ATLANTA – The Tour Championship is one of just a few PGA Tour events that don’t have an on-site pro-am, the others being the World Golf Championships.
Instead, members of the sponsor’s entourage are allowed to attend Tuesday night’s Payne Stewart Award celebration and a breakfast and Q&A with selected players on Wednesday at East Lake, which included Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar, followed by a golf clinic with other players (including a very animated Vijay Singh).
Afterward, participants were shuttled across town to The Capital City Club in Buckhead for a pro-am with Tour types not in this week’s field at East Lake.
To recap: the sponsors are happy, players avoid five-hour pro-am rounds and participants enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Can someone please explain to GTC why this format isn’t copied at other Tour events?