Scottie Scheffler fires 65, now up 7 at Tour Championship - ESPN

ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler started the Tour Championship with a two-shot lead based on his dominant season. And then he looked dominant as ever Thursday, posting the best round at 6-under 65 to build a seven-shot lead and take a huge step toward the FedEx Cup title.

Scheffler had five birdies over his last seven holes on a sweltering afternoon at renovated East Lake to pull away from Xander Schauffele and everyone else.

He made birdie from the bunker on the par-5 18th hole with an 8-foot putt and took his spot in the PGA Tour record book with an asterisk. No one has ever led by seven after 18 holes as far back as the tour keeps such records.

The asterisk is because he was only one shot better than Collin Morikawa and four others who each had a 66.

This is the sixth year of the «starting strokes» format at the FedEx Cup finale. Scheffler was the No. 1 seed based on his six PGA Tour victories, which includes the Masters and The Players Championship. He started the tournament at 10-under par and with a two-shot lead over Schauffele, the double major winner and No. 2 seed.

This is the third straight year Scheffler has started with the lead. He has yet to win the FedEx Cup and its $25 million bonus. And by the sound of it, that wasn't on his mind.

«I wasn't thinking about the lead out there today. There's no reason to. It's the first day of the tournament. It's 72 holes. It's a long time out there to be playing with a lead,» Scheffler said. «I was just focused on staying in my own world and continuing to just try to execute.»

He got a quick reminder that a two-shot lead on Thursday — or even on a Sunday — is nothing to celebrate. Schauffele made up that deficit on the opening hole with an 8-foot birdie, while Scheffler made