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WATCH: Scottie Scheffler drains 33-foot putt for birdie, takes lead after strong start at 2024 Tour Championship 

Scottie Scheffler leads the Tour Championship through the conclusion of the first round. He has not settled into the 10-stroke bonus he started the event with, and has made spectacular plays to extend his lead.

One such play came on the par-4, 504-yard 7th hole, where Scheffler made birdie with a spectacular 33-foot putt. The video of the moment was posted by the PGA Tour on X (formerly Twitter) and received more than 130,000 views in one hour.

Scottie Scheffler hit his 339-yard tee shot down the 7th fairway. From there, he hit a 161-yard approach shot that left the ball on the green, 33 feet seven inches from the hole. From there, he holed his putt for his second birdie of the day.

Under Tour Championship rules, the World No. 1 ranked golfer started the event at 10-under. Scheffler began his round with a bogey on the 1st, but made seven birdies and no bogeys after that.

His score is 16-under after the conclusion of his first round. He is seven shots ahead of Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, who are tied for second place.

Five players shot five-under rounds, including Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, and Justin Thomas. Scottie Scheffler shot a round of six-under.


Why did Scottie Scheffler start his Tour Championship round at 10-under?

The FedEx Cup Playoffs are designed so that the winner of the Tour Championship wins the final FedEx Cup trophy, even if he or she was not the season leader. The PGA Tour's goal is to create a competitive event that goes down to the wire, where no winner is assured in advance.

In order to reward the best players throughout the season, "bonuses" are awarded for the Tour Championship. The leader after the BMW Championship (in this case, Scottie Scheffler) receives 10 strokes, or in other words, will start the event 10-under par.

In addition, there is a two-stroke difference between the leader and the runner-up, while the others have a one-stroke difference or none at all.

This is how players started the Tour Championship according to their position on the FedEx Cup standings:

  • 1- 10-under
  • 2- 8-under
  • 3- 7-under
  • 4- 6-under
  • 5- 5-under
  • 6- 4-under
  • 7- 4-under
  • 8- 4-under
  • 9- 4-under
  • 10- 4-under
  • 11- 3-under
  • 12- 3-under
  • 13- 3-under
  • 14- 3-under
  • 15- 3-under
  • 16- 2-under
  • 17- 2-under
  • 18- 2-under
  • 19- 2-under
  • 20- 2-under
  • 21- 1-under
  • 22- 1-under
  • 23- 1-under
  • 24- 1-under
  • 25- 1-under
  • 26- even
  • 27- even
  • 28- even
  • 29- even
  • 30- even

The winner of the FedEx Cup will receive a $25 million purse and a five-year PGA Tour exemption.

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