'Bugged' Justin Rose aims to lift a curse by performing well at the FedEx St. Jude Championship

Justin Rose opened the FedEx St. Jude Championship with a six‑under 64 at TPC Southwind on Thursday. He began the week 25th in the FedExCup standings. A strong week in Memphis would put him safely inside the top 50 and into next week’s BMW Championship.

Rose appeared before the media after the first round, and the PGA Tour shared a part of his interview in an Instagram post.

"I think it’s bugged me a little bit that I haven’t been back to East Lake in a few years... We all know how important top 50 is. Top 30 is a little bit of a cherry on top of everything," Justin Rose said.

Notably, Justin Rose has not returned to the Tour Championship at East Lake since 2019. Rose last played the Tour Championship in 2019 at East Lake, finishing tied for 26th with rounds of 68, 74, 71, and 72 for a 285 (+3). He earned $430,000 that week.

The FedEx St. Jude Championship is the first of three FedEx Cup Playoff events. The tournament carries a $20 million purse, with the winner due to receive $3.6 million. The top 50 after St. Jude move on to the BMW Championship; the top 30 will play in the Tour Championship at East Lake.

Added to that, Rose is currently eighth on the Ryder Cup qualification list, which keeps him in with a chance for automatic qualification or a captain’s pick. Rose previously won the FedEx Cup in 2018.

Apart from that, let's look at how Rose has fared so far at the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship.

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How has Justin Rose performed so far at the FedEx St. Jude Championship?

Justin Rose ended his first round at the FedEx St. Jude with a strong 64 score. His first round included seven birdies with a bogey-free front nine. His lone bogey of the round came on the par-4 13th hole.

Rose followed it up with a second round of 66. His front nine featured three birdies and one bogey. On the back nine, Rose hit four birdies alongside two bogeys. He made the cut after two rounds.

Here's a look at Rose's second-round hole-by-hole performance:

• Hole 1 (par 4): 4
• Hole 2 (par 4): 4
• Hole 3 (par 5): 5
• Hole 4 (par 3): 3
• Hole 5 (par 4): 5
• Hole 6 (par 4): 3
• Hole 7 (par 4): 3
• Hole 8 (par 3): 2
• Hole 9 (par 4): 4
• Hole 10 (par 4): 3
• Hole 11 (par 3): 2
• Hole 12 (par 4): 5
• Hole 13 (par 4): 5
• Hole 14 (par 3): 3
• Hole 15 (par 4): 4
• Hole 16 (par 5): 4
• Hole 17 (par 4): 3
• Hole 18 (par 4): 4

Total score: 66