Min Woo Lee surged ahead early in the season‑closing Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, while Rory McIlroy’s start to his FedExCup campaign was a mixture of highs and lows. Lee produced a flawless, bogey‑free 62 at East Lake Golf Club, tallying eight birdies in a round where preferred lies were in effect because of rain the night before. Remarkably, none of the 29 competitors who completed the first round managed to stay under par, underscoring how challenging the conditions were. The 28‑year‑old Australian now enjoys a two‑stroke lead over a trio that includes Chris Gotterup, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who finished his opening round with a birdie‑birdie finish to post a 65, is just three shots off the lead.
Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Ryan Gerard are also sitting at five under, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood trails by another stroke in a group that features fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick and Open champion Ryan Fox. Last week’s BMW Championship champion Wyndham Clark is five strokes back after recording a three‑under‑par 67.
McIlroy, meanwhile, sits tied for 20th after a roller‑coaster 68 that combined five birdies with three bogeys, a start that leaves his quest for a record‑tying fourth FedExCup title very much alive but far from smooth. Lee’s round was punctuated by a pair of consecutive birdies on holes four and five, after which he found himself playing alone for the remainder of the day when his partner, JJ Spaun, withdrew on the sixth hole due to a shoulder injury.
Undeterred, Lee kept swapping the top spot with Hovland, who was playing two groups ahead. Lee closed the front nine without a single bogey, sealing a 20‑foot birdie putt on the eighth and adding another on the ninth. On the back nine, Lee continued his relentless pace, posting back‑to‑back birdies on holes 12 and 13 and another from close range on 16, which pushed his lead to two strokes.
Hovland’s immaculate day was broken on the 17th when he three‑putted from 25 feet for a bogey. He answered by getting up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the final par‑five, setting a clubhouse target of six under.
Lee matched that closing birdie, preserving his two‑stroke cushion and equalling the lowest round of his PGA Tour career. "It felt a bit odd at first, like I was looking for a playing partner and there was nobody there," Lee reflected. "I just focused on maintaining my tempo and not rushing. I had to slow down a little, and it paid off." Morikawa, who began his round with a bogey, rallied by recording seven birdies and drawing level with Hovland.
Gotterup birdied three of his final five holes, creating a three‑way tie for second place. Åberg finished his round with a three‑birdie surge, joining Bhatia and Gerard at five under.
Scheffler completed the group tied for fifth after sinking a 10‑foot birdie putt on the last hole, marking the fourth time in five seasons that he has opened with a 65 or better. "Except for the first hole, I wasn’t really fighting for par very much," Scheffler said. "That’s always a good sign on this course. Miss a fairway here and you’re likely to struggle for par.
I created a few chances and managed to make a couple of birdies at the end." McIlroy’s round was a study in contrast. He briefly found himself at the bottom of the leaderboard after failing to get up and down from a bunker on the first hole and then making a bogey on the fourth despite holing an eight‑foot putt.
He recovered with a birdie on the sixth but missed a four‑foot opportunity on the ninth. The second half of his round was more promising: he birdied two of three holes to start the back nine, recovered from a clumsy bogey on 14, and then holed a six‑foot birdie on the par‑three 15. He added another birdie on 17, but despite those flashes of brilliance, only five players were below him on the leaderboard heading into the next day.
The FedExCup race remains wide open. Fans can follow all four rounds of the Tour Championship live on Sky Sports, with coverage continuing Friday from 6 p.m. on Sky Sports Golf.
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Overall, the first round set the stage for a dramatic showdown. Lee’s flawless 62 places him as the early favorite, yet Scheffler’s steady climb, Morikawa’s surge, and McIlroy’s resilient bounce keep the competition fierce.
As the tournament progresses, the chase for the coveted FedExCup title promises to deliver more excitement, strategic play, and perhaps a few more surprise withdrawals or heroic comebacks. The next rounds will determine whether Lee can maintain his lead, if Scheffler can close the gap, or whether another contender will emerge to claim the season‑ending prize.