ATLANTA — Defending FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland, who walked away with an $18 million bonus after successful the Tour Championship final yr, is a fan of East Lake Golf Membership.
A minimum of the way in which it used to play.
Hovland and the opposite 29 individuals right here for the Tour Championship, nevertheless, are taking part in a very totally different East Lake course for the primary time within the FedEx Cup season finale that begins Thursday.
“I solely performed the entrance yesterday, and simply as quickly as I walked on the property, I used to be form of shocked,” Hovland stated Tuesday. “It appears to be like nothing prefer it used to.”
1. Scottie Scheffler-102. Xander Schauffele-83. Hideki Matsuyama-74. Keegan Bradley-65. Ludvig Ã…berg-5T6. Rory McIlroy-4T6. Collin Morikawa-4T6. Wyndham Clark-4T6. Sam Burns-4T6. Patrick Cantlay-4T11. Sungjae Im-3T11. Sahith Theegala-3T11. Shane Lowry-3T11. Adam Scott-3T11. Tony Finau-3T16. Byeong Hun An-2T16. Viktor Hovland-2T16. Russell Henley-2T16. Akshay Bhatia-2T16. Robert MacIntyre-2T21. Billy Horschel-1T21. Tommy Fleetwood-1T21. Sepp Straka-1T21. Matthieu Pavon-1T21. Taylor Pendrith-1T26. Chris KirkET26. Tom HogeET26. Aaron RaiET26. Christiaan BezuidenhoutET26. Justin ThomasE
Architect Andrew Inexperienced was tasked with restoring East Lake, and he discovered an aerial picture from 1949 in a authorities database that served as his blueprint in returning the course to the way in which Donald Ross rerouted it greater than a century in the past.
“Oh, there’s completely nervousness, for positive,” Inexperienced stated. “However I feel it simply comes with the territory. You do not know what you’ve gotten till you tee it up. The golf course has matured amazingly since June 15, when the final piece of sod went down. However on the identical time, it will have to mature to see the total impact.”
The previous East Lake course was identified for its thick tough off the fairways and across the greens and deep flat-bottomed bunkers. There wasn’t a lot selection within the shapes of the greens; they usually sloped from again to entrance.
Inexperienced’s adjustments to East Lake are dramatic. The eighth gap is now a brief, drivable par-4. The 14th gap, previously an extended par 4, is now a par 5. Inexperienced eliminated numerous timber — he would not specify precisely what number of — and expanded the course’s signature lake to convey water into play on No. 18.
The course now performs to par 71 — another than earlier than — and is about 7,455 yards, which is lower than 100 yards longer.
“Looks like he is mainly modified each single gap on the market,” Hovland stated. “It was simply form of wild how a lot you may truly change the holes with not likely transferring holes round. It is all form of in the identical place, however but not one of the holes look precisely the identical.
The brand new greens, which promise to be additional agency this week, have distinctive slopes and shapes, and a few have dramatic run-offs. Just a few greens have been moved totally; the inexperienced on the par-3 ninth gap was moved down a hill to convey water into play. The again tees on Nos. 9 and 15 will not be used this week as a result of the greens are too agency, in response to Inexperienced.
“As quickly as I noticed the inexperienced areas, that was like, ‘OK, wow,'” Hovland stated. “That is going to be a very totally different golf course, as a result of now you’ve gotten enormous undulating greens with massive runoffs. And as an alternative of getting tight Bermuda across the greens, you’ve gotten actually, actually tight zoysia.
“It is simply going to play fully totally different.”
Inexperienced restored the grass-faced bunkers that Ross made well-known, a few of that are positioned in touchdown areas, leaving gamers to resolve whether or not to hit their tee photographs in need of the bunkers or attempt to go over them.
“I may most likely attempt to describe an individual that is by no means been right here earlier than what it used to appear like, and it is virtually like you may’t think about it,” Hovland stated. “It’s going to be fascinating to form of get used to it, that is for positive.”
Inexperienced hopes the restoration, which was accomplished in lower than a yr, offers PGA Tour gamers with a correct take a look at whereas sustaining East Lake’s historical past.
“For me, it is making an attempt to respect the integrity of a spot and have the ability to come right here and expertise it in a one-of-a-kind format,” Inexperienced stated. “This golf course shouldn’t be like another, and it should not be like another. That is what’s essential.”
