The final showdown: THE TOUR Championship

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Tournament: THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola
Tournament dates: Sept. 22-28
Location: East Lake GC, Atlanta
Field Size: Top 30 players in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup
Looking Forward: Winner of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup earns a $10-million bonus. Second earns $3 million, third $2 million, fourth $1.5 million and fifth $1 million.
TV: GOLF CHANNEL/NBC

Last year: Tiger Woods blitzed a parched East Lake course and the field, shooting a tournament-record 23-under-par 257, which is the third-lowest 72-hole total in TOUR history, for an eight-stroke victory. Zach Johnson shot a third-round 60 to set the tournament 18-hole record.

Summary: After a hot and dry summer of 2007 in Atlanta necessitated soft and slower greens at East Lake, the course -- which has been closed since March -- underwent numerous changes for the 2008 tournament, which includes new greens and the addition of approximately 100 yards to the course. The greens were re-grassed with Mini-Verde ultra dwarf bermudagrass, which is more heat resistant, and greenside bunkers and the area surrounding the greens were also refurbished. A couple fairway bunkers were added and a number of bunkers were moved or reconfigured. The biggest hole changes occurred on the par-4 seventh, which added a new green 40 yards back and to the left, making it an uphill, 430-yard hole. New tees were added on the par-4 13th (increase of 20 yards to 459) and par-5 15th (increase of 35 yards to 530). The most noticeable change will be on the 453-yard, par-4 17th hole, where the fairway was relocated to the left to skirt East Lake and the green was also moved to the left to bring the water into play on the approach shot.

THE TOUR Championship history at East Lake shows great parity. In seven playings, there have been seven different winners.