The PGA Tour has returned to Colorado as the second FedEx Cup playoff event gets underway at Castle Pines Golf Club, a course that is 6,200 feet above sea level.
This week, the BMW Championship will be held on the longest course in PGA Tour history, and the record-breaking decision has been made with good reason.
Due to the altitude, stock yardages have been increased by around 12%; as a result, the FedEx Cup top 50 have been dialling in their numbers ahead of Thursday’s first round.
Rory McIlroy carried a driver 371 yards during practice, and now world number one Scottie Scheffler has been speaking about adjustments he’s made upon his arrival in Denver.
Scottie Scheffler makes adjustments ahead of the BMW Championship
Scheffler admitted that he regularly recalculates his yardages using his TrackMan and his caddie, Ted Scott.
“Yeah, so each week I’m out on tour, I typically will check my numbers just to make sure — I don’t ever change the settings on my TrackMan no matter where we are,” Scheffler explained. “Teddy has a way that I’m not going to divulge because I think we do a really good job of making sure we’re pin high a lot, kind of no matter what the conditions are.”
The American added: “That’s something that I rely on him pretty heavily for.
So, this week, he’s doing a lot of the math. We have our numbers and how far the ball goes here, and we still have our numbers at home.”
Despite remaining tight-lipped about his methods, Scheffler did share the yardage he expects from his stock eight iron this week. “So some of that is I have a stock number of what the club goes here, so if my 8-iron goes 165 at home, let’s say it’ll go like low 180s here, something like that,” Scheffler added.
“We can do it that way, or Teddy can do the percentage based on the time of day. It also changes based on how long the ball is in the air. Uphill shots, the ball doesn’t have as much time to fly in the air just based on it being uphill, so it’ll be a smaller percentage, and then downhill, it’ll be a bigger percentage. There is a lot of work that goes into it, so it’s a pretty big adjustment for us.”
PGA Tour altitude specialists could have a huge advantage this week
Given the impact altitude will have at Castle Pines, players who have thrived in similar conditions before could have a considerable advantage.
Furthermore, as Scheffler mentions, those players who are meticulous with their yardage work will also be rewarded in Denver. The world number one, of course, is known for his distance control and will almost certainly compete this week.
Away from the well-fancied names, Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Thomas have both enjoyed playing at altitude previously. Thomas thrived during the WGC event in Mexico, and Fitzpatrick has won in Switzerland twice before.
The PGA Tour has indeed selected an interesting venue this week, which will provide a unique test ahead of next week’s Tour Championship.
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