Australian golfer Geoff Ogilvy has rebounded from a poor bogey with two late birdies to earn a share of the first round lead at Tour Championship in Atlanta of the United States, Australian media reported on Friday.

According to Australian Associated Press (AAP), Ogilvy took four strokes to hole out from just off the green at the par-five 15th, but that catalog of errors lit a fire under him.

The Australian hit his approach shot to almost tap-in distance at the next two holes to card a stellar 4-under-par 66 on the demanding East Lake course.

"I just played well but it wasn't anything in particular," Ogilvy told AAP on Friday.

"I hit my irons well and had quite a lot of [short] putts for birdies and I made all of them, I think.

"So it was just a tidy round of golf on a course that's pretty difficult."

Ogilvy shared the lead with Englishmen Luke Donald and Paul Casey, one stroke ahead of American Jim Furyk.

Jason Day was best of the other Australians in the elite 30-man field, equal sixth on 1-under 69, while Robert Allenby carded 71 and Adam Scott 74.

"Two bogeys weren't the greatest obviously but around this course, with how firm the greens are and how thick the rough is, overall I'm very happy with how I played," Day told AAP.

American Matt Kuchar, who leads the U.S. PGA Tours FedEx Cup play-off points list, shot a 72.

If Kuchar has a poor tournament, it opens the door for many other players, including Ogilvy and Day, to be crowned play-off champion and collect the massive 10 million U.S. dollars bonus.