Garrick Higgo was in a four-way share of the lead on Thursday after he carded a seven-under-par 65 in the first round of the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Jackson, Mississippi.

Higgo made five birdies on his front nine after starting on the 10th, but he dropped a shot just ahead of the turn on the 18th. He kept things together with three birdies on the way home on the front nine.

Sam Ryder played bogey-free and Danny Walker finished with a pair of birdies, each posting seven-under 65, with each in need of a good week. Eric Cole managed 10 birdies, which helped offset a double-bogey from the trees late in the round, and Higgo continued to show strides since a torn labrum slowed his progress after a win earlier this year.

Ryder is at 110th in the FedExCup, while Walker is at 104. The Sanderson Farms Championship is part of the FedExCup Fall where players who did not reach the PGA Tour’s postseason have to finish in the top 100 to keep their full cards.

Higgo’s win in the Corales Puntacana Championship in April assures him of a spot on the PGA Tour next year, and he is projected to rise to 52nd on the FedExCup rankings from his current position.

Thriston Lawrence carded a four-under-par 68 to be in a share of 13th, but he is projected to rise to just 143rd on the rankings, so he has plenty of work to do if he is to keep his place on the US-based circuit.

In a share of 13th with him was Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who would fall one place to 77th according to rankings projections, while Erik van Rooyen was projected to slip to 75th from his current share of 70th with his opening one-under 71.