ATLANTA — Throughout his session with the media on Tuesday, Scottie Scheffler revealed a brand new technique PGA Tour professionals had determined to make use of from the 18th tee.
As an alternative of taking part in down its meant fairway—a difficult one to search out, if I could add—quite a few professionals hit their tee pictures 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 ultimate gap from the tenth.
When Tour Championship officers realized this, they invoked inner out-of-bounds on the tenth for security causes and to guard the integrity of East Lake’s latest restoration. Now, gamers can’t bomb it down the tenth fairway, except they wish to hit their third shot from the 18th tee.
The PGA Tour additionally established inner 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 obligatory. 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 opening but, and never that they had been on the lookout for recommendation from me, however I inspired them to do one thing simply because that’s not how the opening 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 most effective 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 pink possibility right here might 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 precise 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 green forces a low-ball flight from influence—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 idea, 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 individuals in hurt’s approach by taking an alternate route,” stated PGA Tour chief referee Gary Younger.
“When it feels like that’s going to be a risk, it necessitates an inner boundary.”
Kirk thought-about different variables when advocating for this choice.
“It could have been a reasonably dangerous look on tv for those who’re ending a golf event and all people is hitting it down the improper fairway,” Kirk added.
“It could have distracted for certain from the renovation of the golf course, which is implausible. The inexperienced complexes are so enjoyable and distinctive, they usually have such a terrific selection. I believe the course is nice, which might have distracted everybody from that if we had been all taking part in a gap down the improper 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 not achieve this. Bradley did applaud the restoration, noting that Inexperienced and his group 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 may be a horrible concept,” Kirk stated when approached with this concept.
“I don’t assume it’s terrible the way in which it’s proper now. It actually makes it play very, very slender. Yeah, they could wish to soften {that a} teeny bit. However like I stated, for those who do a full-blown renovation like this and there’s just one small little nit-picky factor that individuals can discover, meaning you probably did a reasonably damned good job.”
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. You should definitely take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.
