Finally, the wait is over. THE TOUR Championship (presented by Coca Cola) is here and it’s going to be spectacular. The course is perfect. New greens are in place. They are firm and fast, better even than the hopes of the East Lake greenskeeping staff. The weather is beyond perfect. It will be the first week of autumn and we will have cool and sunny weather.
For three weeks, we have been hearing that THE TOUR Championship (presented by Coca Cola) has become a non-factor because the FedExCup champion had already been decided. Stories were written decrying the playoff process and the letdown of coming to Atlanta and the East Lake golf course with nothing to play for – never mind that there is still $32 million on the table.
The FedExCup champion, Vijay Singh, has been ridiculed because he didn’t want to accept the FedExCup and the $9 million check in a press interview three weeks before it is actually awarded, when all he has to do is show up and play four rounds of golf on one of the best golf courses on the planet. Some people would call that humility, not wanting to try the patience of the golf gods, or take a chance on an injury or illness. A lot can happen in three weeks.
Add to that list the out-of-action Tiger Woods. How can there possibly be any excitement in golf without Tiger Woods teeing it up? He’s still in Florida rehabbing his knee, after all. Shouldn’t we all be making a pilgrimage to his front door instead of playing this tournament?
To all those people who haven’t been paying attention, there has been some truly great golf played since the end of the U.S. Open. If you missed it, the Ryder Cup last week was one of the all time greats, and 10 of the 12 from the American team are scheduled to be in the field this week. Only Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes are out. Sergio Garcia will be here from the European team.
COURSE CHANGES
After the schedule change moved THE TOUR Championship from October to September, and considering the weather problems of last year, several modifications had to be made to the course to insure its playability.
The biggest change, of course, was made to the grass on the greens. The bent grass was removed and a modern grass called Mini-Verde ultra dwarf bermuda has been grown in its place. If you are familiar with courses like The Oaks in Covington, or Chastain Park or Bobby Jones in Atlanta, this Mini-Verde is a similar type of grass, only tighter and much faster. Approach shots will not be sticking and spinning the way they did last year. In fact, shots into these greens will have to be very precise in order to stay on the green or anywhere close to the hole. The area around the greens will look very different. A 30-foot area around the greens has been replaced with a different bermuda grass that will give players a number of shot options if they miss the green. The rough will be cut shorter than in the past to give players a chance to play into the new greens.
Several bunkers have been added to catch wayward tee shots on 3 and 7. Holes 7, 13 and 15 have been extended. The entire course will now play to 7,304 yards, par 70. The most dramatic change is at No. 17, where the entire fairway has been shifted left to the edge of East Lake and a bunker complex has been added on the right side to give players something to think about. Any off-line tee shot will bring bogey into play.
THE FIELD
After all the excitement of The Ryder Cup last weekend, galleries will have a chance to cheer on most of the American team. Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell, Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard, Hunter Mahan and Ben Curtis will all be walking proud after bringing The Cup back to the U.S. With any luck, they will continue that level of play through this week.
Several players in the field have local ties to college golf. UGA will have former stars Ryuji Imada and Bubba Watson in the field, and Stewart Cink is a former Yellow Jacket. Briny Baird was a standout at Valdosta State. D.J. Trahan is a local Atlanta resident and attended Clemson.
Top ranked in the FedExCup points is, of course, Vijay Singh. With his playoff wins at The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championships, he has all but locked up the FedExCup. Singh’s drive to win, however, will not let him just slide through THE TOUR Championship, and he will be one of the favorites to win here.
Behind him are Camilo Villegas and Sergio Garcia. Villegas got his first PGA Tour win at the BMW in St. Louis three weeks ago and will be flying high into THE TOUR Championship. Sergio Garcia is no stranger to anyone. Now he has extra incentive and a chip on his shoulder, so he will be looking to take down the U.S. Ryder Cup team here in Atlanta. (Fortunately, Garcia and Villegas will not be paired together on Thursday and Friday, so the ladies in the gallery will not all have to crowd together.)
Aussies Robert Allenby (partially remembered for his disdain of the greens last year) and Stuart Appleby have played their way back into the field this week. Veterans Ernie Els, Mike Weir, K.J. Choi and Tim Clark will be looking forward to the new-look East Lake. All have played well here in the past, though none have won. Masters champion Trevor Immelman is making his first appearance here. Immelman has had a tough year with injuries and illness surrounding his win, but he has been rounding into form the last couple of months. He is also the only 2008 Major winner in the field.
TOUR Championship rookies in the field include Carl Pettersson, Dudley Hart, Andres Romero, Kevin Sutherland, Ken Duke and Billy Mayfair. Keep an eye on Sutherland. He was a dark horse to be a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup and has the game to play a course like East Lake very well.
This year, there are very few weak links in the field. While players like Singh, Mickelson, Kim and Garcia have a definite advantage with their length and all-around game, it is very possible that the winner could come from back in the pack. Keep an eye on Els, Cink and Weir. Kenny Perry has gotten his form back from his hot summer. Rookies Sutherland, Trahan and Mahan have also proven themselves this year and have plenty more to bring to Atlanta.
A little flag waving for our Ryder Cup heroes won’t be out of place. I have a feeling that the winner will come from those 10 men.
WHAT TO DO
If you have never been to East Lake, be sure to take in the entire golf course. As soon as you walk through the gates, you will know that you are someplace special. Walking the same ground as the great Bobby Jones is something you will not forget. The course is very compact and easy to walk.
East Lake was originally designed by Tom Bendelow and opened in 1908. It was redesigned in 1913 by Donald Ross. In 1994, Rees Jones was brought in to restore the Donald Ross design as well as modernize it for today’s game.
Get there early. Take some time to sit at the practice area and watch how the best in the game go about their business. You will learn volumes to take home with you for your own game. THE TOUR Championship has a similar intimate feel to it as The Masters. You will not be overwhelmed by advertising and big tents. There will be plenty of food and drink available, and the merchandise tent will be outside the gates as always. This year, MasterCard will have a tent along the 17th fairway, and anyone making a purchase in the merchandise tent using a MasterCard will receive two tickets to the MasterCard tent. Callaway Golf will be there introducing a new driver and doing some testing.
Tickets for THE TOUR Championship are nearly sold out, but individual day tickets can be purchased at PGATour.com, and once again, all parking will be at Turner Field.
Capps can be reached at onthegreen@scoreatl.com.
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