Tiger Woods is in a familiar old place, but can he finish there?
The 42-year-old Woods, continuing to play well even though he hasn’t won in his return after four back surgeries, shot 5-under-par 65 and is tied for the lead with Rickie Fowler after one round in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club (https://www.eastlakegolfclub.com/) in Atlanta.
“It would just enhance the year (to win),” said Woods, who sank a 28-foot eagle putt on the last hole. “To be able to play golf again and to earn my way back to this level is something that I was hoping I would do at the beginning of the year, but I didn’t know. And I’ve done it.
“It’s hard to get the ball close (at East Lake). There’s so much chase in it. If you drive the ball in the rough, you know you can’t get the ball close. The Bermuda rough, you just can’t control it. It puts a premium on driving and puts a premium on allowing for a little bit of chase on some of these greens. When I had some good looks, I went right after it, and otherwise I played pretty conservatively.
“ … That was a good one on (No. 18).”
Woods, the only two-time winner of the FedEx Cup who won at East Lake on 2007, three-putted for bogey on the first hole, but played near-flawless golf the rest of the way, making two birdies on each nine.
The ninth-ranked Fowler, from Murrieta, made his only bogey at No. 7 and had three birdies on each nine in his own 65.
World No. 1 Justin Rose of England, second in the FedEx Cup standings and one of five players guaranteed to take the prize with a victory this week, birdied the last two holes for a 66 and is tied for third with Gary Woodland, who sank a 40-foot eagle putt on the sixth hole and also closed with two straight birdies.
Fourth-ranked Justin Thomas, fifth in the standings and the defending champion, made bogeys on the first two holes but rallied with four birdies on the back nine to card a 67 and is tied for fifth with fifth-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who was derailed by a double bogey-6 at No. 12, and Tony Finau, third in the standings, who had four birdies on the front nine and another at No. 18.
Seventh-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain shot 68 and is tied for eighth with Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State, Jason Day of Australia and Paul Casey of England.
Second-ranked Brooks Koepka posted a 69 and is in a tie for 12th that includes third-ranked Dustin Johnson, fourth in the standings, while sixth-ranked Francesco Molinari is tied for 17th at 70.
Eighth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau, the FedEx Cup points leader, is tied for 21st at 71, and Phil Mickelson, who won at East Lake on 2000 and 2009, is tied for 28th and last in the 30-man field at 73.
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