Henley puts another quality first round in the books in FedEx Cup playoff opener

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

            Maybe Russell Henley is off to the right start after all.

            For two weeks, Henley opened tournaments with two-plus rounds of bogey-free golf, only to suffer some hiccups on Saturday and Sunday.

            Perhaps three bogeys on Thursday is a reversal.

            Nevertheless, Henley’s game remained steady and consistent as he shot a 2-under 68 Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, the first of the PGA Tour’s playoff tournaments.

            Henley was in a tie for 29th when he finished up around 2 p.m., with about two dozen players left to tee off. He’s still six back of leader Si Woo Kim - who was joined later in the lead by J.J. Spaun - and is in a large group tied for 49th. Eight-five players are at even or better in the 120-player field.

            Henley had a decent day putting, with five birdies, and tapping in another several holes from less than a foot.

            He left a 35-foot putt three inches from the hole on 9 to par, and from about that long on 6 to within 10 inches for par.

            But he missed an 8-foot par putt on 7 and 11-footer on 8, both for bogeys. He was off on an 11-footer on 12, to bogey, and finished with a par after missing an 11-footer on 18 for a birdie.

            Still, the first round was similar to his last two first rounds, when he got on bogey-free runs of 46 holes and 47 holes. He was in little or no danger of a double bogey, each final stroke from less than two feet.

            That’s been part of Henley’s game recently, avoiding major trouble with gambles or overly aggressive shots, while also doing a nice job when he did find a rough.

            He can sleep in before round two, teeing off at 1:55 p.m.