Four-way tie atop St. Jude Classic

Mickelson remains in U.S. Open field — for now

Matt Every, Scott Brown, Stewart Cink and Sebastian Munoz all shot 6-under-par 64s to share the openinground lead at the St. Jude Classic. It’s the last PGA Tour event before the U.S. Open.

MEMPHIS, TENN. » Matt Every, Scott Brown, Stewart Cink and Sebastian Munoz each shot 6-under 64s on Thursday to share the lead after one round at the St. Jude Classic.

Charl Schwartzel and Matt Jones were each one stroke back at the final tuneup before the U.S. Open.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and Chez Reavie each shot a 66 on the par-70 TPC Southwind course.

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.”

Every had four birdies during his round and an eagle on the par-5 16th, sticking his second shot about 10 feet from the flagstick before sinking the putt. He closed his round by making a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

“Middle of the round got a little away from me, but I saved some shots and I haven’t been doing that lately,” Every said. “Then I played pretty solid the last few holes. So it was just a good day. I was kind of due for one.”

Cink, Brown and Munoz joined him by making afternoon charges up the leaderboard.

Brown, a 34-year-old who finished second at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and tied for second at the Genesis Open, followed a bogey on the 14th with consecutive birdies, holing a pair of putts from inside of 10 feet to pull even with Every. He missed a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18 that would have given him sole possession of the lead.

Cink, a 44-year-old, sixtime 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.

Mickelson still in U.S. Open field

The USGA is relaxing its policy on alternates and will let them practice at Erin Hills even if they’re not officially in the field.

Jeff Hall, the USGA’s managing director of rules and open championships, said recent history at the U.S. Open has shown that with most players practicing in the morning, there would be room to accommodate first alternates in the afternoon.

The U.S. Open starts June 15, the first one held in Wisconsin.

That would apply only to first alternates from each of 12 sectional qualifying sites, or no more than one alternate from each section if the first alternate is not there.

The U.S. Open was the only major that did not let alternates play the course until they were in the championship (the Masters has no alternates). Until this year, alternates were allowed full access to the practice facilities and could walk the golf course; they just couldn’t play.

The USGA was concerned that practice rounds for a 156-man field often take more than five hours, and it feared adding a dozen or so players to the tee sheet on Monday through Wednesday would make the course overly crowded.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Open published its tee times for next week. Defending champion Dustin Johnson will be in the same group with Jordan Spieth and Martin Kaymer, making it a threesome of the most recent winners. Johnson won last year at Oakmont, Spieth won in 2015 at Chambers Bay and Kaymer won in 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2.

They start at 8:35 a.m. on the 10th hole Thursday, and will be in the afternoon wave off the first tee Friday.

Phil Mickelson, who plans to skip the U.S. Open this year because his daughter’s high school graduation is at 10 a.m. in California on the day of the opening round, is not withdrawing until he knows there is no way for him to make his tee time.

He was grouped with Steve Stricker and Stewart Cink, two of the more compelling qualifiers for Erin Hills. Stricker grew up in Wisconsin and was no longer exempt for the U.S. Open because of reducing his schedule and going through surgery on his hip in recent years. He led the qualifier in Tennessee.

Jason Day, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy make up another strong threesome that will start Thursday afternoon off the first tee.

The USGA awarded the opening tee shot to Jordan Niebrugge, the other Wisconsin native in the field.