Ten percent of the Tour Championship field consists of former Georgia Bulldog golfers, a fact that hardly escaped Harris English’s notice. That, and one other clean old-fashioned rivalry-related detail.
“Yeah, three Bulldogs and no Georgia Tech guys, so it’s pretty cool,” English laughed.
He should enjoy it while he can because a place in this season-ending extravaganza is fleeting. As proved by some of these very Bulldogs.
English entered this season with only conditional playing status on the PGA Tour, outside the top 126 players. With four top-10s in his first five starts, he quickly got himself into contention for the playoffs. This is his second swing through the Tour Championship, his first coming five years ago. He’ll tee off Friday at 4 under on the staggered scoring system used for this event, beginning six back of FedEx Cup points leader Dustin Johnson.
Brendon Todd had even more rehab work to do, after having to regain his PGA Tour card last year on the lesser Korn Ferry Tour. He won twice early on the big tour to stake his claim to a spot in this Tour Championship. This also is his second Tour Championship start (last in 2014). He’ll start at 3 under.
The third Bulldog is a relative regular. Kevin Kisner, who will start at 1 under, has made four previous trips to East Lake (2015, ’16, ’17 and ’19).
Lacking, however, will be the usual soundtrack that accompanies Georgia players who make the Tour Championship. It can sound like the first quarter of a game at Sanford Stadium when there’s a gallery in Atlanta. But no gallery this year.
“The coolest part of this event is coming here and having that support,” Kisner said. “I just finished a Zoom pro-am and told the guys that’s going to be one of the biggest disappointments of the week is not having fans barking and screaming, ‘Go Dawgs’ every time I hit a good shot or make a birdie. It’s going to be a quiet week here. Hopefully we can run around here and have a chance to win, and we’ll do a lot of celebrating in Athens this fall at a football game.”
That’s another uncertainty for another time.
Thomas looks forward to not playing with the lead: Experience may be beneficial to Justin Thomas, a three-time winner this season, who will start the Tour Championship three shots behind. Last year he was No. 1 entering the Tour Championship, when the new scoring system made its debut, and he wound up tied for third.
“It’s going to be quite different, but it’s crazy. It’s only three shots, but I feel like it’ll feel a lot different when I’m out there,” Thomas said. “I think it’s going to feel more normal. I’m going to be able to go about my normal game a little bit better.”
Thomas may have gotten tangled up in scoreboard watching a year ago. This year he promises to stay more focused on his own game.
“I just need to not get as wrapped up in everybody’s scores, as opposed to just me playing golf and playing this place as well as I can,” Thomas said. “Because it is a place that I have played well and I do really like.”
Equal-opportunity East Lake: Webb Simpson sees East Lake as an ideal site to determine the season-long championship, since it doesn’t favor one particular style. Bombers have won there, as well as those with skills similar to Simpson, who makes his money with accuracy and putting.
“I think as a whole, all 30 guys would probably say they really enjoy this golf course,” Simpson said. “And I do think there’s no advantage.”
He alluded to previous winners such as Jim Furyk, Bill Haas and Brandt Snedeker, none of them who fall in the long-hitter category, as well as Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Henrik Stenson who play a power game.
“You have winners, all types of drivers of the golf ball, which I think shows that it’s a really good golf course and a test because you have all these different types of winners,” he said.
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