Week 34 Approach Shots: The Barclays
By PGATOUR.COM Staff
The PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup begin this week at The Barclays, with the top-125 players from the standings qualifying. The Playoffs continue next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, head to the Chicago area for the BMW Championship (Sept. 7-13), take a week off and then finish at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
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After each tournament the field will be pared, with 100 players in the Deutsche Bank Championship, 70 in the BMW Championship and 30 at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. The first two Playoffs events will also feature 36-hole cuts, another way to reward strong play.
SINGH'S SUCCESS: At the 2008 Barclays, Vijay Singh gave an indication of things to come with his extra-holes victory over Sergio Garcia and Kevin Sutherland. Singh won the tournament, and in the process he seized control of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, which he eventually won.
Singh returns as the FedExCup defending champion and is ready to defend the title he won at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., to be played this week at Liberty National, just across the Hudson River from New York. He's won The Barclays four times (1993, 1995, 2006 and 2008), though those victories came at Westchester CC and Ridgewood CC.
So, is it The Barclays name or the course that leads to wins for Singh?
"I think it's the name of the tournament," Singh said with a smile. "I don't know, I'm playing well, and I've started to play well again. Leg is feeling good. Body is pretty healthy. My game's okay. So I like my chances."
DOUBLE DOSE OF KITE: Tom Kite is definitely on display this week, as both the defending champion of the Boeing Classic and as the co-designer (with Bob Cupp) of Liberty National, host site of The Barclays, the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
A year ago at TPC Snoqualmie in Washington, Kite entered the final round trailing by three strokes, then shot a Sunday 66 on the strength of five back-nine birdies to overtake Scott Simpson and win by two.
Kite has had an excellent season in '09 despite not winning. Prior to missing the cut at the U.S. Senior Open, he had five consecutive top-10 performances, the best being a fourth-place showing at the 3M Championship. Kite is 24th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
PLAYER NOTES: Steve Stricker ended a winless drought of nearly seven years and 146 PGA TOUR starts when he won The Barclays in 2007. Stricker hasn't slowed down since, finishing No. 14 in the final 2008 FedExCup standings and winning twice during the 2009 PGA TOUR Regular Season. Stricker enters the 2009 PGA TOUR Playoffs second in the FedExCup points standings on the strength of victories earlier in the year at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the John Deere Classic. ...
• Since the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup began in 2007, there have been eight events, with Camilo Villegas recording the most top-10 finishes. In eight starts, he has finished in the top 10 six times -- including two victories. Next on the list is Sergio Garcia, with five top-10s. Rory Sabbatini and Stricker each have four top-10s.
• Four players have played in all 32 rounds of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. They are Jim Furyk, Garcia and Stricker. Stricker leads that list with 22 rounds in the 60s, two more than Garcia and Villegas.
• Making his fourth career start at The Barclays, Zach Johnson's best finish is a tie for 23rd in 2004. He missed the cut in 2008, a year after he tied for 25th.
• Kenny Perry enters the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup ranked No. 4 on the strength of victories at the FBR Open and the Travelers Championship. Perry has seven top-10 finishes on the season including a playoff loss at the Masters to Angel Cabrera. Perry is making his 11th appearance at The Barclays, with his best finish a tie for third in 2005. His only other top 10 in the event was a tie for ninth in 2004.
• Lucas Glover returns to the New York metro area for the first time since claiming the U.S. Open in June at Bethpage State Park. In addition to his victory at Bethpage's Black Course, Glover has four other top-10s this season, including a runner-up finish at the Quail Hollow Championship in May. Two weeks ago, he finished fifth at the PGA Championship.
ON-COURSE OBSERVATIONS: PGA TOUR Network correspondent Larry Rinker is on the scene at Liberty National GC for this week's satellite radio coverage (XM 146/SIRIUS 209). Reports Rinker:
The PGA TOUR is at Liberty National for The Barclays, the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. The course features beautiful views of New York City and the Statue of Liberty. The vistas are incredible and, in so many places on the course, you can get a look at downtown Manhattan. It's simply stunning. Of course, we are across the Hudson River in New Jersey, but how can you beat a backdrop like that?
The course is very difficult with a lot of fescue and plenty of water. It's a long course at over 7,400 yards, so I don't think we'll see a lot of great scoring. The guy who wins will be the player who can survive, especially if the wind picks up. The course has very difficult finishing holes, including the 14th hole, a short par 3 with a gorgeous view. The 16th hole is a drivable par 4, while Nos. 17 and 18 are going to test players. This course is going to look great on TV but it will be tough for the world's top golfers.
The Barclays has a field of 124 players (Paul Casey is sitting out due to an injury), then after this week they will cut back to only 100. That means 25 players will not advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston next week. Some players, like Chris DiMarco, Adam Scott and Mark Calcavecchia, barely made it into the Playoffs. They need to have a good week. DiMarco isn't having a good year, but that's the great thing about the Playoffs -- anybody can do something here and play well enough to keep advancing. Watch out for the guys who played well in Greensboro last week. Some of those players, like Kevin Stadler and Ryan Moore, will be a factor on the leaderboard this week.
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| In the spotlight | ||
| This week: Steve Stricker | ||
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| This week's Kodak Challenge hole | |
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