- 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
Ryder Cup Wildcard Auditions
By Paul Mahoney
At Ridgewood Country Club
Are you watching captains Pavin and Montgomerie? There are two sub-plots at The Barclays besides wining the tournament. One is chasing the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus. The other is grabbing a Ryder Cup wildcard.
Europe’s Captain Colin picks his three on Sunday before the leaders tee off at Ridgewood Country Club. Captain Corey announces his four on September 7. “Sub-plots are great,” said Zach Johnson grinning after posting a second round 69. He is one of six players in the top 20 in New Jersey hopeful of making the trip to
Celtic Manor, Wales in October. All six are world-class players: Stewart Cink (six under par), Ben Crane (five under), Padraig Harrington (five under), Tiger Woods (five under), Paul Casey (five under) and Johnson (five under). None of them are currently on their team. All six have made timely statements with their clubs that they deserve a pick. All six are giving their captains last minute headaches. And all six are failing to keep the Ryder Cup sub-plot out of their heads.
“It is in my head but it isn’t,” Johnson said somewhat confusingly. “I want to be on the team really bad. I’ve told Corey if he picks me, I’m gonna play as hard as I can. And if I don’t get picked, I’m gonna sit down on a sofa and cheer as hard as I can.” Johnson finished well at the PGA Championship and, as a former Masters champion, he must be a favorite to make the US team.
Stewart Cink is another major champion making a late charge towards Celtic Manor. The 2009 British Open champion has, until recently, had a torrid season. Perhaps he’s been suffering from a Turnberry hangover. He has been a wild card for the last two Ryder Cups. He’s keen to make it three in a row. “I know I can contribute a lot if I get in,” Cink said after a second round 69. “ Experience means something. Form means something.” And Cink is timing his dip to the line well.“I’l l be disappointed if I don’t make the team,” he said. “But if I don’t I’ll know I just didn’t do enough this year.”
Ben Crane continued his recent run of good form and admitted he spoke to Pavin last weekend. “I told him it would be a dream to represent my country. Corey isone of the gutsiest guys ever and I would love to be on his team.” Three of Pavin’s wildcard are almost certain to be Johnson, Cink and Woods. They have a maximum six more rounds to book their seats on Team USA’s jet. Which leaves Crane battling for the one remaining spot with 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover, Anthony Kim, and outsiders Sean O’Hair and Nick Watney. Crane is currently wearing the yellow jersey.
Europe’s Ryder Cup wildcard auditions are almost complete. Harrington, Casey, Luke Donald and Justin Rose, the FedEx Four as the have been dubbed, will discover their fate on Sunday afternoon. Casey (four under par) was nervous to say too much after a second successive 69 but his impressive matchplay record will surely mean he gets the nod from Monty. “I went through this in 2008,” he said - when Nick Faldo picked him. “You do think about it on the course. You don’t want it to come down to one week but playing well here obviously helps me.”
The FedEx Four have been criticised in Europe for choosing to chase American dollars instead of playing in the last qualifying event at Gleneagles in Scotland.
Harrington (five under par) admitted after his second round 68 that he would regret his schedule if he failed to make Monty’s team. “I think Monty wanted us all to make it easy on him,” Harrington said. Instead they have given him a migraine. “I’ll be a lot more wary of my schedule next time,” he said. “It would be a mistake. But it won’t do me any harm to be showing some form this week. Somebody is going to get picked and somebody is going to get left out. Sunday afternoon will be like waiting for my exam results to arrive. And I was never very good at that. I’m definitely going to have my phone with me and will be waiting for a call.”
Rose and Donald were hovering around the cut line. Both will be having a couple of sleepless nights. Baseball season? Nah! Wake me up when there’s two teams left. NFL pre-season friendlies? Are you serious? Forget about it. It’s The Barclays FedEx Cup Playoffs Ryder Cup Sub-Plot Auditions that’s getting everyone’s attention.
