There is a four-way tie on top of a crowded leaderboard but little-fancied Australian Matt Jones is ready to pounce after a sterling performance in the first round of the St Jude Classic.
The Sydney-born golfer, who is No.217 in the world, sits just one shot off the pace after shooting a five-under-par 65 in the PGA event at TPC Southwind course on Thursday.
Jones is tied for fifth with 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel after posting six birdies, and three putting for his lone bogey on the 13th.
However, he bounced back spectacularly on the next hole after sinking a 56-foot putt from the edge of the green for birdie.
Jones is hot on the heels of Matt Every, Scott Brown, Stuart Cink and Sebastian Munoz, who each shot six-under 64s in the final tune-up before the US Open.
The 33-year-old Every has two wins on the PGA Tour, but none since 2014. He's only made two cuts this year and hasn't finished better than a tie for 62nd at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
"I haven't played real well in a couple years, and I've been out here for like seven or eight, so I kind of know the drill," Every said. "Like one round is not that big a deal. It is nice to play well, but yeah, they don't hand out trophies after the first round."
Cink, a six-time winner on tour and 2009 British Open winner, birdied three straight holes late in his round, including one from about 10 feet on the par-4 5th.
He bogeyed the next hole, then closed his round with a birdie on No. 9 to catch Brown and Every.
"The key to my round today was the key to anyone's round who plays well here and that is you've got to keep the ball in front of you," Cink said.
"Meaning, you don't have to hit every fairway, but you can't really be off too much."
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