Dustin Johnson to host clinic for area youth at The Barclays

The Barclays defending champion, Dustin Johnson, will host a clinic for more than 225 area youth on Tuesday, August 21, at 1:00 p.m. on the driving range at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park. The clinic is part of tournament week, as the top-125 players on the FedExCup points list will play in the first event in the FedExCup playoffs, compete for the opportunity to win the 2012 FedExCup and earn the $10 million bonus. The Barclays will be contested for the first time at Bethpage State Park on August 21–26.

Youth from the following four local organizations will participate in the clinic:
Action Long Island
First Tee of Essex County
First Tee of Metropolitan New York
YMCA Brookhaven/Patchouge

In addition to the clinic, The Barclays will make youth awareness and growth of the game a priority all week, by providing free admission at this year’s event for up to three children, ages 18 and under, when accompanied by one paid adult.
Despite missing nearly three months of the season due to injury, Johnson is currently No. 24 in the FedExCup standings on the strength of his victory earlier this summer at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Johnson, who is not in the field this week at the Wyndham Championship, will look to join Ernie Els (1996-1997) as the only players to win The Barclays in back-to-back years. Johnson’s six career wins on the PGA TOUR are the most by any player currently in their 20s. He has won at least one PGA TOUR event in each of the past five seasons, a streak second only to Phil Mickelson, who has won in each of the past nine seasons (2004-2012).
Daily and weekly grounds tickets are on sale for The Barclays for practice rounds and competition rounds. Clubhouse tickets are also available on a daily and weekly basis. For tournament and ticket information, please visit www.thebarclaysgolf.com.
Round trip tickets on the LIRR can be purchased directly at www.CooCoo.com/lirrtickets or through the MTA web site at www.mta.info/lirr/getaways/LongIsland/BarclaysGolf.htm for the Farmingdale Station stop with free shuttle buses for the short ride to Bethpage.

About The Barclays
The Barclays has been a part of the PGA TOUR schedule since 1967 when Jack Nicklaus won the inaugural event at Westchester Country Club. Since that time, some of the greatest players in the game have earned the title including World Golf Hall of Famers Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, Raymond Floyd, Seve Ballesteros, Hale Irwin, Curtis Strange and the new defending champion, Dustin Johnson, 2011 winner of The Barclays. Many of the world’s current top players have won the event as well, including two-time champions Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia, and four-time champion Vijay Singh. As the first of four playoff events, The Barclays plays a leading role in the FedExCup, the season-long competition that is the centerpiece of the PGA TOUR season. In 2012, The Barclays will be held at Bethpage State Park: The Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., Aug. 21-26. For tournament information, please visit www.thebarclaysgolf.com.