Tour Championship: Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson tied for the lead as Rory McIlroy moves closer to four | Golf news

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The best shots of the opening day of the FedExCup final, with a great start for Rory McIlroy and some big putts from Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson.

Jon Rahm staggered over FedExCup leader Dustin Johnson when Rory McIlroy made an excellent start to the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

McIlroy started the PGA Tour season-ending event seven shots behind the leader in the tiered start format, but recovered three of those shots in one round after opening with 64 that he capped with three straight birdies.

Rory McIlroy started with 64 despite having little practice beforehand

Johnson, who bid to win the FedExCup and the $ 15 million bonus for the first time after several close calls, did not do much wrong when he shot a 67, but his playmate Rahm made his way to a portion of the leadership. in 13 minors with 65.

Justin Thomas is two off the pace after a 66 of five birdies, while McIlroy moved smoothly to nine-under despite playing just nine practice holes Thursday afternoon following his late arrival at East Lake due to the birth. from his daughter on Monday.

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The best shots of the opening day of the FedExCup final, with a great start for Rory McIlroy and some big putts from Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson.

The world No. 4, who admitted he was “emotionally drained” after making the short flight from his home in Florida, got off to a great start in life as a new dad when he birdied the opening hole, adding two more on the first hole. fourth and sixth, but third and eighth were a ghost to be only one down on the turn.

But two 20-foot putts fell for birdies on 11-13, and McIlroy converted two solid wedges to a 10-foot range on 16-17 before enjoying two slices of luck on the last pitch, where his drive held up. raw when he seemed destined for the water, while his second collapsed in a bunker next to the grass when an uncomfortable chip seemed likely.

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McIlroy jumped to six feet and hit a safe putt to close at nine under, which was good enough to move him to fourth ahead of Abraham Ancer, who also shot a 64 to get to seven under, while Xander Schauffele ( 67), Brendon Todd (67), Sungjae Im (68) and Webb Simpson are seven behind the pace.

Thomas made the biggest early move when he birdied three of the first four holes, but a missed short putt for another on the sixth pitch seemed to take the wind out of the sails, and a misguided drive on the next cost him his first shot. floor. .

Highlights from Rory McIlroy’s 64 of eight birdies on the opening day of the Tour Championship as the defending champion vied for the FedExCup crown

The 2017 FedExCup champion misinterpreted a good chance on the 11th and 13th, but managed to exhaust a 45-foot foot for an unlikely triple on the next before finding sand with his second at 18 and, like McIlroy, completed an excellent up and down. to end with a four.

In the battle between the world’s two best players in the final pair, Johnson extended his early lead to three birdie shots in the second and sixth, but two erratic drives, one on the right and one on the left, led to bogeys to Nine past eight, and both bored from around 30 feet to exchange birdies at 12.

They were paired again shot for shot to birdie on the next, and after Rahm nailed another big putt at 15, Johnson followed him to birdie to retain his slim lead from one shot.

But Rahm’s putter kept firing the next, making a birdie Johnson couldn’t match this time, and the Spaniard nearly snatched the lead from him for the first time last time when his sublime bunker escape hit the hole but went off.

Johnson jumped to all fours and looked confident to regain his lead, but his putt didn’t catch enough on the right side to go down, and unfortunately he finished off a fascinating day one play at Atlanta.