Min Woo Lee surged ahead early in the PGA Tour’s season‑closing Tour Championship, while Rory McIlroy experienced a mixed opening round in his quest for FedExCup supremacy. Lee delivered an immaculate 62 at East Lake Golf Club, posting eight birdies without a single bogey. The round was played under preferred‑lies conditions after an overnight rain, and none of the 29 competitors who completed their first round managed to stay under par.
Lee’s flawless performance granted him a two‑stroke lead over Chris Gotterup, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, finished his opening round with a birdie‑birdie finish to post a 65, pulling within three shots of the leaderboard.
Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Ryan Gerard also sat at five under par, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood trailed by an additional stroke in a group that featured fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick and Open champion Ryan Fox. Last week’s BMW Championship victor Wyndham Clark was five shots back after carding a three‑under 67. McIlroy, seeking a record‑extending fourth FedExCup title, found himself tied for 20th after a roller‑coaster 68 that combined five birdies with three bogeys.
Lee’s momentum was evident when he recorded back‑to‑back birdies on holes four and five, and he continued to play uninterrupted after his playing partner JJ Spaun withdrew on the sixth hole due to a shoulder injury. The 28‑year‑old Australian kept swapping the top spot with Hovland, who was playing two groups ahead. Lee closed a bogey‑free front nine by sinking a 20‑foot birdie putt on the eighth and adding another birdie on the ninth.
Later in the round, Lee again produced a pair of consecutive birdies on holes 12 and 13, and he added a short‑range birdie on the 16th, extending his lead to two strokes. Hovland’s day ended with a three‑putt bogey from 25 feet on the 17th, but he quickly recovered, getting up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the final par‑five, setting a clubhouse target of six under. Lee matched Hovland’s closing birdie, restoring his two‑stroke cushion and equalling the lowest round of his PGA Tour career.
Reflecting on his solitary round, Lee said, "It was a little strange at first, just like looking for a playing partner and you're just there by yourself. It was more just maintaining speeds and not rushing.
I had to just slow down a little bit, but it worked out." Collin Morikawa, who began with a bogey on the first hole, rallied to record seven birdies and draw level with Hovland, while Gotterup birdied three of his final five holes to create a three‑way tie for second place. Åberg finished with a three‑birdie finish to sit at five under alongside Bhatia and Gerard. Scheffler completed the group tied for fifth after holing a 10‑foot birdie on the last hole, marking the fourth time in five seasons he opened with a 65 or better.
Scheffler commented, "Outside of the first hole, I wasn't really battling for par very much. That's always good around this place. Every time you miss a fairway out here, you're going to be struggling for par. Gave myself some opportunities and was able to make a couple birdies there at the end." McIlroy’s round began poorly, as he failed to get up and down from a bunker on the first hole and then made a bogey on the fourth after a missed eight‑foot putt.
He did manage a birdie on the sixth but missed a four‑foot birdie chance on the ninth. The world No. 2 then bounced back with two birdies in three holes on the back nine, salvaging a bogey on the 14th and promptly holing a six‑foot birdie on the subsequent par‑three.
He added another birdie on the 17th, but his score left only five players below him on the leaderboard heading into the second round. The Tour Championship continues to shape the FedExCup race, with each player vying for the coveted title. Fans can follow all four rounds live on Sky Sports, with coverage beginning Friday at 6 p.m. on Sky Sports Golf.
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