First Look: Travelers Championship

If you don’t get swept up in the history of East Lake Golf Club, perhaps the philanthropic side to its story will intrigue you. To be directly tied to a cause that has helped rejuvenate an entire neighborhood makes the East Lake Foundation a model program and East Lake Golf Club as special a stage as the PGA TOUR visits. As it has done since the FedExCup Playoffs began in 2007, East Lake GC will play host to the climactic tournament, the TOUR Championship, which will produce the FedExCup champion for 2017-18. With 30 of the game’s best talents qualified, the storylines are plentiful. Justin Thomas is trying to become the first back-to-back FedExCup champion. Xander Schauffele earned the opportunity to defend his title after a strong performance at the BMW. FedExCup leader Bryson DeChambeau could become the first player to win three Playoffs events in one season. And, of course, Tiger Woods is returning to the TOUR Championship for the first time in five years. Here are five things to know about East Lake Golf Club: 1. Flip is not a flop: Matt Kuchar has felt a kinship with East Lake dating back to his days at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets had access to the golf course associated with one of their most famous alums, Bobby Jones. Kuchar loved the place, save for that little detail about the finishing hole, a long par-3. “Anti-climactic,â€� suggested Kuchar, who knew the option was to flip the nines, giving you “a chance to birdie the par-5 18th to win.â€� So that was a thumbs-up from Kuchar in 2016 when the PGA TOUR indeed flipped the nines, making the closing hole a par-5 that can play up to 600 yards. Turns out, Kuchar wasn’t alone; players were near unanimous in their support and the first two years have validated the move. In 2016, the new finish stole the show. McIlroy finished eagle-par-birdie to get into a playoff with Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell. The 18th was the first extra hole and McIlroy ignited great thunder with a second shot to 6 feet. Though McIlroy missed the eagle putt and was pushed further into the playoff by Moore’s birdie putt (the kid from Northern Ireland would win at the 16th, the fourth extra hole), the PGA TOUR was given confirmation that this flip of the nines was a huge success. That was proven again in 2017 when Xander Schauffele birdied the final hole to stun Justin Thomas. The flip of the nines hasn’t had an impact on the field’s scoring average. It’s been under par each of the last two years, but it also was in the red several times before the change. The hardest holes now (Nos. 7-9, Nos. 10, 14, 15) were the hardest holes before, only numbered differently. It’s just that there are outlets to plug in the excitement with the new order of play. 2. Welcome back, Mr. Woods: This will mark Tiger Woods’ first start in the TOUR Championship since 2013 and just the fifth time he’s made it to the finale of the FedExCup Playoffs. But it’s not as if he doesn’t have a feel for East Lake, where he also played in five TOUR Championships prior to the FedExCup era. His nine visits here have yielded a win (2007), four seconds, and two other top 10s, so, yeah, you could say the place has appealed to him. East Lake is where one of the more comical moments occurred in the Woods and Phil Mickelson rivalry. Standing on the first tee in the 2002 TOUR Championship, Woods was introduced by the starter, who read off a list of his achievements, which grew lengthy. At one point, it appeared as if all 34 of the tournaments Woods had won at that juncture in his career were going to be mentioned, but Mickelson – then without a major – interjected, “All right, all right . . . “ The crowd erupted in laughter. So, too, did Woods, though that isn’t how he felt when he first met East Lake in 1998. That year, he opened 75-76 and didn’t make his first birdie until his 37th hole. But you could say he’s figured the place out, going a combined 66 under over his next 34 rounds. Two of Woods’ runner-up finishes have been to Mickelson, way back in 2000, then nine years later. But in 2009, at least, Woods did win the FedExCup for the second time in three years. He remains the only two-time winner, but seeded 20th this week, Woods’ chances at a third title face long odds. 3. But Bobby Jones remains the true icon: Forever, the golf club that people will associate with the iconic Jones will be Augusta National, located approximately two hours southeast of Atlanta. But East Lake is where he first learned the game and the first course that he called home. The great history here includes many changes – it was the original home of the Atlanta Athletic Club and at one time included 36 holes – but there’s no debating that Jones treasured his time playing these golf holes that still challenge the best players in the world. His first ace came at what is now the par-3 11th hole – a hickory-shafted 4-iron, thank you very much – and when he returned to Atlanta after so many of his major championship triumphs, Jones relaxed at East Lake. His father had been club president and Jones served in that same capacity in 1946-47. A second 18 designed by Donald Ross is long gone, but the famed architect is given credit for re-designing the original layout by Tom Bendelow, one that Jones reportedly thought was curious. He approved of Ross’ work from circa 1913, however, and decades later Rees Jones added restoration efforts that make East Lake a supreme par-70 challenge. But what is not owed to either Ross’ or Rees Jones’ talents is the area inside the East Lake clubhouse where artifacts and pictures catch your attention and give you a sense of unmatched history. It’s the Bobby Jones Room and it’s a direct connection to arguably the game’s first real hero. 4. The teeth of the course: The numbers have changed, but the tough spots have not. At East Lake, players must suck it up and play some stellar golf when they get to the seventh, eighth and ninth holes. When they were labeled the par-4 16th, par-4 17th, and par-3 18th, these closing holes were traditionally ranked among the six toughest at East Lake and leaders knew that pars could probably seal the deal. They’re still three of the most demanding holes, but coming in the middle of your round, it offers a different complexion. And, before players get to the new closing stretch and its scoring opportunities, they must endure two more tough holes. The par-4 14th and par-3 15th are as demanding a back-to-back challenge as any player would want. The 14th hole — a beefy downhill par-4 that can play up to 520 yards to a difficult green – was the hardest hole at East Lake last year. Among the 538 par-4s played on the PGA TOUR last season, East Lake’s 14th ranked No. 21 in difficulty. Players averaged 4.3 strokes on the hole and hit the green just 43 percent of the time. Make par there and you don’t get a chance to breathe easy, because then you’re faced with a 211-yard tee shot to a green surrounded by water. Even the TOUR’s top 30 players have an over-par scoring average on the hole (3.03). 5. Golden Bear not invited: Given the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Tony Finau’s selection to round out this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team, despite not having won in 2017-18, it’s worth remembering how things have changed on that landscape. And nothing brings that home quite like a visit to East Lake GC. That’s because it was 55 years ago when America’s Ryder Cup team arrived at East Lake without a 23-year-old dynamo named Jack Nicklaus. No matter that Nicklaus had already won the 1962 U.S. Open and two more majors earlier in ’63, the Masters and PGA Championship. (For context, imagine Brooks Koepka not being on this year’s U.S. team. You can’t.) It was a different era and players had to serve an apprenticeship, so to speak, before being full members of the PGA, so it wasn’t until 1967 that Nicklaus was eligible. (By then, he had won seven major championships. OK, kid, I guess you have proved yourself.) Arnold Palmer, the last playing captain in the Ryder Cup, had more than enough power at East Lake in ’63. Playing in all six sessions, Palmer went 4-2 and never sweated out the dominating victory over Great Britain, 23-9.

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The practice green at Kapalua during the Sentry Tournament of Champions was pretty bare after competition rounds in early January. The PGA TOUR winners who had earned their way to Maui were generally easing their way back into things after the holiday period and grinding out more practice after a tough 18 holes with significant elevation changes in high winds. The majority of players arrived with their extended families and/or friends and were making the most of island living by hanging out at the beaches or hotel pools or participating in activities like ziplining and whale watching. So you can understand the post-round exit times were usually pretty rapid. Quality time with loved ones beckoned. Gary Woodland had as much reason to rush out to his family – if not more – than anyone. The four-time PGA TOUR winner’s wife Gabby recently gave birth to twin girls and the pair also have 2-year-old Jaxson to entertain. Jaxson was also set to be a twin but the Woodlands tragically lost his sister when Gabby’s water broke at just 16 weeks. It took ferocious work by doctors to ensure Jaxson didn’t suffer the same fate, and when he was born 10 weeks premature, the battle continued. But now he’s a healthy toddler and was bouncing around the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua hallways desperate for some Dad time. Woodland loves nothing more than time with his son and daughters, and of course Gabby. Jaxson would get plenty of quality time but not before Woodland hit the practice putting green to do some work. It wasn’t extensive – perhaps 10 to 15 minutes – but it was every day. You see, Woodland is determined to strengthen his short game, as he knows it is the last piece of the puzzle to take his game to even greater heights. The 35-year-old’s win at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach last year was part of his most successful season on TOUR, when he finished 15th in the FedExCup. The win, and two runners-up, formed part of eight top-10s for the season. He has continued the impressive run by notching three top-10s this season in just five starts while also being part of his first U.S. Team at the Presidents Cup. Now Woodland returns to the Waste Management Phoenix Open – where he was the champion in 2018 – and a year removed from his famous encounter with Amy Bockerstette. Seeing the special Olympian’s tenacity and strength and just overall positive attitude as she made par at the famous 16th sent Woodland to a new maturity mentally. Her mantra – “I got thisâ€� – has now become his also. It is why he did the extra work post round in Maui when he did. Woodland wants to make the most out of every second he has. He could have been content to win his major championship and just left it at that. He could allow his standards to slip and just live off the notoriety of a great week on an iconic course. But that’s not the competitor’s spirit. And this guy is a true competitor. The former college basketballer has desire running through his veins. “Aspirations are a lot bigger than last year … everybody asks about setting goals … my goal is to get better every day and if I continue to get better every day the sky’s the limit,â€� Woodland says. “I want to be the best player in the world. I want to stay there. I don’t want to just get there. If I get better every day, the short-term goals that I do set, I will accomplish.â€� Those short-term goals are focused on his short game. Woodland has spent the last few years improving under swing coach Pete Cowen, and then adding putting guru Phil Kenyon is taking him to new heights. But more improvement remains on the agenda. Over the previous four seasons, Woodland has an average ranking of 14th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee; 19th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 16th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Last season alone he ranked first on TOUR with approaches greater than 200 yards, 10th from greater than 275 yards, 18th from 175-200 yards and 31st from 150-175 yards. Clearly he has been hitting it pretty well from distance. On the other hand, he had an average ranking of 111th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 136th in Strokes Gained: Putting during the previous four seasons. Last season, among his success, there were some other numbers that did not make for fun reading. The 35-year-old was 181st on TOUR on putts inside 10 feet. He was 148th in scrambling; 129th from outside 30 yards, 156th from 20-30 yards and 144th from 10-20 yards. In approaches from 50-75 yards he was 167th, and 74th from 125-150 yards. “The short game, I have got to improve. I consider myself one of the best drivers in the world and the ball-striking is continuing to get better, but I need to improve the short game inside of 100 yards especially.â€� Woodland admits. “And the putting, which I’m working on, is getting better but I still have a long way to go.â€� Woodland admits making the move to go to Kenyon was tough to swallow at first. It was thrust upon him by his inner circle after one too many ball-striking clinics that was soured by average putting. For Woodland this meant swallowing a little pride. “A lot of us out here, we are where we are because we’re so confident in what we do,â€� Woodland said. “But it got to a point where for three or four years I was right around 40th to 50th in the world and I just wasn’t getting any better. “Luckily I’m surrounded by great people who told me I need to go find some more help because I was frustrated where I was. They were frustrated dealing with me on a daily basis. But to get better, sometimes you’ve got to take a step back. It was hard to do initially but it’s definitely got me where I am today.â€� Woodland hasn’t just set on-course goals. He has included personal off-course goals as well. And the melding of the two ensures his focus is heightened. “I have to appreciate the great times and the year that I had was amazing obviously on and off the golf course, but I need to continue to be a not just a better golfer but a better father and better husband,â€� Woodland continues. “Becoming a father, it’s been way better. I am now leaving the golf course at the golf course and that’s something I wasn’t able to do before. If I played bad, I’d take it home. I’d dwell on it. Now my kids don’t give me time to dwell on it. They want to have fun; they want to play. And that relaxes me. And it puts life in perspective really quick.â€� This is also why he hits the putting green post round. It is part of the process of getting better at golf and fatherhood at the same time. Whether he had 20 putts in a round or 35, he’s putting in some work. “It’s the stuff I know I have to do. That’s all routine based,â€� he adds. “That’s a mental thing for me. I feel comfortable when I go home knowing I did that. That helps me on the golf course also because it keeps me in the moment. I know when I’m at the golf course, I need to be focused there because when I get off the golf course, I don’t have that time that I used to have.â€� While the personal motivation is enough to keep him on track, the fact Woodland has now finally tasted team golf at the professional level is another huge inspiration. As a Presidents Cup rookie, Woodland went 1-2-1 at Royal Melbourne and now wants to add many more to his resume. As a rookie, Woodland had to deal with a little friendly hazing. He carried some bags, cleaned some shoes, took care of unpacking some clothes for his teammates … and he loved every minute of it. Next up is this year’s Ryder Cup, where Woodland is looking good sitting third on the U.S. Team points list. “I’ve always wanted to be on a U.S. team and when you miss it, you know it’s just another year you miss. But now being on the team and experiencing all that … I don’t want to miss another one ever again so I’m going to continue to work hard and hopefully lock that up myself,â€� Woodland said. “The Presidents Cup was as good and better than I expected. The bus rides, the team room … and to be honest with the golf itself I was a little more nervous than I thought I’d be. It’s a little different when you’re playing for somebody else and your country. “Off the golf course it was the best week I’ve had on TOUR. The hazing, it was fun stuff, but I look forward to getting to not be in a rookie at the Ryder Cup.â€� The work will continue for Woodland in the coming weeks to ensure he meets the new lofty standards. So if you’re looking for the Kansas native after a round at TPC Scottsdale this week, make sure to check the practice green first. Chances are he’s there.

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Players hear the fans at the loudest hole in golf wagering. Sometimes they even get in on the act.

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