Collin Morikawa fired a career-best, 9-under-par 61 to forge a tie for the lead with Viktor Hovland and Keegan Bradley in the first round of the Tour Championship on Thursday in Atlanta.

The three-way lead was made possible by a late triple bogey from Scottie Scheffler, who had started the week in first place at 10 under through the season finale’s staggered start based on FedEx Cup points.

Hovland, the rising star from Norway, began in second and shot a 68, while Bradley made seven birdies and no bogeys for a 63 at East Lake Golf Club. Scheffler’s 71 left him in fourth at 9 under.

Morikawa was 24th in FedEx Cup points and began Thursday at 1 under. The two-time major winner was one shot off Zach Johnson’s course record of 60, yet because of the tournament format, he doesn’t have a hefty lead on the field.

“I’ve heard both sides of we like (the format), we don’t like it,” Morikawa said. “But at the end of the day, if you play really good golf for four rounds and you win the tournament without the strokes, I mean, you can’t be too mad about yourself, right? You played some good golf and you beat 29 other guys and that’s kind of the goal this week. That was the goal at the beginning of the week, but obviously where I sit now, it’s to keep pushing and not let my foot off the gas.”

Morikawa easily eagled the par-5 sixth hole after his second shot rolled to inside 4 feet of the pin. He birdied each of his final three holes, including an up-and-down from the greenside bunker at the par-5 18th hole.

Bradley joined Morikawa at 10 under by needing just 25 putts to get around the course, including a 27 1/2-foot birdie at No. 15.

“I’m just proud of the way I played,” Bradley said. “This is a tough track. Like, the margin for error on this course are similar to Augusta in that they’re so small.”

Playing in the final group with Hovland, Scheffler brought the lead as low as 13 under thanks to three birdies in his first six holes. But he had three-putt bogeys at Nos. 8 and 11, and he was just 11 under when he stepped to the tee at the par-3 15th.

After pulling his 5-iron off the tee far left and into the water hazard, Scheffler had to take a drop and reached the green in three. He then three-putted again from inside 16 feet, lipping out a 4-foot double bogey try.

“I guess it’s a little bit of a blessing to have a pretty bad day and still be in the tournament,” Scheffler said after a birdie at No. 17 brought him to 9 under. “So, yeah, go out there (Friday) and just keep fighting.”

Hovland played a steady round, with two birdies and 16 pars. He missed some birdie opportunities during the closing stretch to grab the lead outright.

“Even though I kept on hitting great shots and didn’t really get rewarded for it, I didn’t freak out or lose my mind or take a chance that I wasn’t supposed to take. I stayed patient,” Hovland said.

Morikawa’s playing partner Thursday, Adam Schenk, made a stellar Tour Championship debut by shooting a bogey-free 63 to move up to 8 under. He’s tied for fifth with Russell Henley (65).

It was revealed that Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland injured his lower back earlier in the week, and he played through the pain to shoot an even-par 70, winding up back where he started the tournament at 7 under. He was tied with Jon Rahm of Spain (69) and Matt Fitzpatrick of England (67).

“I was always going to tee off. It was just a matter of how I felt on the course,” McIlroy said. “And it got progressively a little tighter as I went, but it will hopefully get loosened up here and just another 20 — or 18 hours of recovery and go again (Friday).”

McIlroy went out in 2-over 37 before getting his first birdie of the day at the par-4 10th when his approach shot stopped 2 feet from the cup. He gave the stroke back with a bogey on the next hole.

He hit a groove late, birdieing Nos. 13, 15 and 16. But his third shot at No. 18 sprayed from the rough to a bunker, and he went on to finish with a bogey.

Tyrrell Hatton of England (64), Xander Schauffele (67), Wyndham Clark (68) and Brian Harman (68) are tied for 10th at 6 under.

–Field Level Media

An hour after sunrise Thursday morning, defending FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy crouched in an ice bath with minimal confidence his ailing back would awaken in time for the opening round of the Tour Championship a few hours later.

But the Northern Irishman more than survived with an opening-round 70 and hopes to be closer to healthy by the time he tees up Friday.

McIlroy said there was no chance he wouldn’t be on tee box Thursday and has no plans to withdraw even if pain returns.

He’s 7 under par, three shots behind leaders Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland of Norway. His most important second-round prep started soon after turning in his scorecard; treatment overnight is on his agenda.

McIlroy sounds more confident his back will cooperate for the final 72 holes at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which was very much in doubt 24 hours earlier.

“On Tuesday morning, I felt a little tight. I went into my gym at home, and I just sort of foam-rolled and stretched,” McIlroy said Thursday. “I went to grab something, and my whole right side just completely seized up, spasm. So I spent two hours with the physio at home, flew up (to Atlanta), felt a little better, some treatment.”

On Wednesday morning, McIlroy said his right side was “feeling better” and he went to the gym.

“I was at the bottom of a squat, a body-weight squat, and my whole lower back spasmed, seized up. I couldn’t move,” he said Thursday. “I honestly couldn’t address the ball this time (Wednesday). So to get to where I am today is good.”

McIlroy managed to hit just 20 golf balls at the range in preparation for Thursday’s round. At 2 over through nine holes, McIlroy said he still felt confident in his ability to navigate the course. He birdied four holes and finished 2 under on the back nine.

McIlroy, 34, is the only three-time FedEx Cup champion in history, having won the season-long title in 2016, 2019 and 2022. He beat out Scottie Scheffler in a final-round comeback at the Tour Championship last year.

He started the week in third place at 7 under par as part of the event’s “staggered start” based on FedEx Cup points. Scottie Scheffler and Hovland were first and second at 10 and 8 under, respectively. Scheffler now sits in fourth at 9 under after opening with a 71.

–Field Level Media

Brian Harman will be drawing some inspiration from Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy as he enters this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Harman enters the third and final leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs at 4 under, six strokes behind points leader Scottie Scheffler. It’s the exact same position McIlroy found himself in last year, and with Scheffler in the lead, McIlroy stormed back to be crowned champion.

Although it’s been done before, Harman knows mounting a comeback will be a tall task.

“I’m six shots back of a really incredible player, so I’m going to have to probably play my best golf of the year to have a chance,” Harman said. “I think I have a chance to play my best golf of the year. My chances are as good as anybody’s.

“But starting six shots back, it’s a steep hill to climb for sure, especially on a place like this where there’s a lot of longer par-4s to where you’re playing for par a lot. So to try to make up ground can be really tough around here.”

Harman opened the playoffs by tying for 31st at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., before finishing T5 at last week’s BMW Championship in Olympia Fields, Ill. The top-10 result was a welcome finish for Harman, who admitted that he wasn’t at his best to open the postseason.

“I spent two weeks at home. I think I went and practiced maybe one day, two days,” Harman said of how he spent his time prior to St. Jude. “I was kind of taking a victory lap and doing some partying and seeing some friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. So I soaked all that in.

“I hated that I wasn’t in form when I showed up to Memphis, but I kind of knew that I wasn’t. So I kind of had to use Memphis to get reps that I would have normally gotten the week prior.”

By the time the BMW Championship rolled around, this week’s event was certainly at the back of Harman’s mind.

“It’s not that I’m testing stuff in the golf tournament, but I’m fully aware that I’m not all there as far as my game,” Harman said. “It was a little closer last week. I putted well, chipped well last week. I had a couple good days of ball striking, so if I can keep building on that, that will be the goal this week.”

Max Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick also sit at 4 under entering the Tour Championship. Should Harman be the one that pulls away from the pack and does complete the comeback, he already knows how he’s going to use the first-place money.

“College funds,” Harman said. “Always splurge it on college funds.”

–Field Level Media

Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland will have surgery next month to remove a brain lesion.

The 39-year-old PGA Tour veteran announced his condition and his Sept. 18 surgery date on Wednesday.

“I wanted to share a recent health development with you,” Woodland posted on X. “On Sept. 18th, I’ll be having surgery to remove a lesion found on my brain. I was diagnosed a few months ago and have been trying to treat symptoms with medication. After consulting with multiple specialists and discussing with my family, we’ve made the decision that surgery to remove the lesion is the best course of action.

“I’m in good spirits with my family and team by my side and so thankful for the love and support of everyone.”

Woodland is a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by three strokes over Brooks Koepka.

At his most recent tournament, Woodland finished tied for 27th at the Wyndham Championship early this month.

–Field Level Media