Min Woo Lee Leads First Round at Tour Championship
Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood began his quest to retain the title with a solid four-under-par 66, placing him four strokes behind first-round leader Min Woo Lee at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Lee, who claimed victory at last month’s Scottish Open, posted an impressive bogey-free score of 62, marking his record low for a round in the PGA Tour’s season-ending event held at East Lake. The Australian golfer’s performance establishes him firmly at the top of the leaderboard with a score of eight under par.
Following closely, Norway’s Viktor Hovland, the 2023 champion, and American players Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup are tied two strokes off the pace at six under.
Lee faced unique challenges during his round, as he played most of the day without a partner due to JJ Spaun’s withdrawal after just four holes because of injury. Reflecting on the experience, Lee noted, “It was a little strange at first, just like looking for a playing partner and you’re just there by yourself.” He added, “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.”
In other notable performances, world number one Scottie Scheffler finished at five under after ending his round with a birdie on the 18th hole, while England’s Matt Fitzpatrick joined the mix at four under after also making a birdie on the last hole.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre delivered a highlight reel moment with a 30-foot eagle putt on the sixth hole, finishing his round at three under par. Both Justin Rose and Alex Fitzpatrick recorded rounds of 68, contributing to a day where none of the 29 competitors went over par.
The victor of the Tour Championship on Sunday will earn the prestigious FedEx Cup and a substantial prize of $10 million (£7.4 million).
Tour Championship – first round
-8 MW Lee (Aus); -6 V Hovland (Nor), C Morikawa (US), C Gotterup (US); -5 R Gerard (US), A Bhatia (US), L Aberg (Swe), S Scheffler (US)
Selected others: -4 T Fleetwood (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), R Fox (NZ); -3 R MacIntyre (Sco), W Clark (US); -2 J Rose (Eng), A Fitzpatrick (Eng), R McIlroy (NI)
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Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood shot a four-under 66 to put himself in contention, four strokes off first-round leader Min Woo Lee at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
However, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy endured a mixed start in his bid to win a record-extending fourth Fedex Cup, bogeying two of the first four holes before fighting back on the back nine to sign for a 68.
Lee, who won last month’s Scottish Open, carded a bogey-free 62 to set the pace at eight under as he equalled his best ever round on the PGA Tour in its season-ending event at East Lake.
Australia’s Lee is two strokes clear of Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who triumphed in 2023, and American duo Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup.
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It was a fine display from Lee, who was second from last in the BMW Championship a week ago and found himself without a partner for most of the day, with JJ Spaun withdrawing through injury after four holes.
“It was a little strange at first, just like looking for a playing partner and you’re just there by yourself,” said Lee.
“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.”
Ominously, world number one Scottie Scheffler ended his round with a birdie on the 18th to sit at five under, with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick in the mix at four under after also making a birdie four on the concluding hole.
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Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre is at three under, with the highlight of his day arriving on the sixth hole when he rolled in a putt from over 30 feet for an eagle.
England’s Justin Rose and Alex Fitzpatrick both signed for rounds of 68 on a day when none of the 29 players in the field to complete the round went over par.
The winner on Sunday will take home the Fedex Cup and a $10m (£7.4m) prize.
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