The Tour Championship is set to begin at East Lake, and the PGA Tour has made an announcement which could impact Scottie Scheffler’s plans.
The Atlanta venue has undergone significant renovations in the past 12 months, and Scheffler thinks East Lake will be more challenging this year.
New greens have been introduced, along with changes to bunkering and fairway complexes. The 18th, in particular, looks very different.
Scottie Scheffler’s plan on the 18th now completely ruined
Due to the reshaped fairway on 18, Scheffler was contemplating using the 10th fairway, which runs adjacent to the finishing hole.
“If you don’t hit the 18th fairway, you’re in a heap of trouble,” Scheffler said. “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.”
However, after the PGA Tour’s latest announcement, the 10th fairway is now completely off-limits. The PGA Tour has confirmed that the 10th fairway is out-of-bounds when playing 18, and the seventh is OB when playing the sixth.
As a result, Scheffler will have to rethink his original plan.
The par-five 18th could prove testing at the Tour Championship
Typically, par-fives are picked apart by the PGA Tour’s best players; when they make par, it’s a disappointment.
However, the re-vamped 18th at East Lake could provide issues this week.
The fresh greens are firm and have provided irregular bounces during practice rounds. Xander Schauffele saw a ball plug near the 18th green but also saw an excellent approach run through the back of the putting surface.
Clearly, those who managed to reach the par-five in two and give themselves a putt for eagle would have done exceptionally well.
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