Xander Schauffele, a golfer known for his exceptional performance at East Lake Golf Club, has yet to win a FedEx Cup despite his success at the Tour Championship. With zero FedEx Cups to show for his efforts, Schauffele is determined to change that this week. However, a massive restoration effort at East Lake has left the course unrecognizable, posing a new challenge for Schauffele as he competes for the FedEx Cup title.
Schauffele has played the Tour Championship seven times, finishing with the lowest aggregate score in three of those iterations. Despite his impressive track record at East Lake, he only has one official Tour Championship win and no FedEx Cup victories. In past years, Schauffele has come close to winning but fell short due to starting scores or tiebreakers, losing out to competitors like Dustin Johnson and Viktor Hovland.
This year, Schauffele enters the tournament in a strong position, starting in second place just two shots behind the leader, Scottie Scheffler. However, the changes to East Lake following the restoration by architect Andrew Green have created a new golf course that Schauffele describes as completely different from what he is used to. The bunkers, grasses, greens, runouts, and slopes have all been altered, presenting a unique challenge for the players.
Despite the changes, Schauffele remains determined to win his first FedEx Cup and is fueled by his past frustrations of coming up short at East Lake. He acknowledges the hunger and drive to finally bring home the Cup, joking that maybe the course needed to be changed for him to have a better chance at winning. Schauffele’s hunger for success will be put to the test as he tees off for the first round alongside Scheffler in his latest attempt to secure the FedEx Cup title.
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