Clark shoots 62 to surge to early Tour Championship lead; Tiger lurking

ATLANTA (AP) — Given his choice, Tiger Woods likes to see a golf course as difficult as possible.

It didn’t take long to figure out that wouldn’t be the case Thursday at the Tour Championship, the final playoff event for the FedEx Cup that felt more like preseason considering the marshmallow conditions at East Lake Golf Club.

His wedge to the first green left more of a crater than a pitch mark. And after nearly making an ace on the sixth hole for his fourth birdie of the rain-softened round, a scoreboard showed Tim Clark already was 8 under and threatening the course record.

Clark was among only 10 players who finished the first round because of a three-hour storm delay that made the slow greens even softer, closing with three straight pars and still posting an 8-under 62 to tie the course record at East Lake.

“They’re obviously not to the standard that we’re used to on tour,” Clark said of the greens. “Being one of the first groups out there was probably an advantage. We didn’t have the footprints.”

Only five players were over par when the first round was suspended by darkness, none worse than 1 over. Even though he tied the course record, Clark still only had a one-shot advantage over British Open champion Padraig Harrington.

Woods, who can capture the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize with a victory at the Tour Championship, was at 4 under through 11 holes and could face the smoothness of greens that Clark and Harrington experienced.

The first round will resume at 8 a.m. today.