FedEx St. Jude Classic 2022: Tony Finau's Opening-Round 64 Praised by Fans on Twitter

Tony Finau isn't atop the leaderboard after the first round of Thursday's FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. But the red-hot golfer is within striking distance, a concern for the rest of the field.

Finau shot a six-under 64, leaving him just two strokes behind leaders Si Woo Kim and J.J. Spaun and continuing what has been a torrid stretch for the 32-year-old.

Unsurprisingly, social media was singing his praises following Thursday's strong start:

He celebrated his strong start by...getting more practice in:

Finau is technically the defending champion after winning the Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club last season, which was replaced this year by the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

"Quite a different place," he told reporters Thursday before his opening round. "It's definitely strange defending on a golf course that I haven't won on."

That defense got off to a shaky start on Thursday, with a rough drive on No. 10, but he miraculously managed to salvage a birdie.

"It started with a lowlight, duck hooked my first tee shot," he told reporters. "But I got lucky, had a shot, put it on the front of the green and chipped in. It wasn't the ideal birdie start, but we're off and running."

In total, he finished with two bogeys and eight birdies, keeping himself in striking distance from the leaders. After winning his last two events, nobody is betting against him to make it three in a row.

Other notable finishers included Rickie Fowler (-5), Jason Day (-5), Cameron Smith (-3), Justin Thomas (-3), Jon Rahm (-3), Jordan Spieth (E), Rory McIlroy (E) and Scottie Scheffler (+1)