South Korean golfer Tom Kim sits five strokes off the lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour's final playoff event.

Kim shot a three-under 67 to begin the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Thursday. He is tied for 14th place in the exclusive field of 30 players.

Kim qualified for the playoff finale by ranking inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after two playoff events. As No. 16, Kim started the Tour Championship at two-under in the "starting strokes" system, while the top-seeded Scottie Scheffler began at 10-under.

Kim had an up-and-down front nine that featured three birdies and three bogeys. But he steadied himself over the bogey-free back nine, picking up three birdies to submit an under-par score.

Two other South Korean players in the field, Im Sung-jae (No. 17 in FedEx Cup points) and Kim Si-woo (No. 20), also began their opening round at two-under. Kim shot an even-par 70 to stay at two-under, after posting four birdies against four bogeys, three of which came on the back nine. He is tied for 22nd.

Im had four bogeys and three birdies for a round of 71 and is tied for 26th.

At last year's Tour Championship, Im began the tournament at four-under, six behind Scheffler but ended up tying for second place with the American at 20-under.

Collin Morikawa of the United States shot a sizzling 61 to soar to 10-under, sharing the early lead with Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland. Scheffler shot a 71 to fall to nine-under. (Yonhap)