Georgia Golf Vacations

Surprise Leader in The Tour Championship

On an ideal Thursday afternoon in Atlanta, Bart Bryant finished the first-round of the Tour Championship two strokes ahead of the field, shooting a course-record 62. He was not the only player to take advantage of the weather, as twelve of the twenty-nine golfers successfully broke par.

The 42-year old Bryant was the only man without a bogey as he navigated the fairways and greens on his way to a record round. It has been a dream season for the veteran golfer, who has battled a shaky confidence through his tumultuous professional career. Up until this season, Bryant had never finished in the top-80 of the PGA money list. Coming into Thursday's round, he was 22 nd and had earned more than $2 million.

"I had a funny feeling somebody would shoot low around here," said defending Champ Retief Goosen, whose round of 64 was good for second place. But it was surprising that Bryant was the star, considering it was his first time playing East Lake .

"My caddie and I looked at eachother," he said after the round, "And said, 'This is our day.'"

He has plenty of company atop the leaderboard. Look for Tiger Woods to mount a challenge after shooting four-under on Thursday. With a respectable finish, Woods will become the first player in Tour history to top the $11 million mark in a season.

It was nice for an unsung golfer to emerge in first-place Thursday, but he has a lot of work to do if he hopes to remain there. Look for some competitive rounds from the bigger guns on Friday, setting the stage for an exciting weekend finale.

by Ryan Looney