When Collin Morikawa entered the TOUR Championship nine strokes behind the lead, he knew he had 72 holes to make up ground, and he looked to Rory McIlroy from the previous year as inspiration.
With some assistance from the top, he was able to complete that in a single day.
Morikawa shared the lead with BMW Championship winner Viktor Hovland (68) and Ryder Cup contender Keegan Bradley (63) on Thursday after putting together his best complete round of the year at the perfect time. Morikawa shot a 9-under 61.
They had a score of 10-under par, which was the score Scottie Scheffler, the top seed, had when he began play at East Lake.
In the race for the $18 million FedExCup prize, 16 players, or slightly more than half of the 30-man field, were separated by four shots after one round.
That includes McIlroy, who last year was six strokes back going into the final day and 11 shots back on the front nine of the first round but still prevailed. For McIlroy, who had been suffering from back spasms for the previous three days and was unable to hold a club over the golf ball on the tournament’s opening day, just making it to the first tee was a success of sorts.
He was three behind after shooting 70, which, according to him, left him “over the moon.”
The FedExCup rankings are the basis for the staggered start. Down to the final five players, who started at even par, Scheffler started as the No. 1 player at 10 under par. Morikawa started the FedExCup at 1-under par and was ranked No. 24.
He’s now tied for first place.
“It feels wonderful. I suppose there isn’t a better moment than our TOUR Championship to arrive and begin playing well.” Morikawa said.
Scheffler left angry at yet another pointless round. On the front nine, he made a run of three birdies in six holes and held a five-shot lead at one point. Then he made 3 straight 3-putts, 1 of which cost him the lead and 2 of which cost him momentum.
The worst error was a tee shot into the water on the 15th par-3, which was followed by a 3-putt from 15 feet for a 6-stroke triple-bogey. He was now 2 behind. He finished the round at 71, which put him at 9 under par and 1 shot behind the lead.
“Four days earlier, on the back nine of Olympia Fields, Scheffler missed three putts inside of 6 feet that would have given him a chance to win the BMW Championship,” Scheffler said after finding some perspective.
Based on what McIlroy accomplished last year, Morikawa thought he had a shot. He was willing to play another 18 holes in a heat index of over 100 degrees because he was so pleased with his iron play.
To know the kind of swing the two-time major champion has, a 224-yard par-3 over the lake to a peninsula green on the 15th hole merits consideration.
“I didn’t even see the tee shot when I hit it because I knew exactly where it was going, and that type of control is what you want. Even though some days will be better than others, it’s comforting to know that my golf swing is precisely where I want it to be.” Morikawa said.
Morikawa claimed he told his caddie at one point on the back nine that they hadn’t hit so many pin-high shots in an entire tournament, much less one day.
It was a shock to fire off 3 straight birdies on the front nine and see his name on the scoreboard at 6 under since Bradley is unfamiliar with this format. He last competed in the TOUR Championship in 2014, when it was based on points and way too much maths.
Bradley laughed, “At first I thought they put my score wrong, but then I realized it’s my first time playing this format.”
He is making an effort to focus solely on his score throughout each hole and each day of the competition. Additionally, he makes a valiant effort to block away thoughts of the Ryder Cup. Two-time champion Bradley, who placed 11th in the standings, must wait until Tuesday to find out if he is one of the 6 captain’s picks. Morikawa came in at number 10 in the standings.
“Despite my best efforts, I can’t help but be asked about the Ryder Cup by everyone. Everyone is shouting at me as I pass through the fairways about it. With a month until the event and a two-year qualifying process, I don’t believe everything is predicated on this competition. But it may be. So it is preferable to go play well than not.” Bradley said.
