Min Woo Lee Takes Tour Championship Lead With Opening 62

Min Woo Lee opened the Tour Championship with a bogey-free 62 on Thursday, taking a two-shot lead at East Lake in Atlanta. The Australian reached eight under in the PGA Tour's season-ending event, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood began with a 66 to remain four strokes behind.

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BBC Sport reported that Lee's round matched the best score of his PGA Tour career. He arrived in Atlanta after winning the Scottish Open in July, but had finished second from last at the BMW Championship a week earlier. His first round at East Lake contained no dropped shots and established the early target for the 30-player event.

Lee played most of the round without a partner after JJ Spaun withdrew because of injury following four holes. Lee said the unusual situation required him to manage his pace because he repeatedly caught the group ahead and then had to wait. He nevertheless completed the round at eight under and kept a clean card.

Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup formed the nearest group at six under. Hovland previously won the Tour Championship in 2023. Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, closed with a birdie at the 18th to join Ryan Gerard, Akshay Bhatia and Ludvig Aberg on five under.

Fleetwood, who earned his first PGA Tour victory at this tournament in 2025, shared nine-under-par ninth place after the opening day with Matt Fitzpatrick and Ryan Fox. Fitzpatrick also birdied the final hole. Robert MacIntyre finished at three under, highlighted by an eagle putt of more than 30 feet on the sixth.

Rory McIlroy's pursuit of a fourth FedEx Cup began with a 68. The Northern Irishman bogeyed two of his first four holes before improving on the back nine to finish two under, alongside Justin Rose and Alex Fitzpatrick. None of the 29 players who completed the opening round finished over par. The tournament concludes Sunday, when the winner will collect the FedEx Cup and a $10 million prize.