Who is leading the Tour Championship 2025 after Round 1? Leaderboard explored

Russell Henley fired a 9-under 61 in the opening round of the Tour Championship to take the early lead. Back-to-back birdies on the final three holes helped him close the day at East Lake with a two-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler.

The Tour Championship teed off on Thursday, August 21, at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Henley began the day steadily with four straight pars before picking up his first birdie. On the par-5 sixth hole, he drained a 13-footer for eagle and then picked up another birdie on the eighth to close the front nine with a 31.

Henley then made birdies on the 12th and 13th before picking up back-to-back birdies on the final three holes. Scottie Scheffler also had a clean card as he picked up seven birdies to shoot 63. Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, and Robert MacIntyre were in a five-way tie for third, three strokes back.

While Morikawa had a blemish-free round, Fleetwood, Cantlay, and MacIntyre made one bogey each. Thomas had a blazing start and carded 29 on the front nine, but couldn't keep the momentum going on the back. He made his seventh birdie of the day on the 13th and briefly held the lead. However, things turned from there as he double-bogeyed the 16th after struggling with the slope.

Akshay Bhatia, Ludvig Aberg, Ben Griffin, and Rory McIlroy were five shots back, while five more players were tied for 12th.

Tour Championship 2025 leaderboard after Round 1 explored

Russell Henley takes the lead at the Tour Championship (Image Source: Imagn)

Here's a look at the leaderboard for the Tour Championship 2025 after Round 1:

1. Russell Henley (USA): -9
2. Scottie Scheffler (USA): -7
T3. Collin Morikawa (USA): -6
T3. Patrick Cantlay (USA): -6
T3. Justin Thomas (USA): -6
T3. Robert MacIntyre (SCO): -6
T3. Tommy Fleetwood (ENG): -6
T8. Akshay Bhatia (USA): -4
T8. Ludvig Åberg (SWE): -4
T8. Ben Griffin (USA): -4
T8. Rory McIlroy (NIR): -4
T12. Jacob Bridgeman (USA): -3
T12. Nick Taylor (CAN): -3
T12. Sam Burns (USA): -3
T12. Brian Harman (USA): -3
T12. Cameron Young (USA): -3
T17. Sungjae Im (KOR): -2
T17. Viktor Hovland (NOR): -2
T17. Harris English (USA): -2
T17. J.J. Spaun (USA): -2
T21. Hideki Matsuyama (JPN): -1
T21. Justin Rose (ENG): -1
T23. Chris Gotterup (USA): E
T23. Harry Hall (ENG): E
T23. Shane Lowry (IRL): E
T23. Corey Conners (CAN): E
T23. Andrew Novak (USA): E
T23. Keegan Bradley (USA): E
29. Maverick McNealy (USA): +1
30. Sepp Straka (AUT): +4

About the author

Shobhit is one of Sportskeeda’s most seasoned golf journalists, having already authored 3600+ articles and received nearly 5.7 million reads. Prior to his current role, he worked with the Asiana Times after completing his MSc in Geology, giving him a solid foundation in understanding the terrain, variety and challenges posed by various golf courses.

He is a keen follower of the sport and keeps himself updated about the latest trends, news and updates via social media and various news platforms. Shobhit is also methodical about accuracy, going through multiple articles from leading media houses and reputed sources before writing his own. Simultaneously, he specializes in writing reader-friendly content that conveys the necessary information in simple language.

Shobhit was a fan of Tiger Woods growing up, but of late, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg have caught his attention.

He likes to spend his downtime singing and writing, while he is also an avid watcher of cricket and tennis.

Know More

Edited by Shobhit Kukreti