Tour Championship leaderboard, scores as Henley, Scheffler lead

It has all come down to this.

A $40 million purse is at stake, including $10 million to the golfer who is standing alone at the 18th hole at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta at the 2025 Tour Championship.

The final event of the FedEx Cup playoffs is a four-day stroke-play event, meaning each of the 30 golfers competing started at even par, and the best score at the end of four rounds will be the champion, as is the case at any other event on the tour. Gone are the days of the starting stroke, which gave the golfers with the highest-ranking entering the event a decided advantage in previous years.

That means World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who won last week’s BMW Championship and is the leader in FedEx Cup points, must continue playing his best to become the first back-to-back champion since the FedEx Cup Playoffs were first played in 2007.

Scheffler did just that, standing alone at second place after a 7-under 63 in the first round. However, the story of the day was undoubtedly Russell Henley. The American burst out to a two-stroke lead to begin the Tour Championship, sitting at 9-under after a stunning 61 in the opening round.

Tour Championship live leaderboard

• 1. Russell Henley: -9 (F)
• 2. Scottie Scheffler: -7 (F)
• T3. Collin Morikawa: -6 (F)
• T3. Patrick Cantlay: -6 (F)
• T3. Justin Thomas: -6 (F)
• T3. Robert MacIntyre: -6 (F)
• T3. Tommy Fleetwood: -6 (F)

McIlroy scores the ugliest birdie ever on 18

After a solid first 17 holes, which saw Rory McIlroy just outside the top 10 at 3-under, McIlroy fell apart on the final hole, pulling his tee shot into the rough … of a different hole on the course. Of course, people have rebounded from worse, but McIlroy’s next shot wound up in the furthest bunker surrounding the green, making an up-and-down all but impossible.

McIlroy would get rather lucky with his bunker shot. He skulled the ball and it would have gone flying over the green if not for the grandstand playing backstop and bouncing the ball back onto the green. Somehow, McIlroy would sink the long putt for birdie, pushing him into a tie for eighth at 4-under. How? No idea, but the saying goes, ‘It’s better to be lucky than good.’ McIlroy certainly stretched that saying to its limit.

McIlroy’s groupmate, Scottie Scheffler, would also birdie the hole to pull into sole possession of second place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off, looking to defend title

All 30 golfers are on the East Lake Golf Club course as Scheffler and Rory McIlroy started their first round. Jacob Bridgeman, Nick Taylor and Collin Morikawa have jumped out to an early lead at 4-under through the front nine. Scheffler made a par on the first hole, which has given golfers trouble through the early portion of the round.

First golfers tee off at Tour Championship

The pairing of Chris Gotterup and Akshay Bhatia, ranked 29th and 30th in FedEx Cup points during the regular season, has hit the course to kick off the action at the most lucrative stop on tour.

What time is Tour Championship? 

The 2025 Tour Championship begins Thursday, Aug. 21. The first tee time on Thursday is 11:16 a.m. ET, with coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET. 

How to watch Tour Championship: TV channel, streaming 

The 2025 Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, will be televised nationally on the Golf Channel and NBC. It can be live streamed via ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo depending on the time. Here’s the full broadcast schedule for all four rounds: 

All times Eastern 

Thursday, Aug. 21 and Friday, Aug. 22 

• 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+ 
• 1-6 p.m. on Golf Channel,Fubo 

Saturday, Aug. 23 

• Noon-7 p.m. on ESPN+ 
• 1-2:30 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo 
• 2:30-7 p.m. on NBC, Peacock 

Sunday, Aug. 24 

• 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+ 
• Noon-1:30 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo 
• 1:30-6 p.m. on NBC, Peacock 

Watch the Tour Championship with Peacock

Tour Championship tee times, pairings 

First Round – Thursday 

All times ET 

• 11:16 a.m. — Chris Gotterup, Akshay Bhatia 
• 11:27 a.m. — Jacob Bridgeman, Sungjae Im 
• 11:38 a.m. — Nick Taylor, Harry Hall 
• 11:49 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry 
• 12 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland 
• 12:16 p.m. — Corey Conners, Patrick Cantlay 
• 12:27 p.m. — Sam Burns, Brian Harman 
• 12:38 p.m. — Andrew Novak, Keegan Bradley 
• 12:49 p.m. — Cameron Young, Ludvig Åberg 
• 1 p.m. — Harris English, Justin Thomas 
• 1:16 p.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Maverick McNealy 
• 1:27 p.m. — Russell Henley, Sepp Straka 
• 1:38 p.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Ben Griffin 
• 1:49 p.m. — J.J. Spaun, Justin Rose 
• 2 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy 

FedEx Cup standings 

Here are the 30 players who qualified for the 2025 Tour Championship and their FedEx Cup points following the BMW Championship, won by Scottie Scheffler: 

1. Scottie Scheffler: 7,456 points 

1. Rory McIlroy: 3,687 points 

1. J.J. Spaun: 3,493 points 

1. Justin Rose: 3,326 points 

1. Tommy Fleetwood: 2,923 points 

1. Ben Griffin: 2,798 points 

1. Russell Henley: 2,795 points 

1. Sepp Straka: 2,783 points 

1. Robert MacIntyre: 2,750 points 

1. Maverick McNealy: 2,547 points 

1. Harris English: 2,512 points 

1. Justin Thomas: 2,477 points 

1. Cameron Young: 2,185 points 

1. Ludvig Aberg: 2,179 points 

1. Andrew Novak: 2,030 points 

1. Keegan Bradley: 1,993 points 

1. Sam Burns: 1,871 points 

1. Brian Harman: 1,735 points 

1. Corey Conners: 1,719 points 

1. Patrick Cantlay: 1,661 points 

1. Collin Morikawa: 1,656 points 

1. Viktor Hovland: 1,637 points 

1. Hideki Matsuyama: 1,630 points 

1. Shane Lowry: 1,607 points 

1. Nick Taylor: 1,564 points 

1. Harry Hall: 1,475 points 

1. Jacob Bridgeman: 1,475 points 

1. Sungjae Im: 1,422 points 

1. Chris Gotterup: 1,414 points 

1. Akshay Bhatia: 1,409 points