Henrik Stenson fires seven-under 63 to lead Tour Championship
Friday 25 September 2015 23:30, UK
Henrik Stenson stormed in to a two-shot lead after the opening round of the Tour Championship, where Jason Day and Jordan Spieth both made stuttering starts in their bids for FedExCup victory.
The Swede could afford to bogey the penultimate hole and still put himself in pole position to win the FedEx Cup and $10million bonus for the second time in three years, posting a seven-under 63 at East Lake to move him two clear of nearest challenger Paul Casey.
The Ryder Cup star, without a win all season on the PGA Tour, got off to a flying start by birdieing his first three holes, before picking up another shot with a 20-foot gain at the sixth.
A 25-foot eagle at the ninth saw the Swede reach the turn in just 29, before a gain at the next hole briefly gave Stenson hope of becoming only the seventh player in PGA Tour history to join the 59 club.
Stenson bounced back from a two-putt par at the 11th with a gain at the next to extend his advantage, although he saw his lead cut from three to two after failing to save par from nine feet at the 17th.
"It was great," the 39-year-old told Sky Sports 4. "I'm coming here with a purpose and trying to play my best golf of the year and I managed to do that so I am very happy.
"It's still early doors, it's going to be a long week and a lot of players trying to chase me down but I got the start I wanted.
"The finish here is not easy. I think I made all my scores on the front nine when I won here in 2013. The last three holes you are pretty happy if you can play them in par every day."
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Casey had set the early clubhouse target after posting six birdies and one bogey in a five-under 65, while world No 2 Rory McIlroy recovered from a slow start to lie a further stroke adrift in third alongside Zach Johnson.
World No 1 Day surprisingly stumbled after beginning his pursuit of a fifth win in his last seven events with birdies on the first three holes at East Lake, slicing his drive on the fifth out of bounds to run up a triple-bogey seven.
The Australian was lucky not to find the water with another errant tee shot on the par-three sixth, but after saving par there he birdied the eighth and reached the turn in one under.
A gain the 14th was immediately cancelled out by a dropped shot at the next as Day closed a one-under 69, with Jordan Spieth one-shot further up the leaderboard after three birdies and one blemish in a frustrating opening day.
Three late blemishes from JB Holmes saw the American slip in to in the group aloingside Brandt Snedeker on two under, while Bubba Watson, one of five players who control their own destiny this week, opened an up-and-down day level par.
Former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen withdrew after 13 holes with a hamstring injury, reducing the field to 28 after Jim Furyk was forced to miss out due to a wrist problem.
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