On Championship Sunday, only the last group of Tommy Fleetwood and Patrick Cantlay could score anything other than a par on the second hole of the TOUR Championship. Tommy scored a birdie, and Cantlay managed a double bogey. The golf world was hoping that the last group would also end on a par, as that had never been done during an entire round of a PGA Tour event. As excited as they were, this unique statistic exposed a major flaw of East Lake Golf Course, that it was wildly predictable, or what some might call ‘easy’.

East Lake has been the home of the TOUR Championship for 22 consecutive editions of the tournament, 25 in total. Before 2007, the event didn’t hold much value, but after the introduction of the FedEx Cup, it became the premium tournament. Until 2024, no one paid much heed to what the course had to offer. They were too busy chasing Tiger Woods‘s journey, calculating the starting strokes, and debating who should have actually won. But the 2025 TOUR Championship didn’t have any of that, thanks to the change in format, and fans saw East Lake for what it really was.

One of its biggest flaws is that the venue is cursed with the wraiths of Thor & Freyr. For those who don’t get the reference, the region of Atlanta, Georgia, celebrates the summer monsoon season during August and September every year. And just like the past season, this year was also plagued with wet grass and muddy fields at times. While the spectators adapted with raincoats and umbrellas, they weren’t that happy that the tournament officials had given the players the option to adjust as well.

Considering the weather, the PGA Tour allowed the use of the preferred lies rule. Basically, players were allowed to clean muddy balls on the fairway and place them back in the marked position. When the PGA Tour announced the rule for the first round, it was met with a lot of backlash. Fans started questioning the conditions of East Lake after the rule was applied to the remaining rounds. They called the Atlanta-based course “disgraceful,” “boring,” and “way too easy.”

AccuWeather had already predicted a 55% chance of rain and a 33% chance of thunderstorms. The grounds staff and the PGA Tour could have used this information much more effectively. Instead, the last-minute rule change allowed many players to escape tough spots. However, one thing that even they couldn’t have tackled is how easy the weather made the course. Rain and moisture ensured the fairways, roughs, and greens were soft. This allowed golfers to land with precision. There was less risk of the ball bouncing away or spinning back too much.

Fans also shared their opinions on the same via polls asked on Essentially Sports’s Flagship Golf Newsletter, Essentially Golf. When they were asked, “Do You Think East Lake Is Too Easy for the Season Finale?” 72.50% of the community voted “Yes”. One of the fans commented, “Nothing challenging at all about this course..mediocre players are having an easy time,” in response to the poll. Others were more critical of the setup: “Flat course, flat greens, wedge approach, wide fairway equals BORING,” and “To win 10 mill Dollars the pros should not be 13 under par for 2 rounds.”

After two rounds, Russell Henley and Tommy Fleetwood had both scored 13-under. Henley had managed a 9-under 61 in the first round, and Cameron Young scored an 8-under 62 on Friday. Fleetwood had an excellent 36 holes of 64-63 to rise to the top of the table. There were too many scores of -6, -7, and -8 from various players across all four rounds. If any of them could have remained consistent with their scoring across the 72 holes, then they could have even challenged Hideki Matsuyama’s 35-under in The Sentry 2025.

Talking about the numerous low scores on all four days, someone also stated, “62s and 63s? Not good. They need to work for their share of $40 million. On our vets day, the green keeper doesn’t make it easier because we’re old. Stop putting these players in cotton wool.” The soft lie, combined with the rainy weather, made East Lake an extremely easy course to play on. Considering the stature of the tournament and the huge $40 million purse at stake, players shouldn’t expect anything less than an Oakmont-level of challenge.

In another poll, the community was asked, “Do You Think the Tour Championship Should Be Moved to a Different Course?” That also received a strong response from the majority of the fans as 65.88% voted “Yes”. The general opinion was that East Lake should be a part of a rotation of courses for the TOUR Championship, like the U.S. Open. One of them also gave a suggestion of the rotation, “I like the idea of rotating the courses between Pine Valley, Cypress Point, and East Lake.”

Pine Valley is an iconic course that has hosted USGA events like the Walker Cup in the past. It is densely populated with bunkers and has some of the most difficult greens. The New Jersey course only rewards those who are bold and accurate.

As far as Cypress Point goes, it offers a different kind of challenge for the pros who have just come from playing at Pine Valley. The scenic surrounding often fools the onlooker. Playing in the windy conditions surrounded by the ocean is a challenge even pros are afraid of taking. It was the home of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am from 1947 to 1990. A tournament that often sees the winner score -15 or better only had 1 player manage the same score when it was at Cypress Point. No one other than Tom Watson in 1977 managed to better the 15-under 273 on the narrow fairways.

To everyone’s delight, the PGA Tour has already hinted that a TOUR Championship venue change is in the pipeline.

By when can we expect to see the TOUR Championship at a new course? 

Apparently, the conversation regarding changing the venue for the TOUR Championship had begun long before fans spotted the flaws at East Lake. Golfweek’s acclaimed journalist, Adam Schupak, revealed that Brian Rolapp & the PGA Tour were already discussing a possible venue change. Player director Adam Scott also revealed, “It’s been discussed. We’ve questioned everything at some point. I couldn’t tell you contractually how long we’re tied to there, but East Lake is where it’s at.”

Apparently, the only thing keeping the TOUR Championship at East Lake right now is the PGA Tour’s contractual obligations. While Scott didn’t provide a timeline, his statement did suggest that the PGA Tour is strongly considering moving out once they are no longer liable. Peter Malnati, who is also a player director, stated, “I don’t hear fans say it is an exciting golf course to watch golf. I know it does a lot for the community, and that’s very important, but I think it would be cool for our biggest trophy to be given away at a course that really excites fans.”

He himself has never qualified for the FedEx Cup finale. Malnati still understands where the fans are coming from with their complaints about the course. While Scott didn’t provide a timeline, he did suggest when everyone might get a better picture of the situation. “[It’s] impossible to change everything this year. Next year you’ll see the full picture.” 

No, fans will not see the 2026 TOUR Championship away from East Lake. However, Adam Scott’s statement does suggest that the team is working out how they can plan to move on from East Lake. All we can do now is wait and watch.