- 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
Hanging out on the 15th
The Barclays
By Paul Mahoney
At Ridgewood Country Club
Mid-afternoon at the par-three 15th during the third round of The Barclays. It’s beer and
stogies time. It’s 155 yards of guaranteed oohs and aaahs. Along with the drivable par-four
15th, this is one of THE places to be and to be seen at The Barclays. “It has that stadium feel to
it like the 17th at Sawgrass or the 16th at TPC Scottsdale – maybe not that crazy, though,”
said Ridgewood’s head pro David Reasoner. “But you never know with a New York crowd,” he added
laughing.
A hospitality pavilion runs the length of the right side of the tee box – perfect for a pro’s eye view of the hole. Then a bleacher is sandwiched between two more hospitality pavilions in a horseshoe shape behind the green. Perfect for tracking the flight of incoming balls. Reasoner was right. It’s not as crazy as Scottsdale. There was a much more laid back atmosphere. Two giant TV screens pour forth zillions of facts and trivia and player biographies. It’s a golfing anorak’s paradise. You wanna know something? TV screens will tell ya. You don’t wanna know something? TV screens will tell ya anyway. “Next group up: Dustin Johnson, -8 and Robert Allenby, +1,” said the TV screen to the right. The screen to the left listed the longest putts holed: Luke Donald takes the honors with a birdie from 32 feet, 5 inches. Hunter Mahan was runner-up, holing out from 24 feet, 11 inches. Johnson birdied. The crowd whooped and hollered. He has fast become a cult hero since his meltdown at the US Open and bunkergate at the PGA Championship. “ It’s good to have a lot of people out there following me. It was a fun day,” Johnson said after a seven under par 67 which took him to nine under par for the tournament. His heroes growing up in Columbia, South Carolina were Fred Couples, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and, surprise, John Daly. “As a kid I remember John Daly bombing it around St Andrews in 1995 to win the British Open,” Johnson said. “People say we are similar in a lot ways. I don’t mind being called a big-hitter, too. I also have a pretty good short game.”
Next group up: Chris Couch, evens, and David Duval, -2. Duval walked off with a ho-hum par. Couch drained the third longest putt of the week from 23 feet, 3 inches – according to those clever TV screens. Couch was carrying a belly to go with his belly putter – possibly the result of spending too much time sitting on his name. Meanwhile, waiting for Angel Cabrera and Sean O’Hair to arrive at the tee, the TV screens began to show off. Where’s Zach Johnson on the course? The TV screens know everything: Big Brother at The Barclays. “Zach is on hole 11,” TV screens announced. “He has 4 feet, 3 inches to the pin, playing his fourth shot. He’s tied 22nd and -4.” Wow, that’s pretty impressive.
Where’s Phil Mickelson? TV screens teased. “He’s 12 feet, 7 inches from his swimming pool at home in San Diego, California sipping a pina colada while some dude fixes his driver.” How do they know this stuff?
A hospitality pavilion runs the length of the right side of the tee box – perfect for a pro’s eye view of the hole. Then a bleacher is sandwiched between two more hospitality pavilions in a horseshoe shape behind the green. Perfect for tracking the flight of incoming balls. Reasoner was right. It’s not as crazy as Scottsdale. There was a much more laid back atmosphere. Two giant TV screens pour forth zillions of facts and trivia and player biographies. It’s a golfing anorak’s paradise. You wanna know something? TV screens will tell ya. You don’t wanna know something? TV screens will tell ya anyway. “Next group up: Dustin Johnson, -8 and Robert Allenby, +1,” said the TV screen to the right. The screen to the left listed the longest putts holed: Luke Donald takes the honors with a birdie from 32 feet, 5 inches. Hunter Mahan was runner-up, holing out from 24 feet, 11 inches. Johnson birdied. The crowd whooped and hollered. He has fast become a cult hero since his meltdown at the US Open and bunkergate at the PGA Championship. “ It’s good to have a lot of people out there following me. It was a fun day,” Johnson said after a seven under par 67 which took him to nine under par for the tournament. His heroes growing up in Columbia, South Carolina were Fred Couples, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and, surprise, John Daly. “As a kid I remember John Daly bombing it around St Andrews in 1995 to win the British Open,” Johnson said. “People say we are similar in a lot ways. I don’t mind being called a big-hitter, too. I also have a pretty good short game.”
Next group up: Chris Couch, evens, and David Duval, -2. Duval walked off with a ho-hum par. Couch drained the third longest putt of the week from 23 feet, 3 inches – according to those clever TV screens. Couch was carrying a belly to go with his belly putter – possibly the result of spending too much time sitting on his name. Meanwhile, waiting for Angel Cabrera and Sean O’Hair to arrive at the tee, the TV screens began to show off. Where’s Zach Johnson on the course? The TV screens know everything: Big Brother at The Barclays. “Zach is on hole 11,” TV screens announced. “He has 4 feet, 3 inches to the pin, playing his fourth shot. He’s tied 22nd and -4.” Wow, that’s pretty impressive.
Where’s Phil Mickelson? TV screens teased. “He’s 12 feet, 7 inches from his swimming pool at home in San Diego, California sipping a pina colada while some dude fixes his driver.” How do they know this stuff?
