Monday was a light day for the players and tournament officials at East Lake Golf Club. There were no scheduled events and the public did not have access to the course, which kept things at low key. Not everyone in the 30-man field was at the course.
Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 1 and winner of three of the last four events, was in the middle of the practice range. His audience? Two women, one with a camera. Three hitting stations to his right was Dustin Johnson, who was being watched by a couple of young volunteers. Rickie Fowler was out on the course somewhere, accompanied by his caddie.
Seen on the putting green was 2010 FedEx Cup and Tour Championship winner Jim Furyk. No one stood by the ropes as Furyk worked on his putting stroke.
The field this year includes 10 international players from six countries outside the United States: Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Justin Rose from England; 2008 champion Adam Scott and John Senden from Australia; Louis Oosthuizen and Ernie Els from South Africa; McIlroy from Northern Ireland; Sergio Garcia from Spain; and Carl Pettersson from Sweden.
Seven players in the field began the playoffs outside the top 30 and had to play their way into the Tour Championship. Scott (No. 32), Garcia (No. 33), Oosthuizen (No. 34) and Senden (No. 37) didn’t have far to go. Nick Watney (No. 49), Lee Westwood (No. 51) and Ryan Moore (No. 64) needed to play hard in order to qualify. Watney won the Barclays, Westwood tied for second at the BMW Championship and Moore tied for 10th at the BMW.
Tuesday’s schedule
The presentation of the Payne Stewart Award, one of the most coveted by the players, will occur Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Southern Company exhibit space near the tournament’s main entrance. The honor is given each year to a player who shares the same respect for the game’s tradition and a commitment to charitable support with Stewart, a three-time major champion who perished in a plane crash in 1999.
David Toms, who won the award last year, called it “one of the best honors in golf.” Other previous winners are Kenny Perry, Davis Love III, Hal Sutton, Gary Player, Brad Faxon, Jay Haas, Tom Watson, Nick Price, Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Byron Nelson.
The tournament will also host the inaugural Executive Women’s Day on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This event brings some of the most influential women from the Atlanta area together to network and discuss personal and professional development. Among the speakers will be former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin.
Weather update
While showers are likely on Tuesday, the weather for the remainder of the week looks promising, according to the Weather Channel. The high temperatures are expected to be between 77 and 82 degrees, with only a 10 percent chance of rain during the tournament.
Miscellaneous
The staff at the East Lake’s pro shop was busy stocking the shelves with new hats, shirts and accessories. Chad Parker, the club’s PGA professional, said the shop normally does a lot of business during the week. The pro shop is open to anyone who has a clubhouse badge. … Coca-Cola, the tournament’s title sponsor, has a large footprint on the tournament. In addition to all the signage on the property, there is a vintage Coke machine encased in glass near the entrance of the clubhouse.
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