Chris Kirk agrees with Tour Championship’s controversial decision to invoke internal out-of-bounds

ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler was available to the media on Tuesday and revealed the new strategy the PGA Tour pro has decided to employ starting from the 18th tee.

Instead of playing the natural fairway (which, dare I add, is hard to find), many pros tee off at the par-4 10th hole, which runs parallel to the final hole at East Lake. Playing the 10th hole gives them a more comfortable angle while still taking the famous lake out of play. A no-brainer for golfers at this level. Also, countless trees have been downed. 10th and 18th fairways As part of Andrew Green's restoration, the final hole at East Lake has been made easier to play, starting from number 10.

When Tour Championship officials found out about this, they implemented an interior out-of-bounds rule on the 10th hole for safety reasons and to protect the integrity of the recent restoration of East Lake. Now, players cannot blast down the fairway on the 10th hole unless they hit their third shot from the 18th tee.

For similar reasons, the PGA Tour added an interior out-of-bounds hole at the par-4 seventh hole for those playing the uphill, dogleg-right, par-5 sixth hole.

Still, Chris Kirk, returning to East Lake for the first time since 2014, agreed with the Tour's decision.

“I think it’s very necessary. [PGA Tour Vice President of Rules & Officiating] “I met with Steve Rintoul and some of the officials yesterday during a practice round. I hadn't played the hole yet and they weren't asking me for advice, but the hole wasn't designed that way so I urged them to do something,” Kirk explained Wednesday.

“As players, we're willing to do whatever we feel will give us the best score possible. I thought it was only natural that we would be dropped as No. 10.”

The fairway on the 18th slopes sharply from right to left and downhill, forcing players to face a difficult stance on their second shot as the steep slope of the fairway forces the ball to fly low from impact, not the desired trajectory to reach a firm and fast green in two strokes. On the other hand, the 10th is much flatter, which in theory makes it easier for players to find the putting surface from the fairway.

But the tour put that notion aside, with the safety of players and fans being the top priority.

“This decision was made primarily out of safety concerns, specifically to prevent players from effectively putting people at risk by taking alternate routes,” PGA Tour Chief Umpire Gary Young said.

“When that's likely to happen, you need internal boundaries.”

Kirk considered other factors in supporting his decision.

“If we finished a golf tournament and everyone had hit the ball down the wrong fairway, it would look very bad on television,” Kirk added.

“Renovating the golf course is great, but it certainly distracts from the renovation work. The green complex is so fun and unique and diverse. I think the course is great. If everyone was playing holes on the wrong fairway, it would be a distraction from the renovation work.”

Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley acknowledged that he had adopted this strategy of playing the 10th hole, but will no longer do so. Bradley praised the restoration, saying that Green and his team “did a really good job.”

But perhaps next year, East Lake and the Tour will ease up on the 18th hole's terrain somewhat and eliminate the idea of ​​playing the 10th hole altogether.

“I don't think that's a bad idea,” Kirk said when approached about the idea.

“I don't think it's terrible in its current state. It's true that it's only playable in a very small area. Sure, we might want to ease up a little bit. But like I said, if you do a major renovation like this and there's just one little nitpick that people can pick up on, then you've done a very good job.”

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.