SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Here’s a switch for Syracuse coach Dino Babers — defense rules.

Known for his up-tempo offenses, the fourth-year coach is looking to his defense to help lift the No. 22 Orange to even greater heights this fall.

“Our defense is really, really good right now,” Babers said. “I really think the strength of our football team is our defense. I think that we have an outstanding defense and … they need to play that way.”

After two straight 4-8 seasons under Babers, Syracuse went 10-3 in 2018 and finished the year ranked No. 15 by the AP after a victory over former Big East rival West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl. With redshirt sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito replacing dual-threat quarterback Eric Dungey, the catalyst for an offense that averaged just over 40 points a game, Syracuse begins the season Aug. 31 on the road against Liberty ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1998.

The defense, which produced 31 turnovers (18 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries), is a big reason why. Among eight returning starters on defense are ends Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson, who each recorded 10 sacks, helping Syracuse produce the most turnovers of any Power Five team in the nation.

Also back is the entire secondary, including Evan Foster (86 tackles, one interception), Andre Cisco (60 tackles, seven picks) and Chris Fredrick (56 tackles, three interceptions). The trio ranked third through fifth in tackles behind linebackers Ryan Guthrie (107) and Kielan Whitner (100) and will be joined by often-injured safety Antwan Cordy, who received a medical redshirt for a sixth year.

Cisco, a free safety, became the second freshman in NCAA history to lead the country in interceptions, tying Boston College’s Hamp Cheevers for the top spot and earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year recognition. He also set the program record for most passes defended by a freshman (18) and is more physically imposing this year.

“I learned a lot last year playing in such a physical conference,” said Cisco, a first-team preseason All-American along with Orange place-kicker Andre Szmyt. “I put on my agenda that I needed to add a lot of weight, add a lot of muscle, and the coaches helped me do that. I feel like I’m in a good place right now.”

Said Babers: “He’s got an upper body that is no joke. I want to see if he can now physically do some of the things from a skill set that we saw him do from an athletic ability as far as getting interceptions and doing other things on the back end.”

DeVito, who exudes confidence even though he has never started a game for the Orange, gave a playful sneer when asked about the defense after the third day of preseason camp. After the first scrimmage, that sneer was gone. The 90-minute session was 144 plays and the defense recorded seven sacks, an interception and a safety when Robinson took down DeVito on the first play on a day the retooled offensive line struggled.

“I saw a defense dominate the entire scrimmage,” Babers said. “If you’ve got a good defense, suppose you have a chance to win, right? So I’m excited about that, we need to do some more things on offense.”

That happened in the second scrimmage. DeVito was responsible for four touchdowns — three TD passes and a 28-yard run — hitting tight ends Aaron Hackett and Luke Benson and wide receiver Taj Harris for scores.

Replacing Guthrie and Whitner at linebacker likely will be Lakiem Williams and Andrew Armstrong, while 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore Tyrell Richards, listed as a defensive lineman, is versatile enough to play several positions. A big downside is that defensive tackle McKinley Williams is out indefinitely with a foot injury.

Regardless, there is progress all around as the Orange try to get accustomed to not being an afterthought on the national stage.

“You can definitely see there’s a difference,” DeVito said. “Now we’re ranked with a lot of the higher schools, but at the end of the day rankings don’t mean anything. You still have to go out on the field.

“We’re a lot farther (ahead) than we have been in the past. It just helps set the standard for what we want this program to be. Last year’s the standard — we want to be better than that. The seniors know what it’s like to lose, they know what it’s like to win. Winning is a better feeling.”

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LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung has been indicted in New Hampshire on a charge of cocaine possession, according to court paperwork released Thursday.

A Belknap County grand jury indicted Chung, 32, on Aug. 8.

Members of the Meredith, New Hampshire, police department were called to Chung’s residence June 25 “on a call for service” and obtained evidence leading to the felony drug charge, Belknap County Attorney Andrew Livernois said in a statement.

Livernois declined to provide additional details on the case.

Chung’s arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

It is not clear whether Chung has an attorney who can speak for him. The court file doesn’t list one.

“We are aware of the reports regarding Patrick Chung,” the Patriots tweeted . “We will not be commenting while his judicial proceedings take place.”

The team also didn’t say whether Chung would play Thursday night at a preseason home game against the Carolina Panthers.

Chung has been an integral part of the Patriots defense during his two stints with the team. New England drafted him in the second round in 2009. He left in free agency in 2012 and signed with the Eagles.

He spent one year in Philadelphia and returned to New England in 2014. He won Super Bowl rings with the Patriots to conclude the 2014, 2016 and 2018 seasons.

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia wide receiver T.J. Simmons is embracing the chance to lead a unit that lost most of its production.

An afterthought last season, Simmons is now the focal point of an inexperienced group still trying to fill out a depth chart under new head coach Neal Brown.

“No pressure,” Simmons said. “I enjoy it because it keeps me accountable.”

Simmons is a junior who transferred from Alabama after the 2016 season. He started half of West Virginia’s games in 2018 and finished fifth on the team with 341 receiving yards on 28 catches.

Tevin Bush is the only other returning wide receiver who had more than 10 receptions. Also in the mix are redshirt freshman Sam James and Florida State graduate transfer George Campbell, who had 13 career catches. Brown also hopes Temple sophomore transfer Sean Ryan will be granted immediate eligibility.

Simmons will try to continue a decade-long tradition of high-impact pass catchers that included Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Kevin and Ka’Raun White and, over the past two seasons, David Sills V and Gary Jennings Jr.

Sills caught 18 TDs in 2017 and combined with Jennings for 1,900 receiving yards and 28 scores last year. West Virginia also lost speedster Marcus Simms, the team’s third-leading receiver, and dependable tight end Trevon Wesco.

“It’s not your perfect situation,” Brown said. “T.J. Simmons is the only experience we have. We’re making steady improvement. I think that’s the position group that will benefit the most by going back to the video and then making some corrections.”

Simmons, who also became a father shortly before the start of fall camp, said Sills and Jennings taught him more about the mind than the hands — to stay level-headed and maintain a professional attitude.

“No matter if times get hard or if times are good, they tried to always keep that same work ethic, bring that same type of intensity to practice and try to get better each and every day,” Simmons said. “And that’s something I try to do. I try to push myself even if I’m down mentally or not feeling it on a certain day. Because I’m the focal point of the receiving corps.”

Simmons’ goal is simply doing whatever he can for the team, and scoring touchdowns will be a must. His lone 2018 TD catch came in the opener against Tennessee.

He’s had to fend off lingering criticism for drawing a penalty for finishing a block on an opponent well out of bounds that negated a long run late against Oklahoma. The close loss kept West Virginia out of the Big 12 championship game.

Simmons uses that memory as a teaching tool as West Virginia prepares to open the season at home Aug. 31 against FCS James Madison.

“I definitely do think about it, especially when we’re doing perimeter blocking or when somebody makes a good block on the sideline,” he said. “Even though I play around with it and say ‘That’s a flag, you better stop blocking them,’ I’m really trying to help them out. Because in a game, that could be a costly penalty like in the Oklahoma game and can turn the game around.”

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This story corrects that Simmons’ 2018 TD catch came against Tennessee.

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NEW YORK GIANTS (5-11)

New faces: QB Daniel Jones, G Kevin Zeitler, T Mike Remmers, WR Golden Tate III, DT Dexter Lawrence II, CB DeAndre Baker, S Jabrill Peppers, S Antoine Bethea, LB Markus Golden.

Key losses: WR Odell Beckham Jr., S Landon Collins, LB Olivier Vernon.

Strengths: With Beckham in Cleveland, RB Saquon Barkley enters second season as focal point of offense. He can run. He can catch. He can go to end zone on any play. OL seemingly improved, receivers group is solid with Sterling Shepard, Tate, Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer and TE Evan Engram. PK Aldrick Rosas had career year in ’18. Secondary solid with CBs Janoris Jenkins, Baker and Ss Bethea, Peppers.

Weaknesses: QB Eli Manning’s mobility against rush. Four-game suspension of Tate for PED use. Depth on O-line: C-G Spencer Pulley only real backup. James Bettcher’s defense hasn’t shown ability to pressure QBs. That was problem last year and isn’t fixed despite addition of Lawrence and Golden. Unit has trouble getting off field.

Fantasy Players To Watch: NFL Offensive Rookie of Year Barkley led Giants in rushing and number of receptions, and led league in yards from scrimmage. Zeitler and Remmers help O-line. Manning might surprise if he gets time. Jones is wild card: No. 1 pick can play if he gets in.

Vegas Says: Win Super Bowl 150-1. Over/under wins 6.

Expectations: Better than last year, though not looking like playoff team. Offense has potential if revamped line opens holes for Barkley and gives Manning time to scan field and throw. Defense is drawback, despite improved secondary. Front seven lacks push. Rebuild continues another year.

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HOUSTON (AP) — Amid criticism from Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros on Thursday defended the team’s decision to deny a newspaper reporter access to the clubhouse until after ace pitcher Justin Verlander finished his postgame session with the media.

MLB said Wednesday night’s incident violated its media guidelines and the Detroit Free Press said barring its reporter, Anthony Fenech, was “intolerable.”

Astros vice president of communications Gene Dias said beat writer Fenech was blocked at the request of Verlander, who played for Detroit for 13 seasons and had just pitched a two-hitter in a 2-1 loss to the Tigers.

The Astros opened their clubhouse at 9:35 p.m. As the rest of the media was allowed to enter, Fenech, who has a credential issued by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, was stopped by three Astros security officials.

Fenech contacted MLB vice president of communications Mike Teevan and was allowed in at 9:41 p.m., after Verlander had concluded his media session. Fenech approached Verlander, who said: “I’m not answering your questions.”

Verlander addressed the situation on Twitter on Thursday, accusing Fenech of unspecified “unethical behavior in the past.” The Astros said Fenech was “delayed temporarily.”

“This course of action was taken after taking into consideration the past history between Fenech and one of our players, Justin Verlander, Verlander’s legitimate concerns about past interactions with Fenech, and the best interests of the other media members working the game,” Dias said. “Fenech was allowed access to the clubhouse shortly after other media members and had the opportunity to approach Verlander or any player he needed. We believe that our course of action in this isolated case was appropriate.”

Asked for comment on Dias’ explanation, the Free Press cited a statement from executive editor Peter Bhatia:

“Blocking a working reporter from doing his job is unprofessional, disappointing and intolerable,” Bhatia said. “We will be protesting to MLB and the Astros.”

MLB’s Teevan said “the reporter should have been allowed to enter the clubhouse postgame at the same time as the other members of the media.

“We have communicated this to the Astros,” he said.

BWAA President Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic said the organization was “alarmed” by the incident.

“This action by the Astros violated the MLB club-media regulations, which are laid out in the collective bargaining agreement, and the BBWAA expects MLB to respond accordingly and promptly,” he said.

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens has won the starting quarterback job at Mississippi State.

Stevens beat out junior Keytaon Thompson and will start Aug. 31 in New Orleans when the Bulldogs’ meet Louisiana-Lafayette in their season opener.

Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead is very familiar with Stevens from their shared history at Penn State. Moorhead was Penn State’s offensive coordinator from 2016-17, while Stevens was a reserve quarterback for the Nittany Lions from 2016-18.

“It was a great, great competition,” Moorhead said Thursday. “Both guys are similar in size and provide equal threats in the run game. We said the decision making was going to come down to who could create explosive plays, who could minimize turnovers and who can throw the ball with the best accuracy on a consistent manner. So we informed the team that Tommy Stevens has earned the right to be the starting quarterback for this year.”

The 6-foot-5 Stevens went 24 of 41 for 304 yards with four touchdown passes and one interception in 23 games at Penn State. Stevens also rushed for 506 yards and eight touchdowns, and he caught 14 passes for 62 yards and two scores.

Stevens is replacing departed three-year starter Nick Fitzgerald, whose 3,607 career yards rushing were the most ever by a Southeastern Conference quarterback.

“Tommy jumped out strong at the beginning of camp,” Moorhead said. “Closing into the first scrimmage, K.T. (Thompson) closed the gap and had a real nice first scrimmage. From that point forward, Tommy continued to create separation and did that toward the tail end of camp. We’re certainly excited about what K.T. did and how he performed. He is going to be an incredible asset for us and he’s going to help us win games this year, too.”

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Drew Lock says he’s not sure when his sprained right thumb will allow him to throw a football again and Broncos coach Vic Fangio won’t rule out placing the rookie QB on injured reserve to start the season.

Lock jammed his thumb when he was chased from the pocket and tripped up by safety Marcel Harris in Denver’s preseason loss to the 49ers on Monday night.

Although X-rays were negative, Lock was diagnosed the next day with a serious sprain that will force him to miss the rest of the preseason and might even sideline him into the regular season.

Fangio called it “a pretty serious injury for a quarterback,” adding that the team’s not sure of a timetable for his return and that IR was a possibility “if we don’t think he could play for a while.”

The night he was hurt Lock said it was a “little sprain,” like he’d had “playing basketball 1,000 times.”

On Thursday, however, Lock acknowledged he’d never had a sprain this bad and declined to venture a guess as to how long he’ll be out .

“I’m not 100% sure,” he said, adding he was “just going to leave that up to those people in that (trainers) room to kind of evaluate it a little bit. I know my pain tolerance. I know that level of stuff. But I think they’re going to make the best decision on when I should be stepping back out on the football field.”

With Lock sidelined and starting QB Joe Flacco sitting out Saturday night against the Rams along with most of the other starters, Kevin Hogan will get the start and rookie Brett Rypien will made his NFL debut in relief, Fangio said.

Lock, a second-round pick out of Missouri, was making a move to leapfrog Hogan and secure the backup QB job when he got hurt.

“I felt as if I was starting to play a little better and maybe earn that role,” said Lock, who succeeded Flacco on Monday night and was 7 for 12 for 40 yards against San Francisco.

“He was improving and I saw some good strides,” Fangio said. “I’d say he was tracking toward that. I wouldn’t say he had it yet.”

Lock’s injury complicates plans for him to serve as Flacco’s understudy and could have a ripple effect on the rest of the roster. The Broncos already have two injured players on offense, fullback Andy Janovich and running back Theo Riddick, whose timetables don’t make them good candidates for IR.

Fangio said the tough thing about a thumb injury for a QB is that he can’t do much work while he’s out, although Lock vowed to double down on his mental preparation and said the Broncos’ virtual reality system that allows him to get a first-person view of every other QB’s snaps “is going to be heavily used.”

One thing he won’t change, Luck said, is his scrambling style.

“I feel like that’s what got me here,” Lock said as linebacker Von Miller nodded in approval nearby. “So, stopping that at any time now because I had just this little kind of a freak injury happen, that’s just not who I’m going to be as a quarterback.”

The Broncos aren’t looking just yet for another veteran QB. Hogan was Case Keenum’s backup in Denver last season and Fangio has been pleased with his steady play this summer.

“He’s a smart guy, he can run the offense,” Fangio said. “He’s always been one of those guys that seems to make a play when there isn’t one there — like the scramble he had the other night for a touchdown. So, he’s got some playmaking and some improvisation in his game.”

Notes: Miller presented Fangio with a cake and a trademark gray sweatshirt for his 61st birthday Thursday morning. Miller said he didn’t have to take up a collection because players get the sweatshirts for free: “It’s the thought that counts with him. I don’t think it matters how much it costs. And free is probably better with Coach Fangio.”

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CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks pitched seven sharp innings and the Chicago Cubs won despite getting only two hits, edging the San Francisco Giants 1-0 Thursday for their fifth straight victory.

Anthony Rizzo hit an RBI single to help the NL Central leaders complete a three-game sweep. The Giants lost their fourth in a row.

A day after the Cubs won 12-11 in a game with seven home runs, there was a brisk breeze blowing in at Wrigley Field and the teams combined for just six hits.

Hendricks (9-9) allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked none. He has a 1.79 ERA in 11 home starts this season.

Relievers Brandon Kintzler, Kyle Ryan and Rowan Wick each got two outs to complete the four-hitter. Wick finished for his second save.

Cubs pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts without a walk.

Jeff Samardzija (9-10) gave up one run on two hits in seven innings against his former team.

Samardzija retired the first nine batters before Jason Heyward led off the fourth with a pop fly to short center. Kevin Pillar immediately began shading his eyes and lost it in the sun and the ball dropped in front of him for gift single.

With Heyward running, Nicholas Castellanos followed with a routine grounder to shortstop that Brandon Crawford booted for an error to put runners on first and second. Samardzija appeared on a verge of getting out of the jam when Kris Bryant bounced into a double play, but Rizzo followed with a liner to center for an RBI single.

San Francisco’s best scoring chance came in the eighth. Crawford tripled off the right field wall with two outs against Kintzler. Without the wind, the ball might’ve been a game-tying homer.

Ryan, a left-hander, then came on to strike out pinch-hitter Austin Slater to end the inning.

TRIBUTE

Retiring Giants manager Bruce Bochy was honored before his last game at Wrigley. Cubs manager Joe Maddon and president Theo Epstein presented Bochy with a tile from the legendary center field with the number 15 (his uniform number) on it.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: After being examined in Los Angeles by orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache, INF Pablo Sandoval (right elbow) returned to the Bay Area. The team’s medical staff is in the process of determining how long Sandoval is likely to be sidelined.

Cubs: Closer Craig Kimbrel had pitched three of four days since being activated on Sunday — including a save in each of the first two games of the series— so he was unavailable on Thursday. “We’re not going to push him,” Maddon said.

UP NEXT

Giants: Following a day off on Friday, they return home for a two-game series against Bay Area rival Oakland. LHP Madison Bumgarner (8-8, 3.72 ERA) starts the opener Saturday night against Athletics RHP Chris Bassitt (9-5, 3.61).

Cubs: LHP Jon Lester (10-8, 4.23 ERA) pitches the opener of a three-game series at home against the Nationals on Friday afternoon. RHP Aníbal Sanchez (7-6, 3.99) goes for Washington.

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Wherever Kyle Williams went, Ed Oliver could usually be found at his side.

On the sideline. Walking to and from practice. In meetings.

If the Buffalo Bills drafted Oliver with the expectation to replace Williams at defensive tackle, who better than having the just-retired player pop in at training camp and provide the rookie a weeklong crash course.

Oliver happily referred to Williams as being his “cheat code” to the NFL.

“A guy who played 13 years, the knowledge fresh on his mind? He was able to help me out a lot,” the first-round pick out of Houston said, referring to Williams’ visit three weeks ago. “I gained that much more in a couple of days than I had in probably months sometimes in college.”

That’s saying plenty, considering Oliver was the school’s first three-time All-American, was the 2017 Outland Trophy winner, awarded to the nation’s best interior lineman during his sophomore season, and regarded highly enough by Buffalo to be selected ninth overall.

What college couldn’t teach a comparatively undersized lineman such as the 6-foot-1, 287-pound Oliver was how to prepare to match up against larger, more physical NFL opponents. And that’s where Williams came in, given how the 6-1, 300-pound player overcame questions about his size to earn six Pro Bowl selections over a career in which he started 178 games.

Where taller and heftier tackles can lean on their brute strength to overpower opponents, smaller linemen need to also rely on leverage and footwork.

“Just the little knicks and knacks that Kyle brought to me, that’s when I learned the most,” Oliver said. “And the next week, it was kind of, ‘All right, go fly. I showed you where to fly, go fly.'”

It was the least Williams could do.

“It kind of naturally came about,” Williams recalled, saying the idea first came up when he congratulated Oliver on being drafted by Buffalo.

“I think he’s got an elite skillset. He’s got a great temperament for the position. And he’s forming fantastic habits. I think he’s going to be a special player.”

It might not be a coincidence that Oliver has made significant strides since Williams’ visit.

Oliver memorably closed that week of practice by throwing aside 331-pound lineman De’Ondre Wesley during a team drill. The following week, he was promoted to working exclusively with the starters.

In his preseason debut, Oliver didn’t make the stat sheet, but was part of a defense that limited the Indianapolis Colts to a combined 29 yards and one first down on their first six possessions. Last week at Carolina, he batted down Kyle Allen’s pass on third down to end the Panthers’ opening drive.

“I can see how quickly Ed has kind of picked up things and just grown,” defensive end Jerry Hughes said. “It’s light years compared to what we were doing here in the spring.”

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier saw an immediate difference.

“He was hanging on every word,” he said. “We’ll hopefully keep those two guys in touch.”

What’s more, Frazier noted how Oliver has begun letting down his guard and becoming more comfortable with his teammates.

“There was a period where the wall was up,” Frazier said. “But you can see that guard coming down now, and you can see that he’s listening to those guys along with what his coaches are saying, and it’s helping him. So that means that there’s a comfort level beginning to set in a little bit.”

The 21-year-old Oliver isn’t sure if it was a case of him being aloof as opposed to trying to find a way to fit in among a group of veterans, some 10 and 15 years older.

“They’ve got kids, they’ve got things different things on their plate than I have, and I’m a guy that came out as a junior, so just the gap between ages,” Oliver said. “Hanging around the guys, you get more comfortable. It’s football life in the locker room, shooting the (stuff) with each other, and they’ve just become my family.”

One thing’s for sure is Oliver doesn’t lack is confidence.

Days before Buffalo’s preseason opener, Oliver was asked if he’d take a moment to reflect on how far he’s come.

“Nah,” he replied. “I’m supposed to be here.”

Reminded this week of what he said as Buffalo prepares to play at Detroit on Friday, Oliver referred to his size as a reason he feels the need to show confidence.

“I’m not a big ol’ guy,” Oliver said. “I don’t look like I can beat the world, but that’s what I’m asked to do. So you’ve got to have a little swagger about you.”

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ATLANTA – Many a professional golfer will tell you they do not go gently into the night when sleeping on the lead.

The riches in sight, the hardware at hand and the pressure is more than enough to ruin a good night’s slumber.

Justin Thomas knows this all too well. From the moment his final putt disappeared into the hole on the 18th green at Medinah Country Club to wrap up his victory in last week’s BMW Championship, he officially took a two-stroke lead in this week’s Tour Championship. The season finale will crown the FedEx Cup champion and dole out $15 million to the victor.

Justin Thomas holds an advantage in the season finale by virtue of winnig the BMW Championship. (Photo: Thomas J. Russo, USA TODAY Sports)

FORWARD PRESS PODCAST: Previewing the Tour Championship

“I can certainly say 1,000 percent I never slept on a Wednesday lead,” Thomas said at Medinah.

If he had thought just a hair longer, he could have added Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Since Sunday, the Tour Championship’s leaderboard has been frozen before a shot has been hit, with Thomas atop Patrick Cantlay by two shots, Brooks Koepka by three, Patrick Reed by four and Rory McIlroy by five. The 25 others in the elite field are between six and 10 strokes behind.

Crazy, huh? Well, it’s unique. In the latest scoring tweak in the 13-year history of the FedEx Cup – and for the first time in PGA Tour history – a tournament will start without everyone at even par.

An effort to simplify things

A staggered scoring measure was created to simplify matters and stifle confusion at the season finale. Gone are the Sundays when chalkboards were used to explain the complicated scoring system that would crown the FedEx Cup champion. And there will no longer be an awkward scene where two winners are given hardware, as was the case last year when Tiger Woods’ victory in the Tour Championship overshadowed Justin Rose winning the FedExCup.

So this year, the better you do in the regular season, and especially in the playoffs, the higher up the leaderboard you are before the first round begins.

It’s not perfect – someone could shoot the lowest score over 72 holes at East Lake without winning hardware – but it’s volatile and simplistic.

“At the beginning of the year, every player knows what the structure is for the FedEx Cup, and they organize their schedule and they organize themselves competitively to try and get here,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said. “I think the story lines that develop as you get to the back end of the year and into our playoffs, and the increased volatility that we’re delivering, is creating a compelling product for our fans.”

Thomas, who will try to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win the FedEx Cup twice, still doesn’t have any idea how he’ll feel on the first tee for the first round at East Lake.

“I’m sure it’s going to be weird,” said Thomas, who won the 2017 FedEx Cup. “I’m going to need to find a way to think about it because, I mean, just to be perfectly honest, no one’s ever dealt with it. I’m just going to have to try to play another golf tournament and act like everyone’s starting at zero and try to shoot the lowest 72 holes. Because I know if I do that then I should be OK.”

Rory McIlroy was five strokes off the lead after 36 holes in the 2016 Tour Championship and went on to win the FedEx Cup. He’ll start this week at 5 under and five shots in back of Thomas.

Like Thomas, McIlroy still isn’t quite sure what to make of the new scoring format.

“It’s the psychology of it,” he said. “We’re all creatures of habit, and it seems very different that you’re starting at a different position than the rest of the field. But at the same time, I think you have to just control what you can and try to play the best golf that you can. And hopefully you play four good rounds of golf, and that’s the lowest number at the end of the week.

“I could see a scenario where, come Sunday, 15 guys might have a chance to win the entire thing. It will be exciting.”

Who has a chance?

Lucas Glover, playing in his first Tour Championship in 10 years, hasn’t gotten a hold entirely of the new format, especially since he’s one of five players starting 10 shots behind Thomas.

“I’m usually confused starting the round anyway, so it will be the same this week,” Glover said. “But it will be fun. It will be interesting. You’ve got to make birdies regardless. I’ve just got to make 10 more than usual, I guess.”

Matt Kuchar, who is at 4 under, said it feels like a five-round tournament and he has time to make up his current deficit.

“Six shots back with four rounds to go, I definitely have a chance,” he said. “I’d love to be at 10 under and leading. You’d want the biggest lead you can get whenever you can get it, but to me, with 72 holes to play, there’s no need to force things. No need to make mistakes. You keep kind of plotting along and hope that you can just keep treading in the right direction over 72 holes.

“In the past, the points were hard to figure out. Players certainly had no idea. It was way too much math to do. You really had no idea where you stood or what the outcome was potentially going to be. This is very simple. I think it makes sense.”

Reigning U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, who is 11th and seven shots behind, said the 7,321-yard, par-70 East Lake will play a major factor in determining the winner.

“It’s tough to spot Justin Thomas seven shots. I mean, Brooks is four shots ahead of me, Patrick Cantlay is five. But if you’re going to be able to do it, this is the place to do it,” Woodland said.

“If you drive it in play, you can attack it. And the greens are perfect. And if you’re not driving it in the fairway, this golf course is brutal. You can’t control your ball out of this Bermuda rough.”

As he does with most everything in his life, Koepka will just deal with the situation he faces. The world No. 1, who was leading the FedEx Cup when the playoffs began and is in third at 7 under, isn’t worried about his deficit. He has four days to make it up and anything can happen.

“As long as J.T. doesn’t go out and shoot 62s on the first two days,” he said, “then I think everybody has a chance.”