Min Woo Lee makes Tour Championship
debut by matching his career best with 62
[August 28, 2026]
By DOUG FERGUSON
ATLANTA (AP) — Min Woo Lee made his first trip to the Tour
Championship a memorable one, playing bogey-free on a rain-softened
East Lake for an 8-under 62 that matched his career low on the PGA
Tour and gave him a two-shot lead Thursday.
A pair of runner-up finishes this year, at Pebble Beach and the
Scottish Open, made Lee a lock to be among the top 30 players who
get a shot at the FedEx Cup, the $10 million prize and a five-year
exemption on the PGA Tour. He just hasn't felt like a top-30 player
in recent weeks.
“Very average two weeks the last two weeks. It was probably the
saddest I’ve been on the golf course, which is not good,” Lee said.
“We’re really lucky to be out here and play some good golf to get
into the playoffs. It just felt so hard.”
There was no such feeling in the opening round of the final event of
the FedEx Cup season. He rarely was under stress to make par, made
four of his eight birdies from outside 10 feet and wound up with a
lead over Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup.
Scottie Scheffler started his day with a 6-foot par putt and never
came close to another bogey in his round of 65. He also was nearly
recovered from the hand, foot and mouth disease he picked up last
week that gave him blisters on his feet, hands and throat. The hands
were the biggest problem. Those are fine. There's still a few in his
throat, and he sounded much better than a week ago.
The greatest testament came from Matt Fitzpatrick, who also played
with him in the opening round at Bellerive last week.
“I played with him last week and he said, ‘Man, I thought I pissed
you off or something. You didn't talk to me for two days,'”
Scheffler said. “I was like, ‘No, man, I just couldn’t speak.'”
Scheffler is No. 1 in the FedEx Cup — he picked up a $23 million
bonus last week — but that doesn't matter at East Lake. Under the
current format, any of the 30 players who win the Tour Championship
are deemed the FedEx Cup champion.
Tommy Fleetwood, who opened with a 66 in his title defense, was the
FedEx Cup champion despite not winning all year until the Tour
Championship. Lee is in the same situation this year. Only one other
— Ludvig Aberg — from the eight players at 65 or better has yet to
win this year.
The immediate payoff for Lee was changing to a slightly heavier
shaft in his irons after his coach felt he was swinging faster than
usual. The shaft helped to slow it down, and it worked.
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Viktor Hovland reads his putt on the second hole during the first
round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Thursday, Aug. 27,
2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
He birdied the par-5 18th for a 62, matching the
score he shot at the Nicklaus Tournament course at PGA West to start
the year. That was the California desert at The American Express, a
tournament known for its low scoring. This one might have been
easier given the conditions.
Rain about an hour before the first tee time made the greens softer,
and it showed in the scoring. All 29 players in the field were at
even par or better, and the course played to 66.7
Missing from the field was 2025 U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, who
withdrew after five holes because of a shoulder injury.
Spaun said he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder blade on
Tuesday and he spent two days trying to manage it.
“Today it felt a lot better, like mobility-wise,” he said. “But I
think with the torque and the amount of force in a golf swing, it
just doesn’t feel very comfortable. I’m nowhere in my game
health-wise to be able to compete at the highest level.”
BMW Championship winner Wyndham Clark birdied two of his last three
holes to salvage a 67.
Gary Woodland, back at the Tour Championship for the first time
since 2019, Adam Scott and British Open champion Ryan Fox were among
those joining the group of players at 68. Rory McIlroy, the only
three-time FedEx Cup champion, opened with a 68.
Russell Henley, who grew up just over an hour south in Macon, had 18
pars in his round of 70.
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