Australian golfer Min Woo Lee fired an eight-under-par 62 to take a two-shot lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 28-year-old carded eight birdies in a bogey-free round to equal the lowest 18-hole score of his PGA Tour career.
Lee holds a two-stroke advantage over Norway's Viktor Hovland, American Collin Morikawa, and fellow countryman Chris Gotterup, who all opened with six-under-par rounds of 64.
World number one Scottie Scheffler sits three shots off the pace on five under after a late birdie spree, while defending champion Tommy Fleetwood leads the chasing pack further back.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy experienced a mixed start in his bid for a fourth FedExCup title, mixing five birdies with three bogeys to finish six strokes behind the leader in a tie for 20th place.
Solo round at East Lake
Lee began his round with back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes before playing the remaining 12 holes alone. His playing partner, J.J. Spaun, was forced to withdraw on the sixth hole because of a shoulder injury.
The lone player kept his momentum, holing a 20-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole and adding another shot on the ninth to complete a bogey-free front nine of 31.
Speaking about the unusual situation of playing by himself, Lee admitted: "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. I had to just slow down a little bit, but it worked out."
Lee continued his push on the back nine, picking up consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes. He added another birdie from short range on the 16th hole to open up a two-shot lead over the field.
After Hovland made a birdie on the final hole to momentarily close the gap, Lee matched the birdie on the 18th hole to restore his two-stroke margin at the top of the leaderboard.
Lee, who joined the PGA Tour after established success on the European tour, is seeking his maiden victory in the FedExCup playoffs. The Tour Championship serves as the culmination of the PGA Tour season, where the top players compete for the overall playoff crown.
Chasing group at six under
Viktor Hovland set the early clubhouse target at six under par after recovering from his only mistake of the day on the penultimate hole.
The Norwegian, who won the FedExCup title in 2023, was blemish-free until a three-putt bogey from 25 feet on the 17th hole dropped him to five under.
Hovland responded immediately on the par-five 18th hole, producing a clean get-up-and-down from a greenside bunker to birdie the last and card a 64.
Collin Morikawa joined Hovland on six under after bouncing back from a bogey on the opening hole. The two-time major champion registered seven birdies across his remaining 17 holes.
Chris Gotterup made it a three-way tie for second place by finishing strongly, picking up birdies on three of his final five holes to complete his round of 64.
Scheffler and contenders in pursuit
Scottie Scheffler stayed within striking distance of the lead by closing with consecutive birdies to record a five-under-par 65.
The world number one holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to join a four-way tie for fifth place. Scheffler has now opened the Tour Championship with a score of 65 or lower in four of the last five seasons.
Reflecting on his opening day performance, Scheffler said: "Outside of the first hole, I wasn't really battling for par very much." He noted: "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."
Scheffler, who is aiming to win the FedExCup for the second time in three years, shares fifth position with Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia, and Ryan Gerard. Aberg finished his round with three straight birdies to reach five under.
Defending Tour Championship winner Tommy Fleetwood opened with a four-under 66. He sits four shots off the lead alongside fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick and Open Championship winner Ryan Fox of New Zealand.
Wyndham Clark, who won the BMW Championship last week, posted a three-under 67 to remain five strokes behind Lee.
McIlroy struggles in opening round
Rory McIlroy endured a frustrating opening day at East Lake as he began his campaign for a record-extending fourth FedExCup trophy.
The world number two, who is seeking his first worldwide victory since winning The Masters, briefly sat at the bottom of the leaderboard after failing to get up and down from a bunker for par at the first hole.
McIlroy scrambled another bogey at the fourth hole after holing an eight-foot putt, but recovered with a birdie at the sixth hole. He then missed a four-foot birdie opportunity on the ninth hole to turn in one over par.
A surge early on the back nine brought two birdies in three holes, but a clumsy bogey on the 14th hole stalled his progress. He answered with a six-foot birdie at the par-three 15th hole and added another birdie on the 17th hole to finish with a two-under 68.
McIlroy ends the opening round tied for 20th place in the 30-man field, with only five players below him on the leaderboard heading into Friday.
Tournament conditions and coverage
Scoring conditions at East Lake Golf Club were favourable following heavy overnight rain, which prompted officials to allow preferred lies on fairways.
All 29 players who completed their opening rounds broke par on the soft Atlanta course. Preferred lies allow golfers to lift, clean, and place their ball within a specified distance when playing from closely mown areas.
The Tour Championship continues on Friday with live television coverage broadcasting exclusively on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm UK time.
