TOUR Championship: HOT SHEET
The Road to East Lake
T-19 days until the top 30 arrive.
The TOUR Championship Hot Sheet offers updates from the TOUR Championship, the season finale of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season played at East Lake Golf Club, August 21-25.
1. Time to make moves!
The FedExCup Playoffs begin next week, which means every player is looking at what they need to do to join the coveted top 30 who advance to East Lake.
Brooks Koepka is not one of those players. The world’s No. 1-ranked player is also No. 1 in the FedExCup standings after nabbing his first WGC win over the weekend. See you in Atlanta, Brooks.
While Brooks is one of several top players who are comfortably inside the top 30, there are still some big names who have some work to do.
Let’s start with the Big Cat, Tiger Woods. After a missed cut at Royal Portrush, Woods has fallen to 27th. He’ll need a strong performance in either of the first two Playoffs events to secure a return trip to East Lake.
Other notables outside the top 30 include: Phil Mickelson (No. 31), Keith Mitchell (No. 35) – Go DAWGS, Jason Day (No. 38), Billy Horschel (No. 47), Patrick Reed (No. 50) and Jordan Spieth (No. 67).
2. Check out the Leaderboard...
Is what many of you will probably say on Thursday morning at the TOUR Championship. Yes, the FedExCup standings leader will start the tournament at 10-under par and have a 10-stroke lead over the players ranked 26th-30th in the standings.
To familiarize yourself with this new format, here’s what the leaderboard would look like if the first round were held today:
1. Brooks Koepka -10
2. Rory McIlroy -8
3. Matt Kuchar -7
4. Xander Schauffele -6
5. Gary Woodland -5
T6. Patrick Cantlay -4
T6. Dustin Johnson -4
T6. Paul Casey -4
T6. Jon Rahm -4
T6. Justin Rose -4
T11. Marc Leishman -3
T11. Rickie Fowler -3
T11. Webb Simpson -3
T11. Chez Reavie -3
T11. Tony Finau -3
T16. Justin Thomas -2
T16. Charles Howell III -2
T16. Bryson DeChambeau -2
T16. Tommy Fleetwood -2
T16. Shane Lowry -2
T21. Adam Scott -1
T21. Kevin Kisner -1
T21. Ryan Palmer -1
T21. Francesco Molinari -1
T21. Sungjae Im -1
T26. Scott Piercy Even
T26. Tiger Woods Even
T26. Sung Kang Even
T26. Hideki Matsuyama Even
T26. Lucas Glover Even
3. They said it.
Want to know how much it means for the PGA TOUR’s top players to qualify for the TOUR Championship and have a chance to win the FedExCup? Don’t take it from us…
Brooks Koepka: That's why we play, to make it to Atlanta. I'm sure everybody that tees it up on the PGA TOUR, that's their goal, to make it to Atlanta and to have a chance to win.
Justin Rose: I'm a guy that likes East Lake, so if I tee off at 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 under par at East Lake, I'm going to feel like I've got a pretty good opportunity to be able to defend my FedExCup title. The fact of liking the final venue is really, really important for me.
Keith Mitchell: It's a lot of pressure and I've felt it because, I mean, getting into the TOUR Championship will change your whole next season dramatically. So definitely need to just focus pretty hard on the Playoffs because one good week will get you there, but you get passed really fast if you don't have a good one.
Dustin Johnson: It's something that I really want to win. It's something that I obviously haven't accomplished, so it's definitely on the list of things that I would like to be the FedExCup champion.
4. You're Going to Make Me Hungry...
By now you should know if you attend the TOUR Championship you will have some serious decisions to make when it comes to food.
And guess what? There’s even more to choose from this year.
Available to ALL grounds ticketholders, welcome the newest additions to the culinary scene at the TOUR Championship:
For those who have elected to upgrade their tournament experience with an ULTRA Club ticket, you’re in for a real treat. Buckhead’s American Cut has you covered with some of their delicious creations.
If you prefer to stick to tradition and enjoy a sandwich from Fox Bros. BBQ, Universal Joint or Steinbeck’s, never fear…they’re back, too. #blessup
5. Congrats, Hale!
Three-time U.S. Open champion and 45-time PGA TOUR Champions winner Hale Irwin has been named the recipient of the PGA TOUR’s 2019 Payne Stewart Award presented by Southern Company.
The Payne Stewart Award is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. Stewart, an 11-time winner on the PGA TOUR and World Golf Hall of Fame member, died tragically 20 years ago during the week of the TOUR Championship in 1999.
As is tradition during TOUR Championship week, the Payne Stewart Award recipient will be honored during a ceremony on Tuesday evening, which will be carried live on Golf Channel.