TOUR Championship 2018: Biggest moves from round one
The TOUR Championship got off to a hot start on Thursday at East Lake. Who made the biggest moves, and who came up a little short with the FedEx Cup on the line?
The TOUR Championship doesn’t always get the love it deserves. It’s not a major, and its place in the now year-round calendar doesn’t carry the finality it once did. Throw in the fact that it is always followed closely by the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup – not to mention Olympic competition in at least 2020 and 2024 – and you’ve got a plethora of big-time events that can make the PGA TOUR’s #PlayoffFinale seem…well, less than major.
Of course, that doesn’t stop the 30 players who fight all year to qualify from giving us a show on the course each year, and so far this time is no exception.
This year will be the last where the points reset as we know it will be used. The top five players heading into the TOUR Championship are all guaranteed to win the FedEx Cup if they win at East Lake, but that’s still easier said than done.
New World No. 1 Justin Rose is off to the best start of all the players that control their own destiny. An opening-round 66 (-4) left him one off the pace of co-leaders Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler. If the tournament were to end right now, he’d bring home the FedEx Cup and the $10 million bonus. Of course, it doesn’t, so there’s still work to do.
Speaking of work to do, the rest of the top five entering the TOUR Championship find themselves looking up to varying degrees heading into Friday. Bryson DeChambeau, winner of The Northern Trust and the Dell Technologies Championship, shot 1-over 71 on Thursday to fall into a tie for 21st place. While the rookie Ryder Cup member still has a great shot at the season title, the rest of the top five (all of whom will join him in Paris) are looking to close that door in a hurry.
No. 3 Tony Finau and No. 5 Justin Thomas shot matching rounds of 67 to tie for fifth place. No. 4 Dustin Johnson was in serious trouble early, making the turn at +3. A pair of late birdies on the 15th and 17th got him close, and he closed out with an eagle on the gettable par-5 18th to get into red numbers for the first time. Johnson is tied for 12th, four shots off the lead.
Speaking of East Lake’s new closing hole, it’s safe to say that decision is paying off early. The idea of flipping the nines was intended to give players shots at birdies and eagles late on Sunday, but they didn’t wait to light it up. Of the top 11 players Thursday, seven made birdie or better on the last hole. Overall, half the field (15 of 30) broke par on the 590-yard closer.
Chief among them, of course, was Tiger Woods. his 28-footer for eagle ignited roars from the crowd – and an old-school Tiger fist pump – like we’ve hardly seen in years. For so many of us who have hoped for Woods to show us he’s truly “back” (whatever that may mean anymore), it was an incredible moment.
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That putt sent Tiger into a tie atop the leaderboard with Rickie Fowler at 5-under-par. Fowler, who birdied 18 earlier, made his return from an oblique injury as though he hadn’t missed a day. The co-leaders now sit second (Woods) and third (Fowler) in the FedEx Cup, and they don’t look like they’ll give Justin Rose an easy run at the title.
If the 18th was the key to success, the par-4 8th doomed several players, perhaps to balance out the universe for the golf gods. The hardest hole on the course, only three players made birdie, while three made bogey, and seven more made double.
Phil Mickelson, Marc Leishman, Patrick Reed, and Hideki Matsuyama all found the water left of the fairway. DeChambeau didn’t, but his third shot nearly rolled in, and his tough approach came up woefully short. What do all of these players have in common? All were over par on the day, and none found their way inside the top 20.
Next. Power Ranking the entire field at the 2018 TOUR Championship. dark
The first round of the TOUR Championship certainly delivered in the entertainment department. We’ve got the world’s No. 1 player trying to hold off two of the most popular golfers in the field, each looking for their first win this year. A handful of superstars got off to terrible starts, but few played their way completely out of contention. Conditions at the course are immaculate, fair and challenging. It’s the perfect recipe for the best player to come out on top.
Who will that be? We can’t possibly know after just one of four days’ play at East Lake, but one thing is certain. Whoever hoists the FedEx Cup trophy on Sunday will have earned it against an outstanding field.