Min Woo Lee surged ahead early in the season‑closing Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, while Rory McIlroy’s opening round was a mixture of highs and lows in his quest for FedExCup supremacy. Lee delivered an immaculate, bogey‑free 62 at East Lake Golf Club, tallying eight birdies on a course that was playing soft under preferred‑lies conditions after an overnight rain. Remarkably, every one of the 29 competitors who completed the round finished under par, underscoring how favorable the scoring conditions were.
The 28‑year‑old Australian now enjoys a two‑stroke lead over a trio of contenders—Chris Gotterup, Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa. World No.
1 Scottie Scheffler, who finished his first round with a 65, closed with a pair of birdies to pull within three shots of the lead. Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia and Ryan Gerard also sit five under par, sharing the same score as Scheffler, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood trails by another stroke in a group that includes fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick and Open champion Ryan Fox.
Wyndham Clark, the recent BMW Championship victor, is five strokes back after posting a three‑under 67. McIlroy, meanwhile, finds himself tied for 20th after a roller‑coaster 68 that featured five birdies but also three costly bogeys. Lee’s round was largely uninterrupted after his playing partner, JJ Spaun, withdrew on the sixth hole because of a shoulder injury. The Australian capitalised on the solo opportunity, stringing together consecutive birdies on holes four and five, and then again on the eighth and ninth, finishing the front nine without a single bogey.
He later added a pair of birdies on the 12th and 16th, extending his lead to two strokes when Hovland, who had been matching Lee’s pace, stumbled with a three‑putt bogey from 25 feet on the 17th. Hovland responded dramatically, salvaging a birdie from a greenside bunker on the final par‑five to set a clubhouse target of six under. Lee answered with another birdie on the last hole, restoring his two‑stroke cushion and matching the lowest round of his PGA Tour career.
Reflecting on his solitary round, Lee said, "It felt a bit odd at first, like I was looking for a partner and ended up playing alone. I focused on keeping my swing speed steady and not rushing. I had to dial back a little, and it paid off." Collin Morikawa recovered from an opening‑hole bogey to fire seven birdies, pulling level with Hovland, while Gotterup birdied three of his final five holes to create a three‑way tie for second place. Åberg capped his round with three consecutive birdies, joining Bhatia and Gerard at five under.
Scheffler, completing the fifth‑place quartet, holed a 10‑foot birdie on the 18th, marking the fourth time in five seasons he’s posted a 65 or better. Scheffler explained his approach: "Except for the first hole, I wasn’t really fighting for par. That’s a good sign on a course like this. Miss a fairway here and you’ll struggle to make par.
I created a few chances and managed to finish with a couple of birdies at the end." McIlroy’s round was a study in contrast. He briefly sank to 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‑footer to save par. He bounced back with a birdie on the sixth, missed a short birdie chance on the ninth, but then posted two birdies in three holes to start his back nine. After a clumsy bogey on the 14th, he recovered with a six‑foot birdie on the next par‑three and added another on the 17th, finishing the day with only five players ahead of him.
The tournament continues to shape the FedExCup race, with each round offering fresh opportunities for the leaders and chasers alike. Fans can follow all four rounds live on Sky Sports, with additional streaming options available through NOW without a contract.
Golf enthusiasts are also encouraged to explore booking deals at over 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland, ensuring that the excitement of the Tour Championship extends beyond the broadcast and onto local fairways.