Min Woo Lee shoots 8-under 62 to lead Tour Championship in debut

Min Woo Lee shot an 8-under 62 in his Tour Championship debut Friday to take a two-stroke lead at the FedEx Cup Playoffs finale, which carries a $40 million purse.

Playing at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia (par 70, 7,440 yards), Lee carded eight birdies against no bogeys to finish two strokes clear of a group tied for second: Viktor Hovland of Norway and Americans Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup. The winner's share of the $40 million purse is $10 million.

Making his first Tour Championship appearance, Lee studied the course through YouTube videos ahead of the event. Despite the unfamiliar layout, he displayed commanding ball-striking and sharp putting from the opening round, raising expectations for a potential title run.

Lee's round was not without adversity — his playing partner, J.J. Spaun of the United States, withdrew at the fifth hole with a right shoulder injury, leaving Lee to play the remainder of the round alone. He never wavered.

Lee made consecutive birdies at Nos. 4 and 5, then added back-to-back birdies at Nos. 8 and 9 to reach 4-under through the front nine despite playing solo. On the back nine, he birdied Nos. 12 and 13 consecutively, then picked up two more at Nos. 16 and 18 to finish four further under par. The 62 matched his personal best for 18 holes.

Lee had switched his driver shaft just before the tournament, and the change paid off: he averaged 315.90 yards off the tee and hit 78.57 percent of fairways. He missed only two greens in regulation and saved par on both. When he did find the green, he averaged just 1.56 putts.

"My team was hesitant about changing the driver shaft, but after practicing with it the results were good," Lee said after his round. "Throughout the first round I was able to hit the shots I wanted, which was great."

He added that playing alone after Spaun's withdrawal took some adjustment. "It was a bit awkward at first. It was important to keep my pace and not rush. But trying not to rush and sticking to my routine on every shot actually led to a good result."

Former FedEx Cup champions Hovland and Morikawa both shot 6-under 64 to share second place.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States carded five birdies and no bogeys for a 5-under 65, joining Ludvig Aberg of Sweden and Americans Akshay Bhatia and Ryan Gerard in a tie for fifth.

Kim Ju-hyung posted a 3-under 67 — four birdies, one bogey — to share 15th place with Americans Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele. Kim Si-woo shot a 1-under 69, with three birdies and two bogeys, to sit tied for 25th alongside Japan's Hideki Matsuyama.