FedEx Cup: Collin Morikawa leads Tour Championship after incredible 61
- Planet Sport writer
- 25 August 2023
Starting the day nine strokes behind the leader, Collin Morikawa played brilliant golf to card a 61 and grab a share of the lead with Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland at East Lake.
Collin Morikawa took a giant step towards claiming golf's most lucrative prize at the season-ending Tour Championship on Thursday.
As one of the lowest-ranked qualifiers in the 30-player field, Morikawa started the tournament on one-under-par but his round of 61 gave him a share of the lead.
"It was probably on the good end of old Collin Morikawa-type golf," he said.
"It's just nice to know you have that control."
Bradley, who started on three-under, shot 63 and Hovland recorded 68 from eight-under to secure a three-way tie at the top.
"You feel like you're kind of getting chased from the get-go," said Hovland, whose win at the BMW Championship last week saw him start in second place.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who started with the biggest handicap of ten-under, double-bogeyed the par-three 15th in a one-over round of 71, but he remains in contention one stroke off the lead.
"It is a bit weird starting a tournament with the lead," said Scheffler, the first player to arrive at East Lake as the FedExCup leader in consecutive years.
"It's a little bit of a blessing to have a pretty bad day and still be in the tournament."
Nor was it a good day for Rory McIlroy, whose even-par 70 leaves him tied for seventh place on seven-under, two strokes off the lead, along with fellow Briton Matt Fitzpatrick, who out-scored McIlroy by three shots, and Jon Rahm.
McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the FedEx Cup after overturning a six-shot deficit in the final round of the same tournament last year.
Tyrell Hatton, one of five players to start on evens, worked his way up to a tie for 10th place with a six-under 64, but Tommy Fleetwood laboured to a one-over 71 to finish tied for 22nd place on two-under.