Playoffs preview: Quick look at 2009 TOUR Championship

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Levy/PGA TOUR

Out of 54 courses on TOUR in '08, East Lake was 15th in difficulty, so the players face a tough task to be the FedExCup champ.

Preview: 2009 Playoffs

The Barclays

Deutsche Bank Championship

BMW Championship

THE TOUR Championship

Aug. 19, 2009

FIELD SIZE: Top 30 players in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup

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LOOKING FORWARD: Winner of 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: Camilo Villegas shot a final-round 66 and then beat Sergio Garcia on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

COURSE: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga.

SUMMARY: East Lake underwent numerous changes for the 2008 tournament, including new greens and the addition of approximately 100 yards to the course. The greens were re-grassed with Mini-Verde ultra draw bermudagrass, which is more heat resistant, and greenside bunkers and the area surrounding the greens were also refurbished.

A couple of fairway bunkers were added, and a number of bunkers were moved or reconfigured. The biggest hole changes occurred on the par-4 fourth, 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 is 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 eight playings, there have been eight different winners.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: "Having all that water there, why not use it? It definitely makes it a tougher hole. The green is going to be very firm. It's going to be very tough to stop shots there, especially to that left side, because it runs a little bit away and toward the water." -- Camilo Villegas on the difficult par-4 17th hole, which was altered in 2008