Min Woo Lee shot a bogey-free 62 in the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, setting the pace at eight under par in the FedEx Cup season finale. It matched his best ever round on the PGA Tour.
The score was especially striking given Lee spent most of his round without a playing partner. J.J. Spaun withdrew due to a shoulder injury after just four holes, leaving Lee largely alone on the course for the remainder of the day. "It was a little strange at first, just like looking for a playing partner and you're just there by yourself," Lee said. "It was more just maintaining speeds and not rushing because I would just catch the group in front and wait. So I had to just slow down a little bit. It worked out."
Lee, who won last month's Scottish Open, came into the week ranked second from last at the BMW Championship. He now holds a two-stroke lead over a group that includes Norway's Viktor Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion, along with Americans Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup, all sitting at six under, according to BBC Sport.
Five players are grouped at five under, including world number one Scottie Scheffler, who closed his round with a birdie on the 18th hole. Scheffler fired a 65 alongside Sweden's Ludvig Åberg, who matched him shot for shot. Ryan Gerard and Akshay Bhatia are also in that group.
Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood shot a four-under 66 to sit four strokes off the lead. England's Matt Fitzpatrick also carded a 66, closing with a birdie on 18. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre is three under after making an eagle on the sixth hole from more than 30 feet.
Rory McIlroy had a difficult start, bogeying two of his first four holes, but fought back on the back nine to sign for a 68. McIlroy is chasing a record-extending fourth FedEx Cup title. Ryan Fox, the Champion Golfer of the Year, and Adam Scott both shot 66 and are paired together for Round 2, teeing off at 1:12 p.m. Eastern.
Lee tees off at 2 p.m. Eastern on Friday alongside Hovland, with Cameron Young, who occupies last place in the field, going off first at 11 a.m. The winner on Sunday will take home the FedEx Cup trophy and a $10 million prize. With 54 holes remaining, the leaderboard is crowded enough that the tournament is wide open heading into the weekend.
