200 Feet of Putts and 11 Threes? Have a Day, Russell Henley!

One of the most overused terms in sports is “unconscious.” If you somehow don’t know what that means, it’s when an athlete goes into the zone and can’t seem to do anything wrong. I’m trying not to use it in this case, but that’s just what Russell Henley was with the flat stick during the first round of the TOUR Championship.

The Georgia Bulldog made over 200 feet of putts on Day 1, and wrote 11 threes on his scorecard on his way to a bogey-free, 9-under 61. Just a few days after earning an automatic qualifying spot for Team USA, Henley showed the fans what they can expect from him at Bethpage Black next month.

Henley said after his round that being back on Bermuda greens gave him a little confidence entering the week, and boy, did it show around East Lake on Thursday. He holds a two-shot lead over, guess who, Scottie Scheffler, with 54 holes left to play.

Here are some other notes from the first round of the TOUR Championship.

Scottie Really is Better Than Everyone Else

Right of the 16th green was absolutely dead on Day 1. One player made bogey, Justin Thomas made double, and U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun made triple. Just no good over there. But after his drive found the trees left of the fairway, Scottie’s punch shot tumbled down to that very spot, and he was staring bogey or worse right in the face.

But he did the smart thing, took the big number out of play and pitched it 26 feet long of the pin—it should be noted, his lie was perfect, 100 times better than anything the other guys had down there. And just when you thought he was going to drop a shot, he buried the putt.

Because of course he did. The guy is allergic to squares on his scorecard. After a birdie on 18, he signed for a 7-under 63 and will play with Henley on Friday.

Several Big Names Sit Three Shots Back

Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Robert MacIntyre, and Tommy Fleetwood all shot matching 6-under 64s around East Lake on Thursday. They’ll tee off Friday just three shots back of Henley.

Morikawa and Cantlay haven’t contended much this season, but are now in a great spot to make a run at the FedExCup—a damning indicator that the TOUR needs to figure out a better format for the TOUR Championship.

Fleetwood said after his round that his first TOUR win being the TOUR Championship would be “quite amusing,” and he did so with a big grin on his face.

An Update for Friday

Thanks to some inclement weather in the forecast for round two, tee times have been moved up.