FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland in total 'shock' ahead of Tour Championship

Viktor Hovland has revealed his state of shock at discovering a completely different East Lake test ahead of his title defence at this week's Tour Championship. 

Soon after Hovland etched his name on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup for the first time in his career last August, the iconic East Lake Golf Club underwent major restoration led by Andrew Green. 

Hovland fired rounds of 68, 64, 66 and 63 for a 27-under par total, a record since the new staggered start was setup in 2019. 

With birdies being made just about everywhere, Green and his team took instant action to toughen up the golf course.

It's now very much a major test. 

While all 30 players in the lineup this week knew significant changes had been made, nobody in the field had seen them in person prior to this week.

Hovland was stunned by what he saw on Monday. 

Related: FedEx Cup Quiz: seven quick-fire questions ahead of the Tour Championship

The European Ryder Cup hero made his feelings be known about a new-look East Lake when addressing the media on Tuesday. 

Hovland told reporters: 

"I only played the front yesterday, and just as soon as I walked on the property, I was kind of shocked. It looks nothing like it used to. Seems like he's basically changed every single hole out there. It was just kind of wild how much you can actually change the holes with not really moving holes around. It's all kind of in the same place, but yet none of the holes look exactly the same.

"I could probably try to describe a person that's never been here before what it used to look like, and it's almost like you can't imagine it.

"It'll be interesting to kind of get used to it, that's for sure."

Hovland added you can see and feel the changes to the golf course as early as the par-4 1st: 

"I started off of 1, so when I saw 1, I'm like, wow, this is completely different. It's way longer.

"I think the green areas -- as soon as I saw the green areas, that was like, okay, wow, this is going to be a completely different golf course because now you have huge undulating greens with big runoffs, and instead of having tight Bermuda around the greens, you have really, really tight zoysia. It's just going to play completely different.

"I felt like the rest of the course was kind of indicative of what I saw on No. 1."

One of the biggest changes players will experience at East Lake is the speed and firmness of the greens. 

They will be close to Augusta-like levels according to the man behind the restoration Andrew Green. 

"The greens are probably as firm as they'll ever be, but that's also okay," said Green.

"Firmness -- we've seen golf played at this level with firm greens. 

"It maximizes the players' intention. Augusta this year played really different because of how firm the greens were.

"So I think you'll see something similar here."

Hovland isn't entirely convinced East Lake needed to be toughened up, but either way he admits it now feels like a major test. 

He concluded: 

"From being here four or five times before and just remembering what it used to be, I just think it was a way more kind of simplistic golf course before, but it was still -- it was simple but it was very, very good. I'm still a little bit biased towards what it used to be.

"But I understand the whole look of the golf course, as soon as I stepped foot here and saw the green areas and stuff, I thought, okay, this is a major championship golf course. That seems like what he's tried to do with the place.

"In my heart, it's like, East Lake was never -- it never had that look, and it's such a historic place. It's like, should we really try to make East Lake look like a major championship golf course. That's kind of the only place I'm at. But I don't think he's done a bad job. It's just the style of it."

Hovland will bid to become the first player to successfully defend the FedEx Cup on Sunday.

The Norwegian will need to play lights out this week in order to get the job done given he starts a whopping eight shots behind leader Scottie Scheffler in the staggered scoring start. 

No player has started the Tour Championship at 2-under par and gone on to win the FedEx Cup. 

Next Page: Tour Championship - full list of starting scores for 2024 FedEx Cup finale at East Lake