Min Woo Lee Opens Tour Championship with Bogey-Free 62
Source: WPLG Local 10 News Sports. Casualplayhub News adds summary, context, and editorial framing while linking back to the original report.
Min Woo Lee arrived at the Tour Championship as a first-timer, but he played like a seasoned veteran in Thursday’s opening round. Under gray skies and on greens softened by an early morning rain, the Australian’s game was as smooth as the putting surfaces. He carded a bogey-free 8-under 62, matching his career-best score on the PGA Tour, and seized a two-shot lead over Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, and Chris Gotterup.
Lee’s path to East Lake was paved by two runner-up finishes this season—at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Scottish Open. Those results locked him into the elite 30-man field vying for the FedEx Cup, a $10 million prize, and a five-year PGA Tour exemption. Yet the 26-year-old admitted he had not 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.”
That frustration vanished in the opening round. Lee rarely faced pressure to save par, rolling in four of his eight birdies from outside 10 feet. He credited a subtle equipment tweak for the turnaround. After his coach noticed he was swinging faster than usual, Lee switched to a slightly heavier shaft in his irons. The change helped him slow down, and the results were immediate. He capped his round with a birdie on the par-5 18th, matching the 62 he shot at the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West earlier this year—though that came at the low-scoring American Express. This one felt different. “This one might have been easier given the conditions,” Lee noted, referring to the rain that softened the greens and made the course play to an average of 66.7.
No player in the field finished over par, a testament to the receptive conditions. Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader, opened with a 65. He started his day by holing a 6-foot par putt and never flirted with another bogey. More impressively, he is nearly recovered from hand, foot and mouth disease, which he picked up last week and gave him blisters on his feet, hands, and throat. His hands are fine now, though a few blisters remain in his throat. “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, recalling a conversation with Matt Fitzpatrick. “I was like, ‘No, man, I just couldn’t speak.’”
Scheffler’s No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup comes with a $23 million bonus from last week, but under the current format, the Tour Championship winner is crowned FedEx Cup champion regardless of starting position. That means any of the 30 players can claim the title. Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood opened with a 66, having won the event last year without a prior victory in the season. Lee is in a similar boat this year—he is winless in 2024—and only one other player among the eight who shot 65 or better, Ludvig Aberg, has yet to win this season.
Meanwhile, the field lost one competitor when J.J. Spaun, the 2025 U.S. Open champion, withdrew after five holes due to a shoulder injury. Spaun said he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder blade on Tuesday and spent two days trying to manage it. “Today it felt a lot better, like mobility-wise,” he explained. “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, making his first Tour Championship appearance since 2019, joined Adam Scott and British Open champion Ryan Fox at 68. Rory McIlroy, the only three-time FedEx Cup champion, also opened with a 68. Russell Henley, who grew up just over an hour south in Macon, Georgia, grinded out 18 pars for a 70.
Lee’s 62 set the pace, but with three rounds to go and the FedEx Cup title on the line, the leaderboard remains tightly packed. The Australian’s biggest challenge may be sustaining the joy he rediscovered on Thursday.
Article commentary
Min Woo Lee’s bogey-free 62 in his Tour Championship debut is a remarkable story, but it raises deeper questions about the nature of the FedEx Cup format and the psychology of a player who has struggled to enjoy his game despite a successful season. Lee’s candid admission that the past two weeks were the “saddest” he has felt on the golf course reveals a tension between professional success and personal fulfillment. His turnaround—driven by a simple equipment change—underscores how small adjustments can unlock a player’s potential, especially when confidence wanes. The round itself was a testament to the forgiving conditions at East Lake. The early morning rain softened the greens, allowing the entire field of 29 players to finish at even par or better. The course average of 66.7 suggests that scoring conditions were ripe, yet Lee’s 62 still stood out as a masterclass in control. He made birdies from long range and avoided the kind of stress that often derails first-timers in a season finale. This performance, however, must be viewed in context: Lee has yet to win on the PGA Tour this year, and his two runner-up finishes, while impressive, highlight a pattern of falling just short. The FedEx Cup format, which awards the championship to the Tour Championship winner regardless of regular-season points, gives him a golden opportunity to break that trend. Scottie Scheffler’s 65, despite his recent illness, reinforces his status as the game’s most consistent force. That he could shoot a bogey-free round while still recovering from hand, foot and mouth disease is a testament to his resilience. His comment about not being able to speak to playing partners adds a human touch to a player who often seems robotic in his excellence. Yet the format means Scheffler’s No. 1 seed offers no advantage at East Lake; he must win the tournament to claim the FedEx Cup, just like everyone else. This quirk has been criticized for diminishing the value of the regular season, but it also creates drama—as demonstrated by Tommy Fleetwood’s victory last year without a prior win in 2023. The withdrawal of J.J. Spaun is a reminder of the physical toll the sport can take. The 2025 U.S. Open champion’s shoulder injury, described as a sharp pain that worsened with torque, forced him out after just five holes. His decision to prioritize long-term health over short-term competition is commendable, but it also highlights the fine line between pushing through pain and risking further damage. For the remaining 29 players, the tournament is now a sprint to Sunday, with the $10 million prize and five-year exemption on the line. Lee’s leadership is intriguing, but history suggests that a first-round lead at East Lake does not guarantee success. The course’s difficulty often increases as the week progresses, and players who rely on soft conditions may struggle if the greens firm up. Lee’s mental state will be tested as he tries to fend off big names like Morikawa, Hovland, and Scheffler. If he can maintain the joy he rediscovered on Thursday, he might just become the latest golfer to turn a season of near-misses into a defining victory.