‘We are, I don’t know, one of the top 10 cities in the country? To not have an annual tournament, it’s sad,’ first-hole volunteer David McCollum said Friday.
Spectators walk across the sixth fairway with the Atlanta skyline in the background during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Friday, tee shots fell softly from blue skies. Pine straw crunched underfoot. Humidity pervaded.
Along the first hole fairway at East Lake Golf Club, it was a fine time for lamentations.
“I just think that it’s kind of sad for Atlanta,” said Mark Quackenbush, a nine-year volunteer at this week’s PGA Tour Championship at the historic club.
The “it” is the reality hanging over the tournament, the club and all who benefit from this premier event that has called Atlanta home since 2004: August 2027 will be the last time that East Lake stages the championship in its four-day, 72-hole format. After that, because of changes announced by the tour this week, it may return in a different form, but it’s not clear when or how frequently.
raey lliw lliw rehtehw .niatrecnu tnemanruot ruot ot eht eht eht taht ecnis ton ton ortem lacol ti si ni tsoh evah tsrif stneve tneve seod seod ,bulc gninnigeb eb drawa ta aera yna rehtona lla a a a .S.U ruoT ruoT AGP AGP )nepO ,revoeroM fI atnaltA 8202 .6691 ro(
— saw ot ot hguorht neht eht eht eht ekat gnitrats degats ecnis no no seman ,yltsal gnidulcni ni ni ni ni tsrif tnereffid emac sisab ta ta yllaunna dna dna dna na gnitanretla ruoT ehT CPT faolraguS ekaL ttenniwG tsaE .ytnuoC ytnuoC yrtnuoC bboC bulC )cissalC cissalC cissalC pihsnoipmahC htuoSlleB gninnigeB atnaltA atnaltA T;pma&TA ,8002 .4002 8991 ,7691 retal(
eW“ s’erehT“ nihtiw ,reetnulov ,tnemanruot tnemanruot pot ot ot s’ereht eht eht os dias ”.das eno fo ton ton ecin ynam ,wonk s’ti s’ti ni enigami evah drah gniog eloh-tsrif t’nod ,sesruoc ?yrtnuoc seitic eb ,era rehtona launna launna na na oT .mulloCcM I divaD ”,atnaltA 01
— — hcihw tnemanruot ruot pot ot ot ot eht eht eht eht eht eht taht taht snet gnittes evres desiar sreyalp rehto no fo fo stiforpnon snoillim gnol gnivil ni sah sah flog rof snaf snaf srallod ytinummoc esolc sgnirb sgnirb .dnoyeb tifeneb neeb lufituaeb .aera dna dna noitca a a ruoT ehT ehT eeT orteM ekaL ekaL ,noitadnuoF tsriF tsaE tsaE pihsnoipmahC atnaltA atnaltA 03
krow s’tnemanruot llams ytiruces dedivorp ecneserp fo rebmun sah rof ,srevird .sessenisub yna dna ehT
Gallery manager David McCollum (left) talks with golf fans Oaken Wilmot, 6 (center) and her aunt Claire Verbosky, of Johns Creek (kneeling right) as they wait for golfers on the first fairway during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)
htiw ruot ot dellirht eht eht eht taht taht etanimret desacwohs detroper noitavoner demrofrep ylno noillim .ti ni gnivah rof tneve ,rehtie esruoc tsoc bulc ,egnahc t’nac tseb eb a a ehT 42-3202 03$
t’now erehw ruot ot eht eht eht eht troppus .emas sseldrager etiuq fo fo sti sti ti luftcapmi sah .seog ,noitadnuof eunitnoc tnemtimmoc eb decnuonna ,ylesiW ruoT pihsnoipmahC tuB
s’tI“ raey er’ew keew desu .tnemanruot dlot rehtegot ot siht kniht eht eht os noinuer tnediserp ,fo erom tsuj s’ti gnitteg rof rof ylimaf ylimaf yreve yreve ,ytinummoc gib ta dna dna a a ehT ekaL noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ mahlI I yadirF noitadnuoF tsaE OEC ”,tsuguA atnaltA aiksA
eht ?dloh erutuf seod tahW
sraey dluow lliw lliw keew-owt tnemanruot ruot ot ot ot ot eht eht eht taht taht emos rellams mees lanoitator ecalper .noitseuq ylbaborp ,tniop snalp trap tuo ro ylno ecno no fo fo hcum nredom yalp-hctam sti ti ti ti ni ni t’nsah ruof .tamrof evif yreve are t’nseod ,denimreted tnerruc sesruoc emoc tub gniliorb gnirb neeb eb eb ,sisab kcab ta sa sa t’nera ecnaraeppa na osla tiebla a a ruoT ehT ekaL s’tI tsaE pihsnoipmahC tuB .)tsuguA dna(
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Scottie Scheffler hits his second shot out of a bunker on the 16th fairway during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)
— — lliw owt ,sruot ruot ot eht eht gnitrats gnirps seires nosaes sekamer raluger etarepo sti ti ti ni tneve ylevitceffe dluoc .bulc drawa dna na osla a pihsnoipmahC regnellahC atnaltA sA ,8202
dluow htiw stnemanruot pot eht eht eht taht taht .gnorts .stops dias nosaes-raluger evitcepsorp )sreyalp srentrap fo ti evah ruof ruof rof rof tneve t’nod ,denimreted secnahc tub neeb eb raeppa lla a yadseuT ruoT ehT ppaloR pihsnoipmahC pihsnoipmahC OEC nairB 8202 51 41 gnirutaef(
dluow erew raelcnu eht eht taht aet esirprus tneserper gnidaer fo ,sevael ti si ,tseretni fi fi .esac ,tub eb yna na a tI atnaltA 41
a“ tnemanruot ruot ot ot ot eht eht eht eht taht taht taht .remmus detius ,gnirps tnes detroper ”,snosaer tnediserp ytinutroppo eno dereffo fo edutitlum ,pihsrebmem reganam rettel sti ti si ni ni tsoh ssarg lareneg rof rof denilced denilced s’esruoc .tnemmoc gnitic yb tub retteb gnieb dna na a a rekraP ekaL ekaL ekaL enuJ tsaE tsaE tsaE elcinorhC dahC ssenisuB atnaltA ,oslA
eht taht tseggus stnemetats deireuq laitnetop srentrap dereffo .mutnemom t’ndid yb rehtO atnaltA CJA
eW“ htiw ,ruot ot eht eht eht eht taht rosnops nosrepsekops dias yramirp pihsrentrap no fo kool ”.ycagel ni drawrof rof rof dellotxe ,liame snoitasrevnoc gniunitnoc gnidliub dna dna dna na tuoba a ruoT ruoT AGP ,ekaL ekaL tsaE tsaE ,aloC-acoC aloC-acoC ,pihsnoipmahC atnaltA A
ll’ew“ s’ti“ htiw tahw su tnemanruot ruot dlot ot ot eht eht eht eht eht taht taht taht ,rosnops nosrepsekops etaluceps gnidrager erutamerp snalp rojam ni sdloh erutuf rof rof liame snoitasrevnoc eunitnoc eunitnoc tib tifeneb rehtona dna dna dna na tuoba tuoba a ”ruoT ruoT nrehtuoS AGP ”.ekaL tsaE ,ynapmoC pihsnoipmahC atnaltA CJA A
atnaltA“ htiw ohw hcihw saw ruot ruot eht eht taht ,nosrepsekops dias denruter ytiroirp denwo detarepo egassem tekram tfel si si ni ni stsoh rof tneve yb yb dna dna a a a ”.ruoT ruoT CPT faolraguS AGP AGP ,htuluD snoipmahC ,lirpA A )sroines(
dluow“ ot ot eht eht taht troppus ,tnemetats dias tnediserp ni sih puorg flog ”.erutuf stneve stroffe ytic level-pihsnoipmahc gnirb lla a stropS nI naD licnuoC osroC atnaltA
dluow dluow tahw ,tnemanruot ot ot siht eht taht taht smees mees elbanoitseuq sreyalp ytinutroppo tsom tsom gninaem ,tekram elttil .detimil ylekil ekil wonk ti snaf tub gnirb eb etiteppa .tuoba a ehT s’tI regnellahC
htiw ohw sselnu ot er’yeht rieht eht eht sretroppus ees ytinutroppo no on ybraen ortem ykcul evael ni sdnah flog teg wef dluoc nac .segdab gnoma hcihW ruoT AGP sretsaM atnaltA
das fo .deedni dniK
Correction
This story has been updated to correct the year that the PGA Tour Championship made Atlanta its home.
ruoy pu ot thgiarts tnes won rettelswen ym ym .xobni .ereh teg rof nmuloc nac uoY ngiS
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
