After explaining to readers what lessons could be learned from the first round of the FedExCup Playoffs, PGA Head Professional Tom Ellis comes right back to welcome the golf world to his course, the TPC Boston -- home of this week's The Deutsche Bank Championship.

PGA.com: Tom, your course is relatively new and started hosting PGA TOUR events within one year of opening. Are there any special challenges with that unique situation?

Ellis: Our course opened in 2002 so it is relatively new. It was a great course when it opened, but last winter we went through a massive $3 million renovation to further enhance the course. The course was designed from conception to host championship events - as all TPC courses are -- so there was nothing unique or especially difficult to getting it ready to host the TOUR. Of course, it's always a great responsibility to get the course tournament ready for the TOUR players, but the design and layout of the course was definitely tournament ready from the moment we opened up.

PGA.com: Describe your course for us.

Ellis: It's a beautiful and challenging layout. The renovation I mentioned was done to make the course blend more naturally with the New England setting. It did so by incorporating traditional characteristics of the region; using more fescue and native grasses, using chocolate drop mounding, and utilizing the natural contours of the land. The yardage was actually reduced a couple of hundred yards and the number of bunkers were cut by more than half, but the square footage of the bunkering is almost identical. So obviously, the bunkers have been modified, repositioned, and deepened. Recovering from the bunkers are more difficult than ever. The fescue grass defines many of the holes. The course is a great reflection of the New England region.

PGA.com: Your course is an Arnold Palmer design, and the tournament benefits the Tiger Woods Learning Center. Isn't that a bit of excessive name-dropping?

Ellis: I don't know about excessive, but it certainly is nice. Don't forget to add Gil Hanse and Brad Faxon as a Player Consultant for the recent renovation. Of course, it's an honor for us to have an association with some of the biggest names in golf history.

PGA.com: Your tournament ends on a Monday. How difficult is that logistically for the set up, and is that any added inconvenience for members/galleries/volunteers?

Ellis: It is unique, but it doesn't present too much of a problem at all. Labor Day weekend is a big deal in the area and most people are in the midst of a three-day weekend as it is. What better way to spend it than being around the greatest golfers in the world?

PGA.com: As the second-leg of the FedExCup Playoffs, the tournament is elevated from an already high status on the schedule. Do you see it that way?

Ellis: Of course. The interest level in our tournament, the television ratings, everything increases with our inclusion in the FedExCup. It will be great for us and for golf in general.

PGA.com: The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, all generating a buzz. How hard is to get the community fired up about golf?

Ellis: The sports teams up here certainly generate a lot of excitement, but what makes this area so special is that it is a sports-crazy city. So it's not like people can only get excited about one or two sports at a given time. New England is rich is golf history and the fans here show an enthusiasm and appreciation of the game that can rival any area of the country. The backing and following of this tournament by the people here has been incredible. We are very appreciative.

PGA.com: Who's the bigger star up there? Tom Brady or Tom Ellis?

Ellis: "That's a tough one for me being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan; though, it's tough for anyone here in New England to compete with Tom Brady"