Atlanta (USA), Aug 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Akshay Bhatia put himself in the early mix for honours at the Tour Championship with a composed five-under 65, while Australian Min Woo Lee stole the show with a stunning course-record-equalling 62 in the opening round here.
Bhatia, the only Indian-origin golfer in the 30-player field, was tied fifth at the end of the day alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler, just three shots behind Lee at the top of the leaderboard.
The 24-year-old Indian-American, backed by Hero, made the most of the soft conditions at East Lake Golf Club, producing seven birdies in an eventful round that also contained two bogeys.
Starting from the first tee, Bhatia got his birdie count moving on the fifth hole and followed it with another on the sixth. He again put together consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th before finishing strongly with birdies on the 16th and 17th.
His only blemishes came with one bogey on each nine, but he otherwise maintained his composure to sign for a 65 and remain firmly within striking distance.
Bhatia arrived at East Lake in 15th position in the FedExCup standings after a tied-12th finish at the BMW Championship last week. He maintained his place among the top 30 players who qualified for the season finale.
He will now have three more rounds to make a serious push up the leaderboard in a tournament where the winner is crowned FedExCup champion.
Lee, playing the TOUR Championship for the first time, made an emphatic statement with his eight-under 62. The Australian was flawless throughout, making eight birdies without a bogey and opening up a two-shot advantage.
His score matched the lowest round of his PGA TOUR career, first achieved at The American Express earlier this season.
Lee's round was particularly impressive given that he had arrived at East Lake after admitting he had been low on confidence following two below-par weeks. There was little sign of that struggle on Thursday as he repeatedly converted opportunities on the softened greens.
He made four of his eight birdies from beyond 10 feet and finished his spectacular round with a birdie on the par-five 18th.
Lee, ranked 21st in the FedExCup entering the week, has enjoyed a consistent season with four top-10 finishes from 19 starts. His best results were runner-up finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Scottish Open.
Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup were tied second on six-under 64.
Hovland, the 2023 FedExCup winner, produced an exceptional putting display, holing putts of more than 141 feet. Morikawa also enjoyed a strong day on the greens, while Gotterup remained bogey-free.
Scheffler, seeking another FedExCup title, matched Bhatia's 65 without dropping a shot. The world number one had been affected by hand, foot and mouth disease last week, but appeared much closer to full fitness in Atlanta.
Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood opened with a 66, while BMW Championship winner Wyndham Clark carded a 67 after making two birdies over his final three holes.
Rory McIlroy, the only three-time FedExCup champion, began his bid for a fourth title with a 68.
The scoring was unusually low after rain softened East Lake shortly before play began. All 29 players who completed the opening round were at even par or better.
The field lost 2025 US Open champion J.J. Spaun, who withdrew after five holes because of a shoulder injury.
Source: IANS
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