Russell Henley Jokes About Tour Championship Rule Change After Impressive First Round Performance

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Russell Henley led the first round of the Tour Championship with a remarkable nine-under-par 61, securing a two-shot advantage over Scottie Scheffler. The tournament, held at East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta, Georgia, features the world's top 30 players competing for a $10 million prize. This year, all players start on equal footing, unlike previous years where the FedEx Cup leader had a stroke advantage.

Henley humorously commented on the rule change, saying it's preferable to giving Scheffler shots. He made an impressive 207 feet of putts during his round. "It's better than having to give Scottie shots!" he joked when asked about the new format by Sky Sports.

Scheffler finished his round with a birdie on the last hole, shooting a 63 to sit two strokes behind Henley. Other notable performances included Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Robert MacIntyre, and Tommy Fleetwood, who are all three shots back. Rory McIlroy is part of a group tied for eighth place, five shots off the lead.

Henley has been one of the most consistent players this season on the PGA Tour. Only Scheffler has more top-10 finishes than him. Henley expressed his desire to maintain consistency throughout tournaments: "Yeah, I mean that's kind of always been my goal is to see if I can get consistent," he stated.

Henley shared that his aim is to perform well in every tournament despite occasional off weeks. "We play a lot of tournaments and I want to play well in all of them," he said. Reflecting on recent events where he finished 17th and 15th despite not feeling at his best, Henley emphasised his focus on reaching the top of leaderboards while hoping for decent results even during challenging times.

The competition remains fierce as players vie for the prestigious title and substantial prize money. With everyone starting equally this year, it adds an extra layer of excitement and challenge to the event.