“Scottie Scheffler Inches Closer to a Historic $25 Million FedEx Cup Payday with a Dominant Start!”

ATLANTA (AP) – Scottie Scheffler began the Tour Championship with a two-shot lead due to his stellar season, and he continued to impress on Thursday, firing a 6-under 65 to extend his advantage to seven shots, putting him in a commanding position for the FedEx Cup title.

 

Scheffler, who secured five birdies in his last seven holes at East Lake Golf Club, finished his round with a birdie from the bunker on the par-5 18th hole, sinking an 8-foot putt. This performance earned him a spot in the PGA Tour record books, with an asterisk, as no one has ever led by seven shots after 18 holes since records began.

 

The asterisk comes into play because Scheffler was only one stroke better than Collin Morikawa and four others who shot 66. This is the sixth year of the “starting strokes” format at the FedEx Cup finale. Scheffler, the No. 1 seed, started the tournament at 10-under par, two shots ahead of No. 2 seed Xander Schauffele.

 

Despite leading the tournament for the third consecutive year, Scheffler has yet to win the FedEx Cup and its $25 million bonus. However, he wasn’t overly focused on his lead.

 

“I wasn’t thinking about the lead out there today. It’s just the first day of the tournament. It’s 72 holes, and there’s a long way to go,” Scheffler said. “I was just focused on staying in my own world and executing.”

 

Scheffler was reminded early that a two-shot lead can disappear quickly. Schauffele erased the lead on the first hole with an 8-foot birdie, while Scheffler bogeyed after being forced to play short of the green from behind a tree.

 

At the turn, Scheffler was one shot ahead, but he pulled away on the back nine. Schauffele missed crucial birdie and par opportunities on holes 10 and 11, while Scheffler birdied the next three holes. Schauffele struggled to find fairways, making it difficult to create birdie chances.

 

“Overall, it was kind of a ‘meh’ day. I wasn’t proud or disgusted by it,” Schauffele said, adding that Scheffler’s accuracy off the tee gave him a significant advantage.

 

Scheffler, ranked No. 1 in the world, was nearly flawless, missing only two greens and putting for birdie or better on his last 14 holes. With the head start, he finished the day at 16-under par.

 

Despite his strong performance, Scheffler knows the race for the $25 million bonus is far from over. Last year, he led by five shots after the first round but ultimately lost to Rory McIlroy after holding a six-shot lead going into the final round.

 

Collin Morikawa, who has a history of great starts, shot a 66 and will join Scheffler in the final group on Friday. Morikawa and Schauffele are tied at 9-under par, while a group of players, including Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama, and Keegan Bradley, are one shot behind.

 

The revamped East Lake course, with its heavily contoured greens and closely mown areas, proved challenging, with only one player, Billy Horschel, finishing over par at 73.

 

Although Schauffele extended his streak of subpar rounds at East Lake to 26 out of 29, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Scheffler.