Barclays Third-Round Notes – Saturday, August 25

Third-Round Notes – Saturday, August 25, 2012

 

Weather: Partly cloudy  with a high of 80. Winds from the E-SE at 8-15 mph.

 

Third-Round Leaderboard

Sergio Garcia                66-68-69—203 (-10)

Nick Watney                  65-69-71—205 (-8)

Kevin Stadler                72-69-65—206 (-7)

Brandt Snedeker           70-69-68—207 (-6)

Bob Estes                    69-66-72—207 (-6)

 

PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup

The Barclays serves as the kickoff to the FedExCup Playoffs.

·       The top-125 players on the final Regular Season FedExCup points list (following the Wyndham Championship) qualified for The Barclays.

·       The top-100 players on the FedExCup points list following The Barclays qualify for the Deutsche Bank Championship.

·       The top-70 players on the FedExCup points list after the Deutsche Bank Championship advance to the BMW Championship, contested at Crooked Stick GC in Indianapolis, Ind., for the first time.

·       Each playoff event offers 2,500 FedExCup points to the winner.

·       The top-30 players following the BMW Championship will qualify for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Prior to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, a points reset will take place, giving all players in the field a mathematical opportunity to win the FedExCup title. The top-five players control their own destiny and would claim the FedExCup with a victory at East Lake.

·       Any player in the field at The Barclays can mathematically move inside the top five in the points standings with a runner-up finish or victory.

·       In 2011, seven players began the FedExCup Playoffs ranked outside of the top 30 and played their way into the field at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. 

 

Sergio Garcia – No. 33 in FedExCup – 66-68-69—203 (-10) – 1^st

In search of his third-career victory at The Barclays, Sergio Garcia carded a 2-under 69 Saturday and carries a two-shot lead into the final round. Garcia converted a two-stroke 54-hole lead into victory at The Barclays 2001 and overcame a four-shot deficit to win The Barclays 2004. Last week Garcia converted a one-stroke 54-hole lead into victory at the Wyndham Championship, his eighth PGA TOUR title.

 

The Barclays 2012 represents the ninth time Garcia has held the lead/co-lead entering the final round on TOUR.

Year                      Tournament                                                 54-hole Pos.                 Finish

2001                      The Barclays                                                 1^st/+2                            Won

2004                      HP Byron Nelson Championship                    1^st/+2                            Won

2005                      Wells Fargo Championship                            1^st /+6                           T2

2006                      Farmers Insurance Open                                T1                                 T8

2007                      British Open                                                 1^st/+3                            2^nd

2008                      TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola               1^st/+3                            P2

2009                      Wyndham Championship                               T1                                 4^th

2012                      Wyndham Championship                               1^st /+1                            Won

 

Garcia’s 2-under 69 in the third round is his 23^rd round in the 60s (out of 43 rounds and 11 starts) at The Barclays.

 

After making just two bogeys through the first 36 holes, both at the par-3 No. 3, Garcia made three bogeys in the third round. In addition to his third-consecutive bogey at No. 3, Garcia also made bogeys at Nos. 6 and 10.

 

Garcia captured his eighth PGA TOUR victory last week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC.   The last player to win back-to-back PGA TOUR events was Tiger Woods in 2009 (Buick Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational).

 

Garcia, currently No. 33 in the FedExCup standings, fell as far as No. 103 in the standings this season and entered the Wyndham Championship at No. 102. With a victory at The Barclays, Garcia would move to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings for the first time in his career. His previous best position in the FedExCup standings was No. 2 following a P2 at The Barclays in 2008.

 

Garcia is one of the most successful players at The Barclays, with two career victories that have helped put him at No. 2 in career money earned at the event.

 

The 32-year-old, eight-time PGA TOUR winner is looking to reach the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola for the first time since 2008, when he suffered playoff defeats at two of the four PGA TOUR Playoff events (The Barclays to Vijay Singh and the TOUR Championship to Camilo Villegas).

 

Nick Watney – No. 49 in FedExCup – 65-69-71—205 (-8) – 2^nd

Nick Watney enters the final round two-shots behind Sergio Garcia at 8-under. Watney has come from behind in two of his four PGA TOUR victories. Watney overcame a 5-shot deficit at the 2009 Farmers Insurance Open and a two-shot deficit at the 2011 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.

 

Watney was ranked No. 1 in the FedExCup standings after the PGA TOUR Regular Season last year and finished 9^th, his best showing since the FedExCup began in 2007. He posted a T10 finish in The Barclays 2011, his second top 10 at the event. His best Barclays performance was a T6 in 2009.

 

Watney missed the cut at the 2009 U.S. Open held at Bethpage Black (73-73).

 

One year removed from winning twice and posting ten top 10s, entering The Barclays Watney had recorded only three top 10s with his best result a solo 8^th at the Wells Fargo Championship.

 

In seven starts at The Barclays Watney has missed just one cut (2005) and posted two top 10s (T6 – 2009 and T10 – 2011).

 

Third-Round Leader Stats

In the 45-year history of The Barclays, the third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 24 times (most recently Steve Stricker in 2007).

 

Since Stricker’s victory in 2007, winners of The Barclays have come back from 54-hole deficits of one in 2008 (Vijay Singh), four in 2009 (Heath Slocum), five in 2010 (Matt Kuchar). In the rain-shortened 2011 event, Dustin Johnson entered the final round one stroke behind Matt Kuchar.

 

The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 13 of 36 stroke-play events in 2012, most recently Sergio Garcia last week at the Wyndham Championship.

 

Additional Player Notes

Brandt Snedeker (6-under, T4) is looking to join Joins Tiger Woods (3), Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson as multiple winners in 2012.  To do so, he'll need to erase a four-shot deficit, but that's nothing new to Snedeker.  He won earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open, coming from seven strokes back to claim his third career title.  His second TOUR win came at the 2011 Heritage, where he was six shots back entering the final round.  His first win at the 2007 Wyndham Championship came when he was five shots back entering the final round.

 

Bob Estes remained in contention with a 1-over 72 Saturday and enters the final round four shots behind Sergio Garcia at 6-under. Should he go on to victory Sunday, Estes would become the third player over the age of 46 to win The Barclays. Julius Boros captured The Barclays in 1968 at the age of 48 years, 5 months and 15 days while J.C. Snead won in 1987 at the age of 46 years, 8 months. Estes will be 46 years, 6 months and 24 days old Sunday. The oldest winner on the PGA TOUR in 2012 is Steve Stricker (44 years, 10 months, 17 days) at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

 

Kevin Stadler moved into contention with a bogey-free 6-under 65 in the third round and is alone in 3^rd at 7-under. Should he go on to win, Stadler would become the ninth player to make The Barclays their maiden victory on the PGA TOUR and first since Jonathan Kaye in 2003. In five previous starts at The Barclays, Stadler’s best finish came in 2011 when he finished T64. Stadler has only advanced to the Deutsche Bank Championship on one previous occasion in 2009 when he finished No. 95 in the FedExCup standings. He is currently projected to move to No. 16 (Entered Playoffs No. 70).

 

In 2011 William McGirt entered the FedExCup Playoffs No. 125 in the point standings, but was able to advance to the Deutsche Bank Championship after improving to No. 96 on the strength of a T25 at The Barclays. In 2012, McGirt entered the week No. 74 in the FedExCup standings and is currently T10 at 4-under.

 

Competing in the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time, Lee Westwood carded a 3-under 68 in third round and is T10 at 4-under. Westwood is making his first start at The Barclays since 2006 (MC) and just his third overall (1998 – T47). He is projected to move to No. 38 in the FedExCup standings after entering the week No. 51.

 

Gary Christian began the final round 5-under and playing in the fifth to last group off with Tiger Woods, but carded two bogeys and a double in his first five holes en route to a 6-over 42 on the outward nine. He finished the day with a 77 and is T43. Christian entered the week No. 124 and is currently projected at No. 101.

 

Tim Clark made eight birdies Saturday en route to a 4-under 67 and improved 42 positions from T52 to T10.

 

Four-time winner of The Barclays Vijay Singh can move out of a tie with Jack Nicklaus for most top 10s in tournament history this week with 10. Singh, who won The Barclays in 1993, 1995, 2006 and 2008 is currently T22 after a third round 76.