MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Ryan Palmer, Brooks Koepka and Greg Owen each shot 6-under 64 Thursday for a three-way tie atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the St. Jude Classic. Palmer, a three-time PGA Tour winner, turned in a bogey-free round with six birdies in the afternoon to join Koepka and Owen atop the leaderboard at TPC Southwind. Koepka, who won in Phoenix earlier this year, matched his low round of 2015 with eight birdies and two bogeys, while Owen shot his best round this year with no bogeys and six birdies. Scott Brown, Steven Alker, Brian Davis and Richard Sterne each shot 65s. Defending champ Ben Crane tied four others with 66s. Boo Weekley was tied with six others at 67, and Phil Mickelson was in a group of 11 at 68. Palmer had seven holes left after reaching 6 under, but he had to scramble down the stretch and needed to get up and down on his 18th hole, No. 9, to keep a piece of the lead. His last victory came in 2010 at the Sony Open, though he tied for second in Phoenix and tied for sixth at the Texas Open this year. Mickelson was at 4 under after a quick start with four birdies over his first seven holes starting on the back nine. A couple bogeys on the par 3s on the front nine dropped him to 2 under. Dustin Johnson, the highest-ranked player in this event at No. 7 in the world and the 2012 champ here, withdrew after nine holes. Johnson opened with three bogeys and had six pars. Shin seizes lead In New York, South Korea's unheralded Jenny Shin upstaged the biggest names in the women's game as she eagled the par-five 15th on the way to a one-shot lead in the opening round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship Thursday. Shin fired a flawless seven-under 66 to vault to the top of the leaderboard on a hot, humid day at Westchester Country Club. Canadian teen Brooke Henderson also got to seven under but bogeyed her final hole, the par-five ninth, to open with a 67. Australian veteran Karrie Webb, a seven-time major winner, was a further stroke back after carding a six-birdie 68, level with England's Charley Hull and Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn. Long-hitting Brittany Lincicome had set the pace with 10 others earlier in the day by shooting a 70 in the morning wave. Seventy was also posted by twice major winner Cristie Kerr, world No. 4 Kim Hyo-joo of South Korea, 11th-ranked Lexi Thompson, Germany's Sandra Gal and Jessica Korda, who birdied 17 and 18 to join the party. Two-time defending champion Park In-bee of South Korea launched her title defense with a 71, while New Zealand's world No. 1 Lydia Ko closed with birdies on the last two holes to register a 72. — Agencies
