(CNN) -- Paul Casey may have been left out of Europe's Ryder Cup team, but the Englishman is in prime position to collect the $10 million prize for winning the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Casey needs to win the Tour Championship at East Lakes this week to scoop the massive end of season bonus prize and shared the lead with fellow countryman Luke Donald and Australia's Geoff Ogilvy after the first round.
The trio finished on four-under 66, but Casey is the only player in the top five of the standings, who could all claim the playoff series title and the jackpot with a win, to break par in Atlanta.
Casey grabbed three birdies in a row around the turn to put himself in prime position but said he was not trying extra hard to prove a point after being denied a captain's pick by European skipper Colin Montgomerie.
"I'm not getting wrapped up in any sort of extra motivation," Casey told the official PGA Tour website.
CNN
