Joe Buck, the play-by-play voice of ESPN's "Monday Night Football," likes to play golf. So does his wife, Michelle Beisner-Buck, a reporter on the "MFN" pegame show who also enjoys dancing and is acrobatic.

So that made for a bad combination when the St. Louisans were on a golf course in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in July.

They tell the painful ...Read more

ATLANTA — Collin Morikawa, as befit his status as challenger, entered the ring first Sunday. He stood at East Lake’s first tee, peering downrange, staring down the perils of the single most difficult hole in this Tour Championship.

Then came the champ, making his rounds, shaking some hands first before coming up behind his playing partner. ...Read more

ATLANTA — Sahith Theegala was 90% sure he moved just ‘a few grains of sand.’

That’s all it took.

It was enough to call a two-stroke penalty on himself in the middle of the Tour Championship with the $25 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup playoff finale on the line. Theegala will sleep better for it.

Theegala called the penalty, ...Read more

ATLANTA — This week at the Tour Championship they’ve thrown everything at Scottie Scheffler save a bad-tempered Louisville traffic cop. And still he hasn’t flinched. One more big title and one more really big payday is beginning to look a lot like, as nobody in his hometown of Dallas says, a fait accompli.

Saturday normally is called ...Read more

ATLANTA — At East Lake Golf Club, at least, golf ruled the day Saturday.

Sure, No. 1 Georgia and No. 14 Clemson were engaged in a college football battle just down the road at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The noon kickoff nearly corresponded with the start of the third round of the Tour Championship. Georgia Tech was to host Georgia State later in ...Read more

ATLANTA — This is the eighth straight year that Tony Finau has qualified for a spot in the Tour Championship, the longest active streak that he shares with Xander Schauffele.

He just wants more than a participation trophy.

“I’m extremely proud of how many times I’ve been able to be a top-30 performer on the PGA Tour,” Finau said. “...Read more

ATLANTA — For another day at least, the great Scheffler-Schauffele “Schowdown” lives at the Tour Championship.

And, by all means, throw Collin Morikawa into the mix, even if he’s several strokes down the alliteration leaderboard.

Hey, a three-man race for golf’s largest financial windfall is a lot better than a one-man coup any day. ...Read more

ATLANTA — Ben An made history on Friday at the Tour Championship, but the feat won’t get him anything. Not even a piece of crystal or a glass bowl.

On a hot, windless second-round morning, An became the first man to drive the eighth hole at East Lake Golf Club.

Officials moved the tee up by 50 yards in the second round to tempt players to ...Read more

ATLANTA — For as much as Rory McIlroy lamented his loss to Bryon DeChambeau in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in June, there was something good about it.

The tournament was one of the few, really just four majors a year, that now bring together the world’s best golfers as the ongoing dispute between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf continues.

There ...Read more

ATLANTA — At the end of a long, grinding season, 30 golfers trudged East Lake Golf Club Thursday for the first round of the Tour Championship, trying to summon the will to make one last climb up an Everest of money.

They were tired, a season that wrapped new signature events and an Olympics around the usual pressure-packed majors compressed ...Read more

ATLANTA — Collin Morikawa just wanted to be 3 under par on the back nine.

He went 6 under — by way of six consecutive birdies.

That’ll work.

Morikawa shot a 5-under 66, tied for the second lowest round of the day, in the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on Thursday. All of a sudden, he is tied for second on ...Read more

ATLANTA — Count Rory McIlroy among those who like the renovation of East Lake Golf Club.

In fact, he loves it.

McIlroy is a three-time winner of the FedEx Cup. He has a lot of reasons — and dollars — to like the old course.

On Thursday, McIlroy was asked about his thoughts on the renovation, completed just in time for this year’s Tour...Read more

ATLANTA —The question: Would you pay more than $2,000 for a simple white golf cap that did nothing to lower your handicap?

For those who put a high value on infamy, the answer is a resounding yes.

Last weekend the signed cap that Scottie Scheffler wore the day he was arrested at the PGA Championship reportedly fetched a remarkable $2,375 ...Read more

ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler, for all his freakish, Tiger-adjacent kind of success, knows plenty about playoff disappointment. He lives in Dallas.

“The Cowboys have had great regular seasons the last few years and left me heartbroken,” he said.

Before getting into Scheffler’s issues at the Tour Championship, it’s important to note ...Read more

ATLANTA — Justin Thomas watched the Tour Championship on television last year.

He didn’t like it.

Thomas failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoff finale after making seven consecutive appearances at East Lake Golf Club. He won the event in 2017 in a run that includes playoff finishes of 12th, first, seventh, third, second, fourth and ...Read more

ATLANTA — Well, that strategy didn’t last long.

Several players here at the Tour Championship have been experimenting with hitting their drive at No. 18 down the fairway at No. 10 during practice rounds. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, first and second in the FedEx Cup points standings, said they have contemplated the strategy for ...Read more

ATLANTA — Two of the prominent figures in the restoration of East Lake Golf Club spoke of the changes to the course ahead of this week’s Tour Championship – course architect Andrew Green and East Lake general manager Chad Parker.

— Q. Now that you’re here and there are players on it, what are your thoughts?

— AG: I’m super ...Read more

ATLANTA — If anyone should resent and resist the changes they’ve made to the East Lake Golf Club course in advance of this week’s Tour Championship, it’s the one guy who’s OK with putting an “X” on his scorecard.

In fact, if Xander Schauffele was really serious about protecting his interests he would have spent the better part of ...Read more

ATLANTA — The new greens at East Lake Golf Club are hard and fast.

So, for this year’s Tour Championship, the golfers will get a bit of a break.

According to course architect Andrew Green, the back tee boxes on the par-3 No. 9 and the par-3 No. 15 won’t be used for this tournament. Hole No. 3, with new tee boxes moved to the left, can ...Read more