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.

 

Barclays Second-Round Notes – Friday, August 24

Second-Round Notes – Friday, August 24, 2012
Weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 85. Winds from the south at 6-12 mph.
Second-Round Leaderboard
Nick Watney 65-69—134 (-8) Sergio Garcia 66-68—134 (-8) Vijay Singh 68-67—135 (-7) Bob Estes 69-66—135 (-7)
36-hole Cut
The 36-hole cut was made at 1-over 143, with 75 professionals advancing to the weekend.
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.
  Nick Watney – No. 49 in FedExCup – 65-69—134 (-8) – T1
  Nick Watney followed up an opening-round 6-under 65 with a 2-under 69 to move into a share of the lead with Sergio Garcia after the second round of The Barclays. His round included a rollercoaster finish on the last seven holes, going bogey-birdie-birdie-birdie-bogey-par-bogey.
  Watney’s round included an eagle on the par-4 fifth hole, the 11th of his career in PGA TOUR Playoffs events (only Hunter Mahan, with 12, has more).
  This marks the fifth time in Watney’s PGA TOUR career he has held the second-round lead/co-lead: 2012 Wells Fargo Championship (finished eighth), 2009 Transitions Championship (T12), 2009 Waste Management Phoenix Open (T12) and the 2006 Wyndham Championship (T6).
  Watney was ranked No. 1 in the FedExCup standings after the PGA TOUR Regular season last year and finished 9th, 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).
  Sergio Garcia – No. 33 in FedExCup – 66-68—134 (-8) – T1
  Sergio Garcia, a two-time winner of The Barclays (2001, 2004), posted his 22nd round in the 60s (out of 42 rounds and 11 starts) in round two and shares the lead with Nick Watney after two rounds.
  

Garcia has just two bogeys through the first two rounds, both coming at the par-3 third hole.

Like Watney, this marks the fifth time Garcia has held/shared the second-round lead on TOUR: 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship (T20), 2007 British Open (2), 2005 Wells Fargo Championship (T2) and The Barclays 2001 (won).
A below-average season by Garcia’s standards has turned around with his victory last week at the Wyndham Championship. The win was just his second top-10 finish of 2012, after a T4 to start his PGA TOUR season at the Northern Trust Open. 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.
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. Entering this week, Garcia ranked seventh in career stroke average at 69.33 in 40 rounds at The Barclays.
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).
Garcia finished fourth and T10 at the U.S. Open at Bethpage in 2002 and 2009, respectively. 

Second-Round Leader Stats
In the 45-year history of The Barclays, the second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 12 times (most recently Vijay Singh in 2006).
The second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win just seven of 36 stroke-play events in 2012, most recently Scott Piercy at the RBC Canadian Open. 

Additional Player Notes
Tiger Woods sits T7 as he seeks to win The Barclays for the first time in his seventh start at the event. His best finish at The Barclays is T2 in 2009.
Making his 20th career start at The Barclays, Vijay Singh (68-67) opens with two rounds in the 60s for just the second time (2011/65-64). With four wins, Singh (currently T3) leads a group of five players with multiple wins at The Barclays: Singh (4); and Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia (2).
With rounds of 69-66, Bob Estes (T3) opens with two rounds in the 60s for the first time in 13 career starts at The Barclays. The four-time PGA TOUR winner is making his 609th official TOUR start this week.
First-round leader Padraig Harrington, winner of The Barclays in 2005, carded a 4-over 75 during the second round, falling to T16. On Thursday, Harrington carded a 6-under 29 on Bethpage’s final nine holes (matching his career-low nine hole score on TOUR). On Friday, he posted a 5-over 40 on that same side en route to a 75.
Luke Donald (T52) three-putted the second hole on Friday, snapping a streak of 310 holes in the Playoffs without a three-putt. The streak dated to the third round of the 2010 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola (21 holes/2010, 270 holes/2011, 19 holes/2012). 

Among players in the top 10 on the leaderboard, John Huh (T7) and Gary Christian (T7) are making their first appearance at The Barclays. Two players have won in their first appearance at this event – Jack Renner (1979) and Vijay Singh (1993). Eight players have made The Barclays their first PGA TOUR win: Andy North (1977); Jack Renner (1979); Wayne Grady (1989); Vijay Singh (1993); JP Hayes (1998); Dennis Paulson (2000); Chris Smith (2002); and Jonathan Kaye (2003). 

Defending FedExCup champion Bill Haas missed the cut after rounds of 71-75. He entered the week ranked No. 21 in the FedExCup standings and is currently projected at No. 32.
There were two aces on Friday: Chris Kirk on No. 17 with a 5-iron from 190 yards and Roberto Castro on No. 14 with an 8-iron from 154 yards. 

Jason Bohn withdrew prior to the start of the second round with a back injury. Matt Every withdrew during the second round with a neck injury. 

FedExCup Implications
Players ranked between No. 101-125 will need a good finish at The Barclays to move into the top 100 in the standings and move on to the Deutsche Bank Championship. Here’s how they stand through two rounds: 

Rank / Player

101. 101  Jonas Blixt
     
102. 102  T ommy Gainey
     
103. 103  Bob Estes
     
104. 104  Kevin Chappell
     
105. 105  Davis Love III
     
106. 106  Graham DeLaet
     
107. 107  Jeff Maggert
     
108. 108  David Hearn
     
109. 109  Kevin Streelman
     
110. 110  Brian Gay
     
111. 111  Gary Christian
     
112. 112  Robert Allenby
     
113. 113  Jason Day
     
114. 114  Trevor Immelman
     
115. 115  James Driscoll
     
116. 116  Rod Pampling
     
117. 117  Henrik Stenson
     
118. 118  Troy Kelly
     
119. 119  Billy Mayfair
     
120. 120  Colt Knost
     
121. 121  Harrison Frazar
     
122. 122  Jerry Kelly
     
123. 123  Boo Weekley
     
124. 124  Heath Slocum
     
125. 125  Jason Bohn
     

FedExCup status
Currently projected No. 82 Currently projected No. 83 Currently projected No. 25 Eliminated from the Playoffs Eliminated from the Playoffs Currently projected No. 105 Currently projected No. 111 Currently projected No. 112 Currently projected No. 99 Currently projected No. 115 Currently projected No. 54 Eliminated from the Playoffs Currently projected No. 93 Currently projected No. 101 Currently projected No. 116 Currently projected No. 118 Currently projected No. 74 Currently projected No. 95 Currently projected No. 119 Eliminated from the Playoffs Eliminated from the Playoffs Eliminated from the Playoffs Eliminated from the Playoffs Eliminated from the Playoffs Eliminated from the Playoffs 

In the history of the FedExCup, here’s a look at how many players have advanced to the Deutsche Bank Championship when starting from outside the cut line (top 120 in 2007-08; top 100 from 2009-present):
2011 8 players 2010 6 players 2009 4 players 2008 15 players 2007 2 players.

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Marine Park to be Featured on the Golf Channel This Coming Monday

Tune in to The Golf Channel THIS MONDAY, AUGUST 27TH, at 8:30pm, Eastern Standard Time. During their GolfNow New York episode, the Golf Channel, and host Lauren Thompson, visited Marine Park Golf Course. Lauren and one of our pros, Hunter Watkins, played a couple of holes and discussed NYC golf as well as the improvements to our beautiful course here in Brooklyn. We're proud to call this course our home and are thrilled that millions of others will be able to catch a glimpse of it on national television.

Barclays First-Round Notes

First-Round Notes – Thursday, August 23, 2012

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.
  Padraig Harrington – No. 62 in FedExCup – 64 (-7)
  Padraig Harrington, winner of The Barclays in 2005, carded six birdies to shoot 29 on the back nine en route to a 64 (-7). Harrington’s 64 is his lowest round since a career-best 61 (31-30) at the Transitions Championship in March (finished T20). The 29 matches Harrington’s career low for nine holes on the PGA TOUR. He shot a back-nine 29 at the 2007 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola in the first round (finished T11).
  Harrington’s 64 ties the lowest round in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event at Bethpage State Park: The Black Course, posted by Lucas Glover (R2) and Mike Weir (R1) at the 2009 U.S. Open, when the course was played as a par 70.
  Harrington finished T8 (70-68-73-75) and missed the cut (76-76) at the two U.S. Opens held at Bethpage, in 2002 and 2009, respectively.
  Harrington has held or shared an 18-hole lead in a PGA TOUR event six previous times, most recently after his opening-round 61 at the 2012 Transitions Championship. He has not converted any of those 18-hole leads into victory. In fact, Harrington has only led in one round en route to his five PGA TOUR victories – at The Barclays 2005, when he shared the 54-hole lead with Jim Furyk. At that event, Harrington made a 65-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to edge Furyk by one shot.
  A win this week would make Harrington the sixth player to win The Barclays more than once: Vijay Singh (4); and Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia (2).
  In the 45-year history of The Barclays, the first-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win nine times.
  

Nick Watney – No. 49 in FedExCup – 65 (-6)
Nick Watney’s opening-round 65 is his second-lowest round of the year, behind a 64 during round two of the Wells Fargo Championship (finished 8th).
Watney was ranked No. 1 in the FedExCup standings after the PGA TOUR Regular season last year and finished 9th, 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).
Brian Harman – No. 97 in FedExCup – 65 (-6)
In his FedExCup Playoffs debut, rookie Brian Harman posted seven birdies against one bogey in round one and is one shot off Harrington’s lead. Harman is one of 11 rookies to make the FedExCup Playoffs.
Harman has eight top-25 finishes. Earning his first PGA TOUR top 10 would move Harman into the top 40 in FedExCup points and would go a long way toward getting him to the FedExCup finale in Atlanta. Based on the last three years, it’s projected that Harman needs to finish 68th this week in order to move into the top 100 in FedExCup points and advance to next week’s Playoffs event in Boston.
Since the FedExCup began in 2007, the best finish by a rookie in the final standings is 20th – by Brandt Snedeker in 2007 and by Marc Leishman in 2009. The only other rookies to advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola are Keegan Bradley (2011, 20th) and Andres Romero (2008, 28th).
Harman’s best finish thus far this season is a T19 at the RBC Canadian Open, where he carded a career-low 63 in the second round. 

Two players have won in their first appearance in The Barclays – Jack Renner (1979) and Vijay Singh (1993). Eight players have made The Barclays their first PGA TOUR win: Andy North (1977); Jack Renner (1979); Wayne Grady (1989); Vijay Singh (1993); JP Hayes (1998); Dennis Paulson (2000); Chris Smith (2002); and Jonathan Kaye (2003). 

Pat Perez – No. 72 in FedExCup – 66 (-5)
Pat Perez opened with a 5-under 66 in his 10th appearance in 2002 his best finish. In his six starts since The Barclays became the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, his only made cut led to a T60 finish in 2010.
Perez, No. 72 on the FedExCup points list, entered the week with a 73.4 scoring average in opening rounds at The Barclays, dating to the first season of the Playoffs in 2007. During that span, his only other score in the 60s in 11 rounds was a first-round 67 in 2010.
Last year, Perez withdrew from The Barclays following an opening-round 79.
In 11 full seasons on the PGA TOUR, Perez is still seeking his first trip to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Sergio Garcia – No. 33 in FedExCup – 66 (-5) st Sergio Garcia, a two-time winner of The Barclays (2001, 2004), posted his 21 rounds and 11 starts) in round one and is two shots off of Harrington’s lead.

round in the 60s (out of 41

start at The Barclays, with a T2 finish in his inaugural

A below-average season by Garcia’s standards has turned around with his victory last week at the Wyndham Championship. The win was just his second top-10 finish of 2012, after a T4 to start his PGA TOUR season at the Northern Trust Open. The last player to win back-to-back PGA TOUR events was Tiger Woods in 2009 (Buick Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational).
Garcia fell as far as No. 103 in the FedExCup standings and entered the Wyndham Championship at No. 102.
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. Entering this week, Garcia ranked seventh in career stroke average at 69.33 in 40 rounds at The Barclays.
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).
Garcia finished fourth (68-74-67-74) and T10 (70-70-72-70) at the U.S. Open at Bethpage in 2002 and 2009, respectively. 

Misc. Notes
There were 34 rounds in the 60s during round 1 of The Barclays. In the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage, there were 26 for the entire four days of competition (60 in the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage over four days).
Bill Haas opened the defense of his FedExCup title with an even-par (71).

K.J. Choi, a runner-up to Steve Stricker at The Barclays 2007, the first FedExCup Playoffs event, got off to a strong start with a 67 (-4) in round one at Bethpage. Choi has seven top-10 finishes in the FedExCup Playoffs, trailing only Steve Stricker and Camilo Villegas, who are tied for most with 10 each, and Jim Furyk (8). Phil Mickelson also has seven. 

Steve Stricker extended his lead in the category of “Rounds in the 60s – FedExCup Playoffs,” carding a 69 (-2) in the opening round. He now has 47 rounds in the 60s, followed by Jim Furyk (37), Phil Mickelson (36 – includes his 68 in round one) and Hunter Mahan (35). 

Luke Donald opened The Barclays 2012 with a 3-under 68. A year ago, Donald set a single-season Playoffs record, playing all 270 holes without a three-putt. He began this week where he left off last year, playing all 18 holes on Thursday without a three-putt. Donald led the TOUR in 2011 in three-putt avoidance. This year he ranks ninth.

Tiger's "good" Year

During the media interview after his practice round Tiger was asked, " You've always defined or measured your seasons by performance in the majors, but in that context when you win three TOUR events and contend in majors but don't win, do you see that as good year or do you see it as something else?"

Tiger replied, "Well, I see it as absolutely it's a good year, but I think winning a major championship puts it into a great year category. I've said that countless times prior. I think that even if you get one win in there, like Ernie Els had a pretty good year this year, but all of a sudden now he wins a major championship and it's a great year. I think that's the difference between the majors and the other events. They're just that much bigger."

Keegan Bradley Talks About Coach Darby (Frank Darby of St. John's)

During his interview meeting in the media tent at the Barclays Anthony Scorcia, of the "On Par" radio show, asked Keegan, "You mentioned Coach Darby. When you think of Coach Darby now, what's the first thing that comes to mind, and can you talk a little bit about your relationship with him and how it's evolved since you graduated St. John's?"

Keegan replied, "Coach Darby was the perfect coach for me because he kind of let me do my own thing. I think about it if I a coach that was really in my face and and saying you've got to hit 3-wood here, 2-iron here, that wouldn't have worked for me. Coach really let me be myself out on the golf course and at St. John's, and that was what has gotten me to this point. He's great. He gave me four years of education at St. John's , and I'll ever be thankful for that."

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.