Scottie Scheffler has very interesting tactic which he might use for the 18th hole at East Lake this year

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Scottie Scheffler has shared a tactic he’s looking to deploy on one of East Lake’s revamped holes at the 2024 Tour Championship.

Scheffler is excited by the changes to East Lake as he seeks his first Tour Championship title.

The world number one’s record in Atlanta is indifferent and Xander Schauffele will be in close proximity throughout the event. Schauffele has a stunning record at East Lake and could be the man to beat regardless of the renovations.

Speaking to the press ahead of Thursday’s first round, Scheffler discussed the changes made to the 18th and suggested he could do something interesting off the tee.

Scottie Scheffler looking to use 10th fairway at East Lake

• REVEALED: Scottie Scheffler’s thoughts on the changes made to East Lake ahead of the Tour Championship

During his practice round on Tuesday, Scheffler was asked why he was considering playing down the 10th fairway when assessing his tee shot options on the 18th.

“Yeah. The way they reshaped the fairway there, the fairway crowns like this, and it’s a very difficult fairway to hit, and if your ball goes into the right rough and you don’t get a good lie, you have to chip it 10 yards down the fairway because there’s nowhere really to lay up,” Scheffler explained.

“Before, there used to be some opportunity there, whereas now there’s not. You’re now hitting it across the Lake. If you hit it into the left rough, basically like — I’ll describe it this way: If you hit it into the right rough, you’re now hitting it over a pond to a fairway that’s pretty narrow. If you hit it in the left rough, you probably can’t hold the green from there, and if you don’t get it to the fairway, you’re going to be in the water.”

Scheffler claimed playing down the 10th negates a lot of the trouble found on 18. “It seems like a safer play to take all that out of play, hit it down 10,” Scheffler added.

“The green is going to be pretty extraordinarily hard to hold anyway, with it being a downslope and having a long club in there. It’s more you’re playing for birdies. There is less opportunity I think for eagle than there was before.

“You’ve got three bunkers in front of the green now, and with how firm the greens are — I saw Rory hold 18 green today, but he landed in the fringe over the bunker. The fringe is soft; the greens are firm. It’s very challenging to hold the green in two.

“If you don’t hit the 18th fairway, you’re in a heap of trouble. That’s something I’m still going to toy around with tomorrow, but I think it’s likely you’ll see some guys hitting it down the 10th because it’s a safer play.”

PGA Tour stars shocked by changes ahead of the Tour Championship

The changes to East Lake could be a leveller this week, with the FedEx Cup top 30 facing a completely fresh challenge.

Viktor Hovland admitted his shock at East Lake’s renovations during his press conference on Tuesday. “I only played the front yesterday, and just as soon as I walked on the property, I was shocked. It looks nothing like it used to,” Hovland said.

Despite the layout remaining pretty much untouched, the course changes have seen new greens and bunkering introduced.

Given the renovations, a low-scoring affair in Atlanta feels unlikely. Hovland’s 27 under from 12 months ago will almost certainly remain a score of the past.