On August 22nd, 2025, the TOUR Championship's new even-par start created instant drama as Russell Henley fired a career-best 61 to take a shocking two-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler.

HENLEY'S PUTTING MASTERCLASS

• Russell Henley shocked the field at East Lake, firing a career-best, nine-under 61 to grab the solo lead. His historic day on the greens was the story of the new, level-playing-field TOUR Championship.
• Henley made a staggering 207 feet of putts, including bombs of 42 and 34 feet on holes 16 and 17.
• He credited a mental shift from last week, saying he felt "clear on my reads" and decided to "just kind of free wheeled it a little bit."

THE GREAT FORMAT DEBATE

• The new "no starting strokes" format was a major talking point, with players offering strong, contrasting opinions on whether the level playing field is better than the old staggered-start system.
• Scottie Scheffler: "I'm much more happy with this format." Tommy Fleetwood joked that "everybody aside from Scottie Scheffler loves" the change.
• Collin Morikawa praised the new setup, saying "the best player is going to win and I do enjoy that challenge," while Rory McIlroy offered a minority opinion: "I didn't hate the starting strokes."

Quick Hits

Rory's chaotic birdie on 18 after his bunker shot hit a grandstand • Ryder Cup Watch: Morikawa & Thomas helped their cases for Captain Keegan Bradley • JT's wild round included a hot start and a disastrous double bogey on 14

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