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson added his name to the leaderboard with a 67 while Richard Johnson of Wales finished three under on a good day for the Europeans.
