Scottie Scheffler not crazy about an East Lake course that creates congestion on leaderboard

Scottie Scheffler raised concerns about the East Lake course creating congestion on the leaderboard during the third round of the 2026 PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta. The par-3 ninth hole, measuring 270 yards, saw players making two birdies and six bogeys, resulting in 79 pars out of 87 attempts. This high number of pars led Scheffler to question the necessity of playing the hole, as it essentially becomes a "skip it" scenario when everyone aims for par.

The scoring at East Lake has been notably tight, with Viktor Hovland and Ryan Gerard managing to separate themselves from the pack. Hovland posted a 65, leading by one stroke over Gerard's 66, thanks to six putts of seven feet or longer on the final six holes. However, the majority of the field, including Cameron Young, Kristoffer Reitan, and Alex Smalley, found themselves at three-under 207 after 54 holes, sharing the bottom of the leaderboard.

Several golfers, including McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg, drew comparisons to the PGA Championship at Aronimink, which had seen a seven-way 18-hole lead shared in the tournament's history. Aberg, who started with a double bogey and managed seven birdies, acknowledged the difficulty in generating birdies at East Lake, drawing parallels to the challenging conditions at Aronimink.