Welcome to the finale. All roads lead to East Lake, and on Sunday evening, someone’s going to be holding the FedEx Cup. The season-long points race ends here after a breathless two weeks of playoff golf. It should at least be a better watch than the last season of Game of Thrones (low bar, I know). That said, it’s 30 of the best players in the world in a shootout for $25 million and a silver putter. Why wouldn’t you watch?
East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta was founded in 1904 and has undergone a turbulent history of deterioration and restoration (more on that in this week’s Pin Sheet). The club has hosted the TOUR Championship every year since 2004.
This is originally a Tom Bendelow (the Johnny Appleseed of golf courses in America) design, but Donald Ross is responsible for the layout you see today. Like every other Ross course we’ve covered this year, it makes use of the natural contours to create slopes and undulations that test your precision and control on every shot. Green complexes feature all kinds of breaks and are heavily bunkered, as you’d expect from any Ross layout. It should be a fun one.
Winning scores here are a bit funky. The past six editions of this event featured what the PGA Tour called “starting strokes”, where players would start the tournament at a score based on their standing in the FedEx Cup. First place would be at -10, 30th would be at E, and everyone else would be somewhere in between based on their points going into the event. Whoever finished with the lowest net total would be your FedEx Cup champion. This year, starting strokes are gone, just like Isaac Okoro (I still miss you, pookie). Everyone starts at even par now, and the points are wiped. Whoever wins this thing wins the Cup. It’s the golf equivalent of a 100m sprint. With starting strokes removed, expect something in the neighborhood of -20 to win it.
Only Harry Hall made it into the top 30 from outside this week, but there was a whole lot of bubble drama. Names were moving like crazy all afternoon on Sunday, and I honestly lost track of who was where at least five times. We did lose some big names in Baltimore, including Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, and Jason Day, though.
Half of Team USA has officially been locked in for the Ryder Cup. Scottie, J.J., and Xander are joined by Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau after the auto-qualifiers were confirmed earlier this week.
Once again, Keegan’s picking JT and Collin next week. Ben Griffin’s making it too, and so is Cam Young. The form is too good to ignore. Cantlay will be on Team USA, but no word on whether he’ll wear a hat this time. Guess what: we’re having the same debate as last week. My stance hasn’t changed. If anything, I’m even more in favor of bringing Burns over Keegan. Which is why I have a worse and worse feeling that Keegan’s going to pick himself. Please don’t do it.
Europe’s auto-qualifiers lock next week, but five of them are already confirmed: Rory, Tommy, Rosie, Bobby Mac, and Tyrrell Hatton. The sixth spot will be one of Shane Lowry or Sepp Straka, and the first captain’s pick will be the other. Four more guys are virtually guaranteed, and the names won’t be surprising if you’ve read these the past few weeks: Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jon Rahm. I’m still on the Harry Hall train for the last spot, and I think Luke Donald will be too. The putter is nuclear, and the form is too good to ignore.
Here are some guys to keep an eye on this week as they chase the biggest monetary prize in golf (unless you count a LIV contract). Vibes ratings will be Atlanta hip-hop artists because why not. It’s the last event of the season, so let’s have some fun with it. Don’t worry, they’re still highly scientific.
I almost copy-pasted last week’s Scottie blurb here because there’s just no other way to say it. He’s genuinely the most dominant player we’ve seen since Tiger. Five wins this year and 13 straight top 10 finishes is absurd. Shades of early 2017, when you couldn’t escape Bad and Boujee anywhere, and when Culture became one of the seminal 2010s albums.
Vibes: Migos/10
Solid week in Baltimore for Rory, and he’s coming to a course he’s done well at historically in search of a third FedEx Cup. That’s a lot of money earned in Atlanta. He’s the OG this week and the guy who’s got the greatest legacy.
Vibes: Outkast/10
Aberg has rediscovered his game after a midseason slump at the absolute perfect time. He’s cooking with gas right now, and his star is rising quickly.
Vibes: Gunna/10
Golfing Mew’s legacy run continues. A creatine overdose (????) wasn’t enough to derail the hype train in Baltimore, and he might just pull off a FedEx Cup heist for the ages. A total surprise package.
Vibes: Young Nudy/10
I STILL BELIEVE. Tommy’s got so much game, but it feels like he’s just missing that one moment to give him the breakthrough he so desperately needs to get back on top of the game and win on the PGA Tour after seven wins in Europe.
Vibes: B.o.B./10
McNealy has distance to spare, which is a big help at East Lake. Add in his 23rd-ranked ballstriking (combined play off the tee and in approach), and he’s got the game to make a run at the Cup. He just needs the putter to stay hot.
Here we go. A season that started in January in Hawaii has come down to this. One event for 25 mil. It’s going to be a wild ride in Atlanta, and I can’t wait to see who picks up the W and the big ol’ check. It’s absolutely worth the watch, especially if you’re Mike_Cavs and you can’t stand watching Matt Festa pitch anymore. Enjoy the week, and thanks for reading my content this season. See you next time.
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