East Lake Golf Club has undergone a significant renovation in the past year, leading players at the 2024 Tour Championship to re-learn the course they were familiar with. Changes in the routing have prompted players to consider hitting down different fairways to create better angles into the greens. For instance, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was contemplating playing his tee shot on the par-5 18th down the 10th fairway to make the hole more manageable. He believes this strategy will eliminate certain risks and increase the chances of scoring birdies, rather than aiming for eagle.
However, the PGA Tour announced on Wednesday that this strategy would no longer be viable for players. They have established two internal boundaries at East Lake Golf Club to ensure the safety of spectators, players, caddies, and everyone on the property during the Tour Championship. The fairway on hole No. 7 is now considered out of bounds during the play of hole No. 6, and the fairway on hole No. 10 is out of bounds during the play of hole No. 18. Chief referee Gary Young emphasized that this decision was primarily made to prevent players from putting others in harm’s way by taking alternative routes that could lead to safety concerns.
The first round of the Tour Championship is set to begin at 11:16 a.m. ET on Thursday, with Justin Thomas and Christiaan Bezuidenhout teeing off. Scheffler will start at 10 under par, holding a two-shot lead over Xander Schauffele. The field of 30 players will be vying for a massive $25 million first-place prize. The stakes are high, and players will need to adapt their strategies to navigate the redesigned East Lake Golf Club course effectively. The changes implemented for safety reasons have added a new layer of complexity to the competition, challenging players to find creative ways to score well while respecting the established boundaries. The Tour Championship promises to be an exciting event filled with suspense and drama as players showcase their skills on the revamped course in pursuit of victory.
