ATLANTA — Imagine if, just this year, the horses at the Kentucky Derby made right turns instead of lefts around the track at Churchill Downs. Or if the New York City Marathon ended at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge instead of starting there. Or, for the baseball playoffs, the Boston Red Sox moved Fenway Park’s iconic Green Monster outfield wall from left field to right.
Such machinations would seem sacrilegious to many sports fans — which why golf purists are galled by what is happening at some of the sport’s most venerated courses. The clubs hosting this week’s Tour Championship and next week’s Ryder Cup have moved some things around.