Liberty National places high emphasis on short game
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- There are those who would say Liberty National is more spectacle than substance; a golf course with stunning views that supersede the shot values of the 18 holes meticulously placed above a landfill by the Hudson River.
As the emphasis shifts from the majestic Statue of Liberty some 1,000 yards off in the distance to the PGA TOUR pros competing in The Barclays, though, the true measure of the course designed by Tom Kite and Bob Cupp will be known.
And Phil Mickelson, for one, thinks the course will more than hold its own as the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup get under way on Thursday.
The world No. 2 has been a member at Liberty National for several years now. Mickelson does a lot of corporate outings in the New York City area and he likes the course's proximity to Manhattan as well as its practice facilities.
Most of all, though, Mickelson, who is one of the game's most creative players around the greens, loves the way Liberty National challenges the short game.
"I love it because I think the shots around the greens have been very well thought out," he said. "I think the greens have movement to them but its subtle movement. It's not these big humps and hollows that modern architecture seems to have.
"The rough doesn't go right up to the edge of the green. There's a lot of shaved areas that extends out. There's a lot of movement, so you get different lies."
That's exactly what Kite and Cupp intended. While the green complexes are generally large, the actual putting surfaces are compact and undulating. Precise approaches will be key and creative minds necessary to prosper when those shots veer off line.
"We have almost no heavy rough around the greens," Kite said. "But there are lots of grassy hollows and chipping areas. You'll see a lot of variety. You'll see players using different clubs to play the same shot."
"We'll see guys putting from off the green," Mickelson agreed. "We'll see guys bump and run. We'll see flop shots. We're going to see all kinds of shots around the greens and it's that kind of creativity and options; this course gives players options."
After he completed his round of 2-over 73 in Wednesday's pro-am, Tiger Woods took the option of working on his putting for nearly an hour before a scheduled press conference. The man who takes the FedExCup lead into the Playoffs and is ranked No. 1 in the world would later call the course "interesting."
"If the wind blows like this, it's going to be tough, tough to get the ball close," Woods said. "Some of the more severe greens actually are the longest holes on the golf course. And the holes that are 480 and above, it's going to be hard to get the ball close, but everyone's got to play them."
The winds on Wednesday were gusting in the 15-25 mph-range but should moderate for the first two rounds. Saturday, though, could be problematic with Tropical Storm Danny expected to brush the New Jersey coast and bring rain and high winds into the equation.
Making things even more challenging is the fact that Liberty National's longest holes were designed to play into the wind, according to Cupp. There's also a 324-yard par 4 to tempt the pros and what Ryan Moore called a "good driveable par 3" in the 250-yard 11th hole.
But it all comes down to the scoring areas.
"I think a lot of it will depend on the wind," said Lucas Glover, who shot 66 in the pro-am. "We get an odd wind, those long holes can be very tough so you have to hit it long and straight. But the way the greens are, you have to be pretty precise with your irons it to get it close.
"(The greens) have a lot of undulations and pockets, so if you are not able to get your ball close you're going to have tough putts. That can wear on you."
Mickelson estimated he'd played Liberty National five or six times so if anyone has local knowledge, he'd be the one. Most of the other 123 pros competing in The Barclays got their first looks at the layout on Monday.
"Nobody will have much to fall back on the when the bell rings tomorrow, but everybody is playing the same course," Glover reasoned.
There's another variable, as well. No one can predict -- save the PGA TOUR rules staff -- how the course will be set up.
"Today I have to say we played just about every tee box all the way back,' Woods said. "But I don't know how aggressive they are going to be on pin locations and how tough they are going to make it. The complexes are very difficult. But they could even make the pins even more difficult if they wanted to.
"So I think that's the feel we are going to get over the next probably two days and we'll have a better idea going into the weekend."
On the other hand, Moore, who won the Wyndham Championship in a playoff on Sunday, didn't plan to overly analyze the course.
"I'm never too weird about layouts or anything like that," Moore explained. "Every course I kind of try and treat the same. There's 18 tee boxes and 18 greens and you just kind of figure out what you've got to do and everything in between there."
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