Russell Henley rode a red-hot putter to a nine-under-par 61 and a two-shot lead over world No 1 Scottie Scheffler in the opening round of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship.
The American, ranked fourth in the world, closed with three straight birdies at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta to separate himself from a star-studded field chasing the $10-million first prize.
Henley, who lifted his fifth PGA Tour title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, holed more than 200 feet of putts on Thursday, including bombs of 42 and 34 feet on 16 and 17.
“I putted as good as I can putt,” Henley said. “I felt clear on my reads, and it just felt a lot freer today.”
Scheffler, the two-time Major winner and FedEx Cup favourite, kept pace with a bogey-free 63. He started fast with birdies at 2 and 3, then rolled in long putts at 10 and 17 before closing with back-to-back birdies to secure solo second.
“I hit some fairways and holed some nice putts,” said Scheffler, who has now won five times in his last 10 starts.
Five players share third on six under, including Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre. Thomas had led at seven under with three to play before a costly double-bogey at 16.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy signed for a four-under 66, highlighted by a 30-foot eagle at the 6th and a remarkable birdie at 18, where his bunker shot flew long, struck the grandstand and ricocheted back onto the green, leaving him 17 feet for birdie.
This year’s finale sees all 30 players start level on even par after the PGA Tour scrapped the controversial “starting strokes” system.
The champion after 72 holes will claim both the tournament title and the FedEx Cup.
<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"> </span>
Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Article Link: Henley’s hot putter fires him into Tour Championship lead