Tiger Woods playing his first ever Tour Championship since 2013 shot a splendid 65 to join Rickie Fowler at the top of the board with an interesting eagle on the 18th. After hitting a 320-yard tee shot on the downhill par-5, Woods hit a high, fading 5-wood that landed softly on the green. He holed the 28-foot putt for eagle.
A victory is the obvious next step in his comeback. He’s given himself another opportunity for win No. 80 win after shooting 65 on Thursday at East Lake Golf Club. He shares the first-round lead with Rickie Fowler.
“It would just enhance the year,” Woods, the only two-time FedExCup champion, said about a win. “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.”
Rickie Fowler, one of
the good man of golf had just a win on the tour in this season, coming all the way back in December 2017 at the Hero World Challenge, an event hosted by Tiger Woods. Rickie too shot a 65 to join Tiger at the top.
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This is the second consecutive tournament in 2018 where Woods has shared the opening round lead, previously he held the co-leaders position with Rory McIlroy at the BMW Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club.
Tiger ranked 20th on the FedEx Cup Standings needs to fulfill the following seven conditions to win the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup title for the third time, he las won it in 2009:
Wins the Tour Championship and …
• DeChambeau finishes T-15 or worse
• Rose finishes in three-way tie for 5th or worse
• Finau finishes T-3 or worse
• D. Johnson finishes in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Thomas finishes in a three-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Bradley finishes T-2 or worse
Rickie Fowler ranked 23rd needs to do a lot more than Tiger for sure, and depending on what others finish, his chances look meek too, but not impossible:
Wins the Tour Championship and …
• DeChambeau finishes in three-way tie for 19th or worse
• Rose finishes T-6 or worse
• Finau finishes T-3 or worse
• D. Johnson finishes in three-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Thomas finishes in three-way tie for 2nd or worse
• Bradley finishes T-2 or worse
The current leader on the FedEx Cup standings with back to back wins at The Northern Trust and Dell Technologies Championship, Bryson Dechambeau currently stands T-21 at 1-over 71 with Billy Horschel, Patton Kizzire, and Patrick Cantlay out of the top-30 men in the field.
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