The impetus for the change on 17 was as much from the client and from me, as from the Tour.
It had become clear that they weren’t going to move the tee up for the weekend (they tried it on Saturday in 2021 but few players went for it). They would never give their reasoning, but I suspect it was because picking a distance for the carry would get them accused of favoring some players over others.
So, we moved the green 30 yards back from the edge but still with the lake along the right side. If they lay up, it’s a pretty long approach, so hopefully more players will take on the carry. IF they play the tee up at all, that’s in the Tour’s control, not ours.