Jay Monahan spoke to the media at East Lake on Wednesday.
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ATLANTA – Our own Dylan Dethier is at the Tour Championship, where the tour’s best players – and their commissioner – have gathered for the season finale. Our Sean Zak has arrived home after one Eurotrip. Let’s talk some golf!
SZ: Dylan, my friend. I’m back in the Midwest and it’s hot. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you at the tournament. But I know it’s your first week in the country in a while. How did it feel to be back there?
DD: Hi, Sean! Since you mentioned it, let’s start with that heat. I’m not built for it. It’s been 90-something degrees all week, plus sunny, humid, and calm. I really enjoy walking the course during the practice rounds – it’s a good chance to see the players, their courses and their teams. But every afternoon I ended up a sweaty wreck.
It’s so hot that I’m convinced it’s actually a problem for the golf tournament; heat absorbs the life of an event that needs all the life it can get. If you’re a fan, you don’t want to follow groups along the course in such weather; you can stay at home and watch in the air conditioner. After about half a day here, I was already rethinking the tour schedule to take Memphis and Atlanta as part of the spring schedule, while August would take us to Boston, New York, Chicago, Denver, Seattle. But that’s more than enough to complain about, because it’s really good to be here. I cut back on traveling a bit this summer with the birth of our daughter and am now settling into a new normal. It’s great to be back in the mix.
SZ: We’ll get to the important stuff (read: Jay Monahan’s presser) soon, but first, can you tell us your thoughts on that East Lake renovation? I’m struggling to think of a more impactful golf course renovation. can you
DD: Hmm. Whenever Augusta National moves a tee box, we tend to treat it as an international incident, so people probably have stronger opinions about the 13th tee there than anything about East Lake. But when it comes to regular tour stops, I really can’t think of this serious renewal. It’s the same general footprint as the old course, but every pro has agreed: this place is FULLY different. And I think it looks good! of in the OB course it was kind of an embarrassing oversight, but all in all East Lake looks like a more interesting gaming and viewing experience.
Tony Finau told me something interesting: surprisingly it can be an advantage for guys who have never been here because they don’t need to give up anything. I loved how Shane Lowry – who is making his debut here – said:
“Well, everyone keeps saying how different it is, but obviously it’s just a new golf course for me, so I don’t really know anything different, which is great.
“It’s great to hear the guys complaining about it inside the dressing room and I’m happy with what I see.”
SZ: I’ve actually never been to East Lake. Oops! What’s the one thing I should know about it before I watch it on TV this weekend?
DD: This year what you need to know is that it’s a brand new golf course, so it’s not “set” yet. That means the greens are firm, but the areas around the greens are soft, so it’s going to be a little funny. Should keep the pros uncomfortable. Green surroundings are made more interesting with slopes and short grass. And rough is rough; you will want to go on the freeway.
SZ: Okay, let’s get to the juicy stuff. You were there at Jay Monahan’s press. You asked one of the first questions. From my perspective, Monahan spoke with a bunch of confused vagueness. What did you want to learn from him this week and how far was his answer from what you hoped for?
DD: There was a fundamental problem with Monahan pressure: The thing we want to hear about the most – the PIF deal and any talk about LIV – is the one thing he didn’t want to talk about. I found him overly cautious, sitting down and reading his opening statement from a newspaper, which is a difficult way to make any new initiative sound exciting. I would like to see him more conversational and more attacking. After all, people were jumping on the Tour’s grave at the start of 2024. The league has survived! There is much to celebrate.
Reading between the lines you got the message: the Tour believes it’s fine with or without PIF, with or without LIV, so there’s no rush or panic. But Monahan and the Tour still want to keep all their options open, so it’s hard to come out and say it outright. In short, I have some feedback.
SZ: I had a book event in St. Louis. Andrews last week and many people were wondering what the future of professional golf looks like. No one can answer it, not even Monahan. A better question for you: Is there anything you’ve seen or heard in Atlanta that excites you about the future?
DD: You know what got me excited? BMW Championship. People rave about it. They loved the trip to Castle Pines. They loved being in Chicago last year. They love the way tour organizers keep the venues and markets fresh and pay attention to all the little details. It’s easy to cheat and complain, so it’s important to recognize who is doing things particularly well in this space.
Another message from Monahan that sounded like good news: they’re obsessed with getting feedback from fans. Now, if they could just put it to good use…
SZ: You walked a few holes with Rory McIlroy yesterday. The man who did ungodly things to his driver recently. How is life in Roryland?
DD: He looked good – mostly. He was happy playing a match with Shane Lowry, I think maybe over a bottle of wine? But he also looked like he was running on empty and was more than a little disappointed reflecting on his season and evaluating the future of pro golf. I get that he’s had a hard time fully re-engaging post-US Open heartbreak; even if he wins a lot of tournaments, there is nothing he can do in 2024 that will give him a major title.
SZ: Sure, they’re all playing for a boatload of money this week, but they’re also trying to stamp their ticket to the Presidents Cup, with the captain’s choice on Tuesday. Have you picked up any info on who we can expect to join those teams next week?
DD: Mostly whispers. But on the US side, I have my eye on Justin Thomas – he tends to play well in this event and I think if he has a good week he’ll probably be in it. I’m fascinated to see how captain Jim Furyk handles Max Homa, who won 7.5 points between the 2022 Presidents Cup and the 2023 Ryder Cup, two more than any teammate, but is currently out of form.
On the international side, I’m mostly curious about what Mike Weir does with the Canadians. Corey Conners will be in and Taylor Pendrith should be as well. What about Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin? A Canadian captain picking Canadian players for a Canadian Presidents Cup means more scrutiny than usual on those picks.
SZ: Okay, sports. Thanks for putting up with all my questions. The last one is simple: I’m not letting you pick Xander Schauffele or Keegan Bradley to win this weekend (for obvious reasons exclusive to you), so who do you have?
DD: Gimme Russell Henley with a mega comeback! (But Xander will win. New golf course, same East Lake killer.)
