Christiaan Bezuidenhout was four shots off the lead after an opening five-under-par 65 on Thursday in the first round of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Joel Dahmen started his long-shot bid to make the PGA Tour FedExCup Playoffs by closing with three straight birdies for a nine-under 61 to match his career best and give him a one-shot lead over Alex Noren.

Bezuidenhout’s six birdies and a bogey put him at a projected 66th in the FedExCup rankings, up from his current 74th and into the first of the play-offs. He entered the week needing a top-36 finish at minimum for a chance to qualify for the FedEx St Jude Championship, which will take the top 70 players.

He had a wonderful front nine of five-under 30 after starting on the 10th with a pair of consecutive birdies. His back nine was much quitter, however, and he made one birdie and his solitary bogey on the par-four second.

Garrick Higgo will battle to advance to next week, projected as he is to drop to 99th from 93rd after his opening three-under-par 67 for a share of 38th.

Thriston Lawrnce is not even in the reckoning, and will need something of a miracle to retain his PGA Tour status from his current projected 148th on the rankings. He opened with a one-under 69.

Erik van Rooyen, however, is hanging on by the skin of his teeth after his opening three-over had him in a share of 140th, and projected to 68th in the FedExCup standings.