2026 TOUR Championship Preview | East Lake Course Success, Field Analysis & FedExCup Finale
With the FedExCup Playoffs now reaching their conclusion, the PGA Tour heads to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, for the TOUR Championship. The final event of the season, this week brings together the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings, with the winner taking home the FedExCup and a $10 million first prize. After the changes introduced last season, the format is once again much simpler than previous seasons. All 30 players will start at even par, meaning the player who shoots the lowest score over 72 holes will win the TOUR Championship and be crowned the FedExCup champion. There are no starting strokes based on FedExCup position, meaning Scottie Scheffler's dominance on the top of the leaderboard once again being irrelevant.
The Course
East Lake Golf Club is one of the most historic courses on the PGA Tour and has been the permanent home of the TOUR Championship since 2004. The original course was designed by Tom Bendelow, with Andrew Green completing a major restoration in 2023. This week, players will face a par 70 playing at 7,440 yards. East Lake typically is a golf course that places a premium on quality ball striking. The fairways are reasonably generous, but the Bermuda rough can be difficult to escape from, particularly when players are left with longer approaches. This makes driving distance valuable, but with a strong emphasis on finding the fairway.
The course features four par 3s, 12 par 4s and two par 5s, with the majority of the scoring opportunities coming on the par 5s and a handful of shorter par 4s. The par 5s are both reachable in two for most, meaning players who can combine distance with strong approach play will have opportunities to build their score quickly. Approach play is likely to be the biggest separator this week. East Lake features a number of demanding mid-to-long iron approaches, and players who continually put themselves in good positions off the tee will have a significant advantage. The greens are also surrounded by difficult run-off areas, making missed approaches costly.
The renovation has also changed the way we should look at some of the historical data. The course was significantly restored ahead of the 2024 TOUR Championship, with changes made to the greens, bunkers, fairways and surrounding areas. While the overall characteristics of East Lake remain the same, I am going to put more emphasis on recent performances rather than relying solely on results from the older version of the course. Since the renovation we had Tommy Fleetwood winning last year's event at 18-under and Scottie Scheffler winning at 30-under in 2024. Recent results suggest that players will need to take advantage of the scoring opportunities rather than trying to survive the course.
The Field
- Field: 30 Players
- Cut: No Cut
- FedExCup: Winner
- Purse: $40,000,000
- Winner: $10,000,000
Course Success
Historically, East Lake has favoured complete players who can consistently gain strokes from tee to green. Distance is important, but I don't want to overvalue driving distance at the expense of accuracy and approach play. The best players here are generally those who can combine strong driving with elite iron play and avoid the mistakes that come from missing in the wrong places. The combination of East Lake's characteristics and the way the tournament is structured means I'm looking for players who can gain in multiple areas rather than relying on one elite skill. Here are the most important stats for me this week:
- SG: Approach
- SG: Tee to Green
- Good Drive %
- Par 4 Scoring
- Birdie or Better %