For the first time in a very long time I've seen a par 4 that meets the challenge of the pro game.
The 5th at East Lake plays as a par 5 for members. In prior years at the Tour Championship, they moved the pro tees up and it played just under 500 yards. They put them back against the fence this year and the 5th is at 520.
The hole plays dramatically downhill with a fairway sloping left. The green is very large and accepts bounces from the right.
It's something of a mystery to me why it is playing so hard. I was struck last night when I saw that the average approach shot was at 245 yards. That means that the pros' average drive is about 270 on a downhill hole where the ball is rolling.
The only thing I can think that is going on is the termperature. It's very cold, mid 50's or lower The ball isn't going as far.
Hey, wait a minute. Might EL this week be an unintentional experiment with a shorter ball? Might it be where we can see the effect of the kind of ball many of us would like to see? All because of the unusually cold weather.
Because nothing else explains what is going on at the 5th and the scoring generally at EL this week.
I'll be curious to watch the play this weekend.
Bob