ATLANTA, Ga. – With an eye on creating even more excitement around the finishing stretch of not only the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, but the entire 2015-16 PGA TOUR season, officials today announced that the front and back nine holes at East Lake Golf Club will be reversed, providing a more dramatic finishing stretch with more risk/reward opportunities as the 10th year of the FedExCup culminates on September 21-25, 2016.
With the new routing, the final five holes now have more potential for lead changes. The finishing stretch on the back nine begins with the par-4, 500-plus-yard 14th hole that has statistically been the most difficult hole on the course dating back to 2007. From there, players will be faced with a peninsula green at the par-3 15th that has traditionally resulted in a wide range of scores from birdie to double bogey.
With slight tweaks to the 16th, 17th and 18th holes, the final three holes will reward players for solid play with potential birdie opportunities while also penalizing players for mistakes off the tee and on their approach shots. This potential swing in scores with the FedExCup on the line will provide an even more exciting finish for fans and players alike.
“East Lake Golf Club has served as a fitting venue for the finale of our FedExCup season,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “Now in its 10th year, the FedExCup structure has given the TOUR a true season-ending finale and has performed to our expectations in every way. We will always strive to find ways to enhance our events for our fans, players and sponsors. By flipping the nines at East Lake, we believe the final stretch of the FedExCup will become even more dramatic and exciting as our season-long competition comes to a close.”
“Many of the world’s historic courses go through transitions as the game of golf changes with time. I’m confident this transition will respect and highlight the rich tradition and history of East Lake Golf Club,” said Tom Cousins, Chairman. “We look forward to a fantastic conclusion of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola as the leaders compete on a new finishing stretch of challenging holes and conclude with the spectacular view of our iconic clubhouse from the new par-5 18th hole.”
As part of reversing the nines, a few modifications are being made to the course. These include:
1) Repositioning of a fairway bunker on new No. 12;
2) Slight hole modifications on holes 16 and 17;
3) On 18, a tee extension of the members tee, the first landing area will be recontoured and bunkers will be added to the second landing area and greenside.
“I have been working with the PGA TOUR and East Lake Golf Club in reversing the nines to create more interest and volatility over the finishing stretch,” said course architect Rees Jones. “Players will be challenged by the difficult 14th hole and a demanding tee shot at No. 15. And the final three holes should not be viewed as an easier finish. With some tweaks that we are making, it is a stretch where par is not necessarily the standard and expected score. There will be birdies, bogeys on all three holes and potentially eagles on the final hole, which will ultimately result in more lead changes and excitement for all involved.”