Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/875918
Thompson teesoff "Alabama's Golf Insider" teesoff Thompson teesoff 9.21.17 In recognition of the milestone of recently reaching my 200th issue, I'm pleased to offer a special "Lifetime" subscription offer of $100 for 10 years of issues! That's right, this special offer is available now and will mean you won't have to pay $30 annually, but rather a one-time payment of $100 for up to 10 years of issues. This option is available when you click the Subscribe Now! button. Click our Icon to Subscribe! Did you know the closest the top-ranked players on the PGA Tour come to Bir- mingham all year is to Atlanta and the Tour Championship? The top 30 players on the FedEx Cup points list will gather at East Lake Golf Club start- ing TODAY for the nal event of the season and it presents a superb opportunity to watch these top players in person. Ticket prices vary by day, but every adult ticket gets up to four children, ages 18 and under, in for free with a paid adult. That's a great deal to take junior golfers along to see Jordan Spieth, the University of Alabama's own Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Jason Day and many other top names. For many it may be their rst time to see these superstars in the game up close and personal. So, if you have the time, load up the car and head east on I-20 to Atlanta. With just 30 golfers, and no cut, it's a small, intimate eld and the ultimate pressure- cooker for the top ve in the FedEx Cup points list (Spieth, Thomas, Johnson, Marc Leishman and Jon Rahm) who all control their own destiny in the battle for the $10 million FedEx Cup prize. As in, if they win the Tour Championship, they will also win the FedEx Cup, regardless of anyone else's performance. Also there will be the battle for the $1.575 million rst place check for the Tour Championship itself. To clarify, as the nale of the PGA Tour Playo s for the FedEx- Cup, the top-30 play- ers in FedExCup points after the BMW Cham- pionship quali ed for the Tour Champion- ship. FedExCup points are reset prior to the Tour Championship, ensuring a real shootout as all 30 players in the eld will have a mathematical chance of winning the FedExCup with a victory at East Lake Golf Club. A win by any of the top ve seeds will guarantee the FedExCup title outright. East Lake is a course many of the top players know well as the Tour Championship has been played there every year since 2004 and three times before then beginning in 1998. Coca Cola, based in Atlanta, is the presenting sponsor of the Tour Championship, so hence the Atlanta venue. The property known as East Lake was purchased in 1904 and the golf course, designed by Tom Bendelow, opened July 4, 1908. In 1913, famed golf course ar- chitect Donald Ross redesigned the Bendelow course at East Lake and then in 1994, Rees Jones restored Donald Ross' golf course layout. Over the years, the East Lake course has hosted The Tour Championship…it's closer than you think Dustin Johnson Marc Leishman