Watch: Chris Kirk buries ace, takes lead at FedEx St. Jude Championship

Chris Kirk was feeling it on Thursday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Already in the lead on the 14th hole, Kirk made a hole-in-one to get to 7-under-par. His tee shot bounced twice before rolling into the hole from 205 yards out. That gave the 39-year-old Knoxville native a three-shot lead near the end of his opening round.

It also came on the 14th hole, which has been rebranded this year as The Bluff at 14. The hole includes multiple viewing areas next to the green and will have giveaways each day.

Kirk was ranked No. 28 in the FedEx Cup standings coming into this week’s event. He has six wins on the PGA Tour, most recently winning The Sentry in January.

His ace was the second straight year where a golfer connected on a hole-in-one at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Last year, it was Sam Burns who hit a shot straight into the cup on No. 11.

The tournament is the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs and is taking place at TPC Southwind from Thursday to Sunday. The top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings after this event will advance to the next leg of the playoffs next week in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.