The weather in Atlanta Thursday is predicted to be near-perfect for an August afternoon round of golf.
Partly cloudy skies. Light wind. Temperatures in the low 90s.
Ideal conditions for another vintage Tiger Woods run in the season-ending Tour Championship.
The winner of the Tour Championship pockets a $15 million first-place check (before taxes, of course) and bragging rights as the 2019 FedEx Cup champion.
The only thing missing from this dream scenario for the PGA Tour and its broadcast partners is . . . Tiger Woods.
FORWARD PRESS PODCAST: Previewing the Tour Championship
A 15-time major winner and 2019 Masters champion, Woods failed to qualify for the Tour Championship after a WD in the Northern Trust and a good-but-not-great 7-under, T-37 performance at the BMW Championship last weekend.
There are still 30 big names competing this weekend at East Lake – one of whom will earn the money and accolades mentioned above.
Justin Thomas enters play at 10-under overall thanks to his spot atop the current FedEx Cup Standings. He’ll lead Patrick Cantlay by 2 stokes. The rest of the field will trail Thomas at varying larger margins depending on their current spot in the standings. Among the others expected to contend: Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and a fully-clad Brooks Koepka.
There is no PGA Tour prize money being offered this week. The $45 million mountain of cash at stake is considered FedEx Cup bonus money and does not count toward a player’s official season earnings. The first-place prize and overall purse represent the largest payouts in PGA Tour history.
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Scores | Odds | FedEx Cup Standings | Purse
A top-five finish is worth at least $2.5 million this weekend. That is more prize money than a 1st-place finish in any other 2018-19 season tournament, including the four majors. The last-place guaranteed money in the 30-player Tour Championship is $395,000. That’s more than Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen earned for their T-7 finish in the U.S. Open.
There is another $15 million in FedEx Cup bonus money dispersed among those players who finished 31-150 in the final standings after last week. Those payouts range from $200,000 down to $70,000.
Follow below for updates all afternoon from East Lake.
Tour Championship Twitter Stream
Tour Championship Tee Times
All times are Eastern.
1st Tee – Thursday
Tee Time | Players |
11:45 a.m. | Lucas Glover, Jason Kokrak |
11:55 a.m. | Louis Oosthuizen, Charles Howell III |
12:05 p.m. | Chez Reavie, Bryson DeChambeau |
12:15 p.m. | Corey Conners, Sungjae Im |
12:25 p.m. | Marc Leishman, Tommy Fleetwood |
12:35 p.m. | Rickie Fowler, Kevin Kisner |
12:45 p.m. | Justin Rose, Brandt Snedeker |
12:55 p.m. | Hideki Matsuyama, Paul Casey |
1:05 p.m. | Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson |
1:15 p.m. | Gary Woodland, Tony Finau |
1:25 p.m. | Webb Simpson, Abraham Ancer |
1:35 p.m. | Matt Kuchar, Xander Schauffele |
1:45 p.m. | Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm |
1:55 p.m. | Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed |
2:05 p.m. | Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay |
Tour Championship Round 1 Hole Locations
Tour Championship TV/Streaming Schedule
Thursday
Golf Channel: 1 – 6 p.m.
PGA Tour Live: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Featured Groups)
PGA Tour Radio: 12 – 6 p.m. (XM 92/Sirius 208)
Friday
Golf Channel: 1 – 6 p.m.
PGA Tour Live: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Featured Groups)
PGA Tour Radio: 12 – 6 p.m. (XM 92/Sirius 208)
Saturday
Golf Channel: 1 – 2 :30 p.m.
NBC: 2:30 – 7 p.m.
PGA Tour Radio: 2 – 7 p.m. (XM 92/Sirius 208)
Sunday
Golf Channel: 12 – 1:30 p.m.
NBC: 1:30 – 6 p.m.
PGA Tour Radio: 1 – 6 p.m. (XM 92/Sirius 208)