ATLANTA - ANTHONY Kim's overnight lead was trimmed to one shot by Spaniard Sergio Garcia after the American completed an erratic outward nine in the second round of the Tour Championship on Friday.

Four strokes clear of the field at the start of a steamy day at East Lake Golf Club, Kim offset three birdies with three bogeys to reach the turn in level-par 35.

That left him one ahead of a red-hot Garcia, who was five under for the round after 12 holes in the final event of the PGA Tour's regular season.

South Korean KJ Choi was a further three strokes adrift at two under after 11 holes, level with Canadian Mike Weir, also after 11, and Masters champion Trevor Immelman of South Africa, after nine.

Kim, seeking his third PGA Tour title of the year, briefly stretched his lead to five when he struck his approach to four feet at the par-four first and knocked in the birdie putt.

Although the 23-year-old stumbled with a three-putt bogey at the second, he picked up another shot at the par-four fourth where he rolled in an eight-footer.

At that point, he was three in front of Garcia who had birdied four of the first seven holes.

Kim made another error at the seventh, pulling his drive into the left rough en route to a bogey five, before Garcia closed to within a stroke of the lead when he birdied the par-five ninth.

Kim dropped another shot at the eighth, where he three-putted from 40 feet, before reaching the green in two at the ninth and two-putting for a birdie four.

Australian Robert Allenby held the clubhouse lead at one-over 141 after firing a six-birdie 66. -- REUTERS