'Patient' Justin Rose shares early lead with Tiger Woods in Atlanta

The 23-year-old Northern Irishman will be an incredible £7m richer if he makes it four wins in five starts at this week's Tour Championship in Atlanta (Reuters)

Justin Rose believes he benefited from taking a patient approach after a round of 66 saw him share the lead with Tiger Woods after the first round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta yesterday.

"I kind of looked at the leaderboards to gauge how the course was playing and how the boys were doing out there, and obviously I realised it was time to be patient," Rose said on. "No one was really going low. One or two under is going to be a good score today, so I always had that in the back of my mind."

Rose, who carded two bogeys and six birdies – the last of them a long-range effort on the 18th – added: "I scrambled well, my bunker play was sharp."

Woods, who is preparing for the Ryder Cup next week, followed his second bogey of the day with consecutive birdies at the 15th and 16th and almost claimed the outright lead when his birdie attempt from 11 feet at the 18th narrowly missed. World No 1 Rory McIlroy is three off the lead after a 69 which featured three birdies and two bogeys.