The New East Lake & Other Tour Championship Notes

Arguably the most captivating element of this year’s Tour Net Championship was Andrew Green’s restoration of the golf course itself. The new East Lake is a significant improvement over the previous version, with much more intrigue on and around the greens. While it’s still debatable whether East Lake is a great golf course, it is clearly much better now than it was a year ago.

Among Green’s most notable changes was his redesign of the par-4 eighth hole, which played as a drivable par 4 in two of the four Tour Championship rounds. The new, versatile eighth hole is a marked improvement over its predecessor. However, the risk-reward profile could still be stronger. Generally, when water lines the left side of a hole, the optimal strategy is to favor the right, especially if it offers advantageous positions. On the new eighth, finding the front-right greenside bunkers results in a relatively easy up-and-down to most pin locations, encouraging players to aim away from the water and toward the right side of the green.

(ShotLink data to illustrate; the 2024 edition is the first image. 2023 scoring dispersion is the second.)

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A simple setup improvement would be to use a front-right pin location in at least one of the rounds when the hole is set up as drivable. This would create a more challenging, short-sided bunker shot for those who fire tee shots into the greenside bunker. Without this wrinkle, the hole is tame and fairly thoughtless when played as a drivable par 4. Additionally, it might be worth shaving down the thick rough between the green and the water, though this could prompt some player complaints. And we can’t have that!

Nitpicks about the eighth aside, Green’s renovations are overall delightful. Much like at the renovated Colonial that was unveiled earlier this year, the new greens at East Lake played perhaps firmer than ideal. Holes like the first and the 18th were a bit gimmicky, as it was nearly impossible to hold a long iron shot on the green. Just 16% of players found the first green in regulation. As the greens mature, the golf course will continue to improve. Overall, the restoration deserves high marks!

Formatting Issues

I’ve spent considerable time railing against the format of the Tour Championship, the worst postseason championship in all of sports. Of course, that’s just my opinion. This poll from No Laying Up is a better indicator of the general sentiment among golf fans.

As a golf fan, is the Tour Championship format working for you?

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) September 1, 2024

In devising the current format, the PGA Tour tried something new, but the experiment has fallen short. Scottie Scheffler leading by seven for most of the tournament doesn’t facilitate drama or excitement. I suspect ratings for the 2024 Tour Championship aren’t going to be breaking any records, at least in the positive direction.

The Tour Championship might be a few different things, but it is not a real golf tournament. Competitions contested on unequal footing are not true competitions. Unfortunately, the Tour Championship has become more of an exhibition than a legitimate competition. If the goal is to reward Scottie for his season-long performance, just shovel more money into the regular-season race, the Comcast Business Tour Top 10.

We all get things wrong from time to time. It’s fine to get something wrong. Clinging to a flawed format isn’t fine, though. It’s time to move on from the staggered start. Once the PGA Tour adopts a sensible, engaging format, the tour’s entire product will improve.

The current Tour Championship format holds the tournament back from reaching its potential.

We’ve put together two alternatives. Which of the following formats would you have preferred to watch instead? pic.twitter.com/ZUOH41rD9O

— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) September 1, 2024

Oh, and in case you missed the results, Scottie Scheffler won $25M in the Hit ‘N Giggle.

OWGR Talk

At the PGA Championship, former PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh explained the rationale for rejecting LIV Golf’s bid for OWGR points. Waugh cited the inherent conflict between prioritizing an individual’s score versus the team’s score, noting a situation last year where a player chose to two-putt for his team rather than trying to make a putt to win the tournament.

The more you care about the sanctity of every stroke and the purity of a ranking system, the more compelling this argument becomes. I find it to be a strong argument, even if the scenario Waugh references is rare. However, I do find his rationale impossible to square with the OWGR awarding world ranking points based on one’s positioning on the gross shadow leaderboard at the Tour Championship. When Scottie Scheffler hit a conservative wedge shot into the 72nd hole of this year’s Tour Championship with a four-stroke net lead, he wasn’t worried about advancing his position on the gross leaderboard. Isn’t that a conflict?

Curtis Cup

The Curtis Cup provided the most refreshing golf viewing of the weekend. For the first time since 2016, the Great Britain & Ireland team defeated the United States, eking out a narrow 10.5-9.5 victory. GB&I’s Mimi Rhodes clinched the Cup in dramatic fashion with a clutch par on the 17th hole at Sunningdale.

The moment that sealed victory for Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup courtesy of Mimi Rhodes 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Y1dAhDqtNC

— Curtis Cup (@CurtisCup) September 1, 2024

On the American side, 15-year-old Asterisk Talley continued her impressive year, earning 2.5 points for the United States, including a singles win over top-ranked amateur Lottie Woad.

Going back to April, Asterisk Talley has a top 10 finish at ANWA, contended into the weekend at Lancaster, finished runner up at the Junior Am and Women’s Am, and just whooped Smyth Salver winner Lottie Woad 3&2.

Next up, Junior Solheim Cup.

— Meg Adkins (@megadkins_TFE) September 1, 2024

With upcoming venues like Bel-Air Country Club, Royal Dornoch, National Golf Links of America, and Pine Valley slated for future Curtis Cups, this is an event to eagerly anticipate each time it rolls around.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.