ATLANTA — Throughout his session with the media on Tuesday, Scottie Scheffler revealed a brand new technique PGA Tour execs had determined to make use of from the 18th tee.
As a substitute of taking part in down its supposed fairway—a difficult one to seek out, if I could add—quite a few execs hit their tee photographs down the par-4 tenth, which runs parallel to East Lake’s closing gap. Taking part in down the tenth supplies gamers with a better angle whereas taking the well-known lake out of play—a no brainer for golfers of this caliber. Numerous bushes additionally got here down between the tenth and 18th fairways as a part of Andrew Inexperienced’s restoration, thus making it simpler to play East Lake’s last gap from the tenth.
When Tour Championship officers discovered this, they invoked inside out-of-bounds on the tenth for security causes and to guard the integrity of East Lake’s latest restoration. Now, gamers can not bomb it down the tenth fairway, except they need to hit their third shot from the 18th tee.
The PGA Tour additionally established inside out-of-bounds on the par-4 seventh for these taking part in the uphill, dogleg proper par-5 sixth for related causes.
Nonetheless, Chris Kirk, who returns to East Lake for the primary time since 2014, agreed with the tour’s choice.
“I believe it’s very needed. I talked to [PGA Tour Vice President of Rules & Officiating] Steve Rintoul and some officers yesterday whereas taking part in a apply spherical. I hadn’t performed the outlet but, and never that they have been in search of recommendation from me, however I inspired them to do one thing simply because that’s not how the outlet is designed,” Kirk defined on Wednesday.
“For us as gamers, we’re going to do no matter we really feel like goes to offer us the perfect rating, and it sounded to me that was a no brainer to go down No. 10.”
The inner OB debate…
The @PGATour simply introduced that the purple possibility right here can be out-of-bounds on 18 at East Lake this week.
Simple to see why.
Left drive is 320, leaves 225 to the entrance.
Proper drive is 320, leaves 233.The best fairway is cambered. The left will not be. pic.twitter.com/SVMe25qphC
— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) August 28, 2024
The 18th fairway strikes sharply from proper to left and performs downhill. Gamers will face a troublesome stance for his or her second, because the steep grade of the golf green forces a low-ball flight from affect—not the specified trajectory for looking for a agency, quick inexperienced in two. The tenth, in the meantime, performs a lot flatter, and gamers may, in principle, have a better time discovering the placing floor from that fairway.
However the tour put that notion to mattress, contemplating participant and fan security greater than something.
“This choice was made primarily out of security issues, particularly to forestall gamers from successfully placing folks in hurt’s method by taking an alternate route,” mentioned PGA Tour chief referee Gary Younger.
“When it seems like that’s going to be a risk, it necessitates an inside boundary.”
Kirk thought-about different variables when advocating for this choice.
“It might have been a fairly dangerous look on tv when you’re ending a golf match and all people is hitting it down the unsuitable fairway,” Kirk added.
“It might have distracted for positive from the renovation of the golf course, which is unbelievable. The inexperienced complexes are so enjoyable and distinctive, they usually have such an awesome selection. I believe the course is nice, which might have distracted everybody from that if we have been all taking part in a gap down the unsuitable fairway.”
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley admitted that he would make use of this technique, taking part in down the tenth. However now, he’ll now not accomplish that. Bradley did applaud the restoration, noting that Inexperienced and his staff did a “actually good job.”
However maybe subsequent 12 months, East Lake and the tour will soften the terrain of the 18th considerably, eliminating the considered taking part in down the tenth altogether.
“I don’t assume that will be a horrible concept,” Kirk mentioned when approached with this concept.
“I don’t assume it’s terrible the best way it’s proper now. It definitely makes it play very, very slender. Yeah, they could need to soften {that a} teeny bit. However like I mentioned, when you do a full-blown renovation like this and there’s just one small little nit-picky factor that folks can discover, which means you probably did a fairly damned good job.”
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. Be sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.
