- The Barclays shortened to 54 holes
- J.B. Holmes withdraws from The Barclays due to impending surgery
- The Barclays announces sell out of competition rounds
- Final field in place for The Barclays
- Last chance for tickets to The Barclays 2011
- The Barclays Youth Clinic presented by Wipro Technologies to host 450 area children, features "Trick Shot Master" Peter Johncke
- This is it: Players fight for Playoff berth, a spot in The Barclays field
- Country music artist Chely Wright to perform at The Barclays on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m. in support of Military Appreciation Day
- Two weeks remain for players "on the bubble" to earn a spot in The Barclays field
- CBS Sports special "Playing with a Purpose presented by Barclays"
- Mickelson, Johnson, Fowler, Kim, Campbell all improve FedExCup positions
- Barclays Extends Title Sponsorship of The Barclays Through 2016
- The Barclays field starting to take shape with eight weeks left until the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup
- The Barclays Launches 2011 TICKETS Fore CHARITY™ Program
The Barclays shortened to 54 holes
Due to the threat of Hurricane Irene, the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup will end on Saturday after completion of the third round
EDISON, N.J. -- The PGA TOUR announced Friday that The Barclays, the first of four events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, will be shortened from a 72-hole event to 54 holes, due to the impending threat of Hurricane Irene, which is forecast to move up the East Coast and into the Tri-State area on Sunday. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed a state of emergency on Thursday in advance of Hurricane Irene's arrival, which threatens to cause severe flooding and damage this weekend, and forecasters issued a hurricane warning for much of New Jersey early Friday morning. The Barclays is being held for the first time at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J.
"We weighed all the options available to us, and under normal circumstances, we would obviously prefer to complete 72 holes," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. "That's even more true here at The Barclays, considering that this is such an important event to our players as they look to advance through the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. But these aren't normal circumstances. We realize that 'waiting it out' until Hurricane Irene passes and trying to play golf on Monday or Tuesday would only add unnecessary strain to those who will be trying to help the community recover from whatever potential damage this storm causes. The safety of the community, our fans, players, sponsor guests, television partners and staff is of the utmost importance."
"We're certainly disappointed that the weather will cut short what was on track to be a record-setting event for us," said The Barclays Executive Director Peter Mele. "The response from the Edison community and leadership of Plainfield Country Club has been incredible, ever since we announced The Barclays would be coming here in 2011. So many people have worked so hard to set us up for an incredible tournament, but now is the time to keep them and their families' safety in mind. And while we won't play on Sunday, I have no doubt we'll crown a worthy champion tomorrow after an exciting 'final' round."
Those who have purchased Sunday tickets to The Barclays 2011 will be contacted by tournament officials and given good-any-day tickets to The Barclays 2012 at The Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y., in exchange.
This marks the first time in the brief history of the FedExCup that an event has been shortened to 54 holes and the first 54-hole event since the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. At that tournament, Dustin Johnson was declared the winner after heavy rains on Sunday and into Monday morning deemed the course unplayable. Johnson held a four-stroke lead over Mike Weir at the conclusion of the third round that year. The 54-hole finish will be the second at The Barclays. In 1998, J.P. Hayes birdied the first playoff hole at Westchester Country Club to defeat Jim Furyk in the weather-shortened event.
The Barclays defending champion Matt Kuchar (64, -8) held a one-stroke lead over Harrison Frazar and William McGirt after completion of the first round this morning. The second round is currently underway, with Kuchar and Dustin Johnson at 12-under-par through 12 holes (as of 12 p.m.). The Barclays field featured 125 players from the FedExCup standings, and only the top 100 in the standings following the completion of The Barclays tomorrow will advance to the next event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, the Deutsche Bank Championship outside of Boston.
Slugger White, the TOUR's vice president of rules and competition, said that tee times for Saturday's third round will be moved up, with players starting their rounds between 7 a.m.-9 a.m. ET, going off two tees in threesomes.
This week represents the 26th 54-hole event on the PGA TOUR since 1990.
A look at the last five 54-hole events on the PGA TOUR:
- 2011 The Barclays (winner to be determined)
- 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (Dustin Johnson)
- 2005 BellSouth Classic (Phil Mickelson)
- 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic (Luke Donald)
- 2000 BellSouth Classic (Phil Mickelson)
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, Heath Slocum, 2009 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 2010, The Barclays will be held at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus New Jersey, on August 24-29.
About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 144,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for 48 million customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com.
About Barclays Capital
Barclays Capital is the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC. With a distinctive business model, Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients with a full spectrum of solutions to their strategic advisory, financing and risk management needs. Barclays Capital has offices around the world, employs over 23,000 people and has the global reach, advisory services and distribution power to meet the needs of issuers and investors worldwide. For further information about Barclays Capital, please visit our website www.barclayscapital.com.
About Barclays Wealth
Barclays Wealth is a leading global wealth manager, and the UK's largest, with total client assets of $241 (£151.2bn) as of December 31, 2009. With offices in over 20 countries, Barclays Wealth focuses on private and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, investment management, brokerage and fiduciary services. For further information about Barclays Wealth, please visit our website www.barclayswealthamericas.com or our Twitter page www.twitter.com/barclayswealth.