The Barclays: Ridgewood presents challenge as FedEx Cup opening tourney
Ray Slover
August 20, 2014 5:08pm EDT
Last year, Tiger Woods collapsed on the course after a shot at The Barclays. It was a moment that told us the world’s best-known golfer was in serious trouble.
This year, The Barclays begins without Woods. We won’t see Tiger until December at the earliest.
What we will see is the world’s best players at Ridgewood Country Club course in Paramus, N.J. Play begins Thursday in the first event of the four-week FedEx Cup playoffs. There are 122 players in this week’s field.
A bit about The Barclays:
— Ridgewood will be site of a FedEx Cup event for the third time. The others were 2008 and 2010. The course is a combination of the 18 toughest holes from among the three nine-hole courses that make up the venue. For this tournament, it plays as a par-71 over 7,340 yards.
“We kind of looked at the facility as a whole, and we wanted to lengthen the golf course a little bit to get a bigger event,” club head pro Reasoner told the New York Post.
“This golf course is so good it deserves to be on that stage,” Reasoner said. “The course itself deserves to be on that stage.”
Reasoner, we’re told, is the brother of former NHL player Marty Reasoner.
Vijay Singh won the 2008 Barclays. In 2010, Matt Kuchar won on the first playoff hole.
— Rory McIlroy, Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson make up the elite threesome of the first two rounds. They are the world’s top-ranked golfers. McIlroy won three consecutive tournaments, starting with the Scottish Open. Then, he won the British Open and the PGA Championship.
McIlroy is the favorite to win the Cup, pegged at 5-to-2, according to The Linemakers. He also is a 4-to-1 favorite to win The Barclays.
McIlroy also gets the favorite designation from the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. The publication says to watch out for the following players, listed by their world rankings: Kuchar, No. 4; Rickie Fowler, No. 16, Jason Day, No. 34; and Kevin Streelman, No. 39.
Fowler, 25, is an interesting player to watch. He finished in the top 10 in all four majors this year, tying for second in the U.S. Open and British Open and tying for fifth at the Masters. He was tied for third at the PGA. If he is going to take the next big step, this could be the event. Trouble is, Fowler hasn’t won in more than two years, and that was his only Tour victory.
The Star-Ledger’s four players who won’t win: Bubba Watson, No. 3; Jordan Spieth, No. 8; Adam Scott, No. 5; and Phil Mickelson, No. 42.
Mickelson, a five-time major winner, was runner-up to McIlroy at the PGA Championship. But he readily acknowledges his problems.
“I know that I’ve made great strides this year in driving the golf ball … but it’s been a terrible year for my wedge and short irons. I also had a very poor year putting,” he told reporters this week.
Mickelson, 44, hasn’t won this season. He has four tournaments to snap his victory drought. He hasn’t come up empty the past 10 years.
“Now I have to play well this week and in the FedExCup to really make the year salvageable,” said Mickelson, a 42-time winner on the PGA Tour.
Henrik Stenson is the defending FedEx Cup champion. Scott comes in at 12-to-1 in Vegas odds. Stenson is 15-to-1.
https://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2014-08-20/golf-rory-mcilroy-fedex-cup-ridgewood-the-barclays-tiger-woods-phil-mickelson-odds
