Tiger Woods started his bid to win the FedEx Cup in terrific fashion at The TOUR Championship in Atlanta on Thursday, while Australian Adam Scott also made a solid start. If the current tournament which is the last in the 2012 FedEx Cup is won by either Woods, Rory McIlroy, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker, they will take away the US$10 million prize. And Woods made a sensational start as he fired a four-under 66, which saw him share the tournament lead with Englishman Justin Rose at the end of play on day one at the East Lake Golf Club. American quartet Scott Piercy, Bo Van Pelt, Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker are all a shot off the pace in a tie for third with Scott a further stroke back. Scott made a disastrous start with three bogeys in his first six holes before recovering to card a solid 68. Compatriot John Senden struggled in his round as he mixed five bogeys and three birdies to be placed in a tie for 26th at two-over. Woods started well, shooting consecutive birdies on holes two and three and although he then produced a bogey it did not detract from his momentum. After a series of pars, Woods hit further birdies on holes nine, 12, 15 and 16 and despite another bogey on the back nine, he still finished the day with a terrific score. Rose also shot six birdies and two bogeys in his round of 66, although he finished the stronger. Bogeys for Rose on holes two and seven saw him at one-over but he hit five birdies from the final 11 holes of his round in an impressive round of golf. Of the four-man group tied for third, Piercy was perhaps the most impressive until he finished with a double-bogey on the 18th, costing him a chance of holding the outright lead. Stricker was blemish-free in his round while Van Pelt and Kuchar both hit four birdies and one bogey in their rounds of 67. Scott is joined by four other Americans, including Snedeker, in a tie for seventh at two under. McIlroy and a further seven players are a further shot back after shooting one under rounds of 69 but the news was not good for Watney, who saw his hopes of winning the FedEx suffer a major blow as he fired a five-over 75, a score that saw him last on the leaderboard in the 30-man event.
Author: Omnisport