- Matt Kuchar Wins Barclays Playoff
- Battle of the Belt Buckles on the 1st Tee
- Make it, Make a Million
- Swap Shirts, Help Lives
- Hanging out at the 15th
- The Caddie
- Fun at the Five and Dime
- Ryder Cup wildcard auditions
- Scenes from a Driving Range
- The Barclays Round One
- Interview with John Wesolowski
- Interview with Robert E Diamond Jr
- Tiger Woods
- The Barclays Pro-Am Story
- Interview with David Reasoner
- Birdies for the Brave
Interview with Robert E Diamond Jr
Interview by Paul Mahoney at The Barclays
The Barclays MVPs
Robert E Diamond Jr
President, Barclays
What did you learn from partnering Phil Mickelson in the pro-am?
He was very clear that playing with me definitely helps him improve his game. Just kidding
(laughs). The pros just hit it so far and get such compression on the
ball and they are so consistent. It’s fun to just watch. Phil and the pros play a different
game to us.
How did it make you feel about your game?
It’s not the best format to learn about your game. In a pro-am, when you are playing for the
best score in a fourball, you are always trying for a shot that you
can’t necessarily make. But it’s a fun format. We had New York Mayor Bloomberg in our group.
He played fantastic.
What is your handicap and when did you start playing?
I took up golf when I was in my twenties and I play off a 9.2 handicap.
Where do you play?
When I an in London, my club is Queenwood in Surrey, just outside the city. When we spend the
summer in Nantucket, I am a member at Nantucket. And in New
York, I play at Liberty, which is where the Barclays tournament was last year.
You must get to visit some great courses?
The thing with a job like mine is that you get invited to a lot of places but you can’t go.
And then when I retire, I won’t get asked any more (smiles).
What are the best courses you’ve played?
I’ve played Augusta a few times. Driving up Magnolia Lane at Augusta was just magical. It
really is an unbelievable place. I played Cypress Point for the first time
this year. That was wonderful. The head of Barclays Capital on the West Coast, Stu Francis,
is club champion there and he invited me over to play.
Where have you played overseas?
I’ve played St Andrews. It is such a different course. If the wind is not blowing, it’s very
playable. If it’s blowing like it usually is, it is so hard. But I love it. I love
playing golf in Scotland. I try to get over there once or twice a year.
W
here do you head for?
St Andrews, Muirfield, Loch Lomond, North Berwick, Gullane. There are so many.
You sound like a golf addict?
Nah, I have played more in the last five or six years because my two sons are avid golfers.
But when children are young, it’s difficult to find the time. My sons are
now 25 and 19 so it gives me an excuse to go out and play with them.
