Sights and sounds from East Lake

ATLANTA — Our Dylan Dethier is at the Tour Championship, where the Tour’s best players — and their commissioner — have gathered for the season finale. Our Sean Zak has arrived home after a Eurotrip. Let’s talk some golf!

SZ: Dylan, my friend. I have returned to the Midwest and it’s hot. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you down at the Tour Championship. But I know it’s your first week on site in a while. How did it feel getting back out there?

DD: Hello, Sean! Since you mentioned it, let’s start with that heat. I’m not built for it. It’s been 90-something degrees all week, plus sunny, humid and still. I really like to walk the course during practice rounds — it’s a good chance to see players, courses and their teams. But every afternoon I’ve just ended up a sweaty wreck.

It’s so hot that I’m convinced it’s actually a problem for the golf tournament; the heat sucks the life out of an event that needs all the life it can get. If you’re a fan you don’t want to follow groups around the course in weather like this; you might rather stay home and watch in the A/C. After about a half-day here I was already reimagining the Tour schedule to get Memphis and Atlanta as part of the spring schedule while August would take us to Boston, New York, Chicago, Denver, Seattle. But that’s more than enough complaining, because it’s genuinely good to be here. I cut back on travel a bit this summer with the birth of our daughter and am now settling into a new normal. It’s terrific to get back in the mix.

SZ: We’ll get to the important stuff (read: Jay Monahan’s presser) shortly, but first, can you tell us your thoughts on that renovation to East Lake? I’m struggling to think of a more impactful golf course renovation. Can you?

DD: Hmm. Anytime Augusta National moves a tee box we tend to treat it like an international incident, so people certainly have stronger opinions on the 13th tee there than anything about East Lake. But when it comes to regular Tour stops I really can’t think of this serious an overhaul. It’s the same general footprint as the old course but every pro has been in agreement: this place is completely different. And I think it seems good! The in-course O.B. was sort of an embarrassing oversight but in all East Lake seems like a more interesting playing and viewing experience.

Tony Finau told me something interesting: it may weirdly be an advantage for guys who have never been here because they don’t have to unlearn anything. I liked how Shane Lowry — who’s making his debut here — put it:

“Well, everybody keeps saying how different it is, but it’s obviously just a new golf course for me, so I don’t really know anything different, which is great.

“It’s great to hear the lads moaning about it inside the locker room, and I’m happy with what I see.”

SZ: I’ve actually never been to East Lake. Oops! What’s the one thing I need to know about it before watching on TV this weekend?

DD: This year what you should know is that it’s a brand-new golf course, so it hasn’t “settled” just yet. That means the greens are firm but the areas around the greens are soft, so it’ll play a little bit funny. It should keep pros uncomfy. The green surrounds have gotten more interesting with slopes and short grass. And the rough is tough; you’re gonna want to hit the fairways.

SZ: Okay, let’s get to the juicy stuff. You were there in Jay Monahan’s presser. You asked one of the first questions. From my view, Monahan spoke in a bunch of jumbled vagueness. What did you want to find out from him this week, and how far away was his response from what you hoped for? 

DD: There was one basic issue with Monahan’s presser: The thing we want to hear about the most — the PIF deal and any conversations about LIV — is the one thing he didn’t want to talk about. I found him overly cautious, sitting and reading his opening statement off a paper, which is a tough way to make any new initiatives sound exciting. I’d like to see him more conversational and more on the offensive. After all, people were dancing on the Tour’s grave at the beginning of 2024. The league has survived! There’s plenty to celebrate.

Reading between the lines you got the message: The Tour believes it’s fine with or without the PIF, with or without LIV, so there’s no rush or panic. But Monahan and the Tour still want to keep all their options open, so it’s tough to come out and say so directly. In short, I have some feedback.

SZ: I had a book event in St. Andrews last week, and a lot of people were asking about what the future of pro golf looks like. No one can answer it, not even Monahan. A better Q for you: Is there anything you’ve seen or heard in Atlanta that gets you excited about the future? 

DD: Y’know what has me excited? The BMW Championship. People rave about it. They loved the trip to Castle Pines. They loved being in Chicago last year. They love the way the tournament organizers keep venues and markets fresh and pay attention to all the little details. It’s easy to nitpick and complain, so it’s important to recognize who’s doing things especially well in this space.

One other message from Monahan that seemed like good news: they’re obsessed with getting fan feedback. Now, if they can just put it to good use…

SZ: You walked a few holes with Rory McIlroy yesterday. The man who has been doing ungodly things to his driver lately. How’s life in Roryland? 

DD: He seemed good — mostly. He was cheery playing a match with Shane Lowry, I think maybe for a bottle of wine? But he also seemed like he’s running on empty, and he was more than a little disappointed reflecting on his season and evaluating pro golf’s future. I got the sense he’s had a tough time fully reengaging post-U.S. Open heartbreak; even if he wins multiple Tour events there’s nothing he can do in 2024 that’ll get him a major.

SZ: Sure, everyone’s playing for a boatload of money this week, but they’re also trying to stamp their ticket to the Presidents Cup too, with captain’s picks coming Tuesday. Have you gathered any intel on who we can expect to join those squads next week? 

DD: Mostly whispers. But on the U.S. side I have my eye on Justin Thomas — he tends to play well in this event and I think if he has a good week he’s probably in. I’m fascinated to see how captain Jim Furyk handles Max Homa, who earned 7.5 points between the 2022 Presidents Cup and 2023 Ryder Cup, two more than any teammate, but isn’t currently in good form.

On the international side I’m mostly just curious what Mike Weir does with the Canadians. Corey Conners will be in and Taylor Pendrith has to be, too. But what about Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin? A Canadian captain picking Canadian players for a Canadian Presidents Cup means more scrutiny on these picks than usual.

SZ: Okay, sport. Appreciate you putting up with all my questions. My last one is simple: I’m not allowing you to choose Xander Schauffele or Keegan Bradley to win this weekend (for obvious reasons exclusive to you), so who ya got?

DD: Gimme Russell Henley with a mega-comeback! (But Xander’s gonna win. New golf course, same East Lake assassin.)

Dylan Dethier

Golf.com Editor

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.