Round 2: The Barclays
August 26 2011
12:34 pm
Barclays shortened to 54-hole event
Watch: 54-hole announcement
Slugger White, PGA TOUR vice president of rules and competition, announced Friday that The Barclays would be shortened to 54 holes.
By PGA TOUR/PGATOUR.COM staff
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, being held for the first time at Plainfield Country Club, is now scheduled to end on Saturday prior to the onset of bad weather.
“We weighed all the options available to us, and under normal circumstances, we would obviously prefer to complete 72 holes,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. “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.”
Slugger White, the TOUR’s vice presidents 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.
“With the extreme weather conditions that we have got staring us in the face right now, Sunday obviously is not going to be here,” White said. “We are looking upwards to maybe 10 to 12 inches of rain between Saturday night and Sunday evening, and … in no way we can get out of here Monday and it puts Tuesday out, as well.”
In fact, with 30-50 mph winds forecast for Saturday afternoon and a steady rain expected to start at 2 p.m. ET, the possibility exists that not all 18 holes will be completed on Saturday. If that’s the case, then the tournament will revert back to the 36-hole leaderboard.
With tee times moved up, though, officials expect to get all 18 holes of the third round in on Saturday. Should there be a tie after 54 holes, a playoff will be held to determine the winner. FedExCup points will be awarded in the same amount no matter if the tournament ends after 36 or 54 holes.
“We do everything we possibly can to get 72 holes by Sunday,” White said. “Unfortunately, Irene is not cooperating.”
As part of the preparations for the bad weather, White said scoreboards will start to be taken Friday afternoon.
“We’re certainly disappointed that the weather will cut short what was on track to be a record-setting event for us,” The Barclays Executive Director Peter Mele said. “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.”
Bob Diamond, the Chief Executive Officer of The Barclays, said, “We fully support the PGA TOUR’s decision to shorten the tournament to 54 holes. For the safety of all involved, this is the right call.”
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.
Because The Barclays sold out its tickets this year, there was no way to allow Sunday’s ticket-holders to attend Saturday’s third round.
“We contemplated allowing Sunday tickets on the grounds tomorrow,” Mele said, “but due to the reasons why we had to the sellout of capacity issues, we were afraid to do that because it might just make things even worse.”
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 field featured 123 of the 125 players who qualified for the Playoffs due to their FedExCup points standings, and only the top 100 in the standings following the completion of The Barclays on Saturday will advance to the next event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston. That tournament is scheduled to start Friday and end on Labor Day.
PGATOUR.COM’s Mike McAllister and Helen Ross contributed to this report
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner - SI Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 
If playing 2 rounds on Saturday is impossible, then going with 54 holes would be the ONLY choice. BUT- if Saturday is also cancelled, I question whether awarding full points for a 36 Hole event would be fair all the players. What about if there’s 1/2 a tournament, then there’s 1/2 points awarded.
regardless, good decision with the weather coming in, and at least a official voice of concern for the people/volunteers at the tournament. The players will ahve ample time to know that they need to continue the good scoring today. Still should be good and exciting to end and at least have a tournie. Good call
Given that the next tournament is a Friday start, they should have played Monday. For a championship FedEx level this is ridiculous.
It sounds like with what is coming that this is the right choice. However what an advantage to know if you are playing in the afternoon that you just aren’t playing for the cutline, but positioning now with only 18 holes left after today
How the heck do they figure out the points for this one? So, I’m guessing there’s no cut, does that mean everyone will get points for completing the tournament?
Inconsiderate hurricanes…..
Jeff, read the 5th paragraph. There is more to life than sport.
I’m with Rich on this one. That’s a huge, nasty storm coming and NYC is right in the bullseye. Too many other more important things going on to try and squeeze in a golf tournament, even one as big as this.
It’s a lift, clean and place tournament anyway…so why not 54 holes as well.
Safety First!
Really the only decision at this stage that can be made. They have known that this thing has been coming for over a week. Ideally, they should have started the tournament on Wednesday of this week. Regardless, players know that the 2nd and 3rd rounds are big and they need to play more agreesive and go low. These guys are big boys, they know whats at stake
What does this change mean to the TV broadcast schedule?
Suspending play only makes sense, but I think they should postpone the tournament and not shorten it.
one must wonder where Jeff resides. 18 inches of rain in 18 hours this weekend will not only create unplayable conditions on Monday but you should consider the safety of everyone who would be required to travel to the site through horrible conditions.
A lift clean and place tournament is not a tournament. Golfers are big boys, they should learn how to hit shots if there is a little mud on a ball. They know how to get out of trouble in sandtraps and the rough, so why not learn to hit a ball with a little mud on it?
Difficult decision, but the right call has been made the safety of all those involved in the tournament and everyone else must come first.Pity we can`t control the old lady.
Giving holders of Sunday tickets for an event in Edison.NJ an ‘any day’ pass to a course on Long Island a year away doesn’t pass the smell test with me. If they don’t get sued, they’ll be lucky.
LOL!! What are the odds of my message not being posted?
It is the only logical call the tour could have made.
Obviously some people here have no idea what damage can occur due to a hurricane or even a tropical storm. Whether it is 18 inches of rain or just 10-12 as the article indicates there will likely be flooding and wind damage. That means a high likelihood of downed trees and you certainly can’t keep tents, observation stands, signs, etc up and you certainly aren’t going to tear it all down and put it back up 2 or 3 days later. They made the right decision! Its just golf and there are 3 more tourneys to determine the FEC winner.
Good call. Having multiple plans is very smart.
Suggestion: Maybe they should move future events to the west coast at this time of year.
It hasn’t rained in California for months.
so, what are the new tv times for Saturday?
With 10″-12″ of rain expected Saturday night into Sunday, it highly likely that the course might not be ready to play until Tuesday or Wednesday. And if the rain and high winds come in earlier than expected on Saturday, it could create a bad situation for the golfers and fans alike, not only on the course but perhaps going home or trying to escape the storm.
At the end of the day it’s the right call. It’s unfortunate that the PGA came out today with the announcement. I’m sure that as a player it would have been nice to know the rules right up front. It’s not like this hurricane just popped up this morning. The Tour should have made known the different scenarios from the beginning, so players and fans alike could adjust accordingly.
This decision tells volumes about what the PGA Tour thinks of the Playoffs. They could have finished Monday or Tuesday with no problem. I just thank God the PGA Tour wasn’t in command of the Allied forces at Normandy, or D Day would have never happened. At least not in ’44, and who knows what would have happened in WWII?
Does anyone know if they don’t finish 54 holes, is the tournament considered *official*
As in….for wagers that were placed on-line with sports books?
Thanks to anyone who knows the answer!
People,playing on Monday is NOT AN OPTION!The course will be unplayable..There is over a foot of rain expected on Sunday!Not too mention there will be tree’s down and probably no power in the area..Do you think the day after the biggest hurricane to hit the Northeast in years people are going to care about a golf tournament???
It’s 54 holes..Not the 1st time it’s happened and it won’t be the last..Deal with it!
John Wilkinson..Comparing a golf tournament where millionaires are playing to become even richer to WWII is ridiculous and makes you look like a fool.
Hi Chad, no if they can’t *all* finish 54 holes, and get washed out on Saturday then the event will be a 36-hole event, which I think is pure bunk. I understand the safety issue, but what happens if Irene changes course, or fizzles? That has happened numerous times in the past, where they predict doom & gloom and in reality, all that happens is a little rain and not very much wind. We shall see, while disappointed the event was cut short, I do hope that it makes 54 holes and is not reduced to just 36.
Laughing at John’s ” They could have finished Monday or Tuesday with no problem.”
John obviously lives nowhere near the tournament site. This part of NJ has received about 13 inches of rain this August, and with an estimated 10 more from Irene. With those numbers, not only will the golf course be unplayable for days, the surrounding areas will be recovering for days as well.
Thank God the Allied Forces aren’t in charge of the Barclays, because the players would be going from tee to green in canoes.
Tough decision, but the right one. Classy move by the PGA. I’d much rather watch preparations for next weeks tournament opposed to preparation for a memorial service for the folks who had to stay to finish a game. I’d like to thank the PGA for making the decision to ensure safety instead of making a few bucks, Barclay’s as well.
REALLY? With heavy rains beginning on Saturday evening and travel being complicated and potentially dangerous… you have to think twice about cancelling Saturday???
I’ve been reading about Irene. We don’t really have much idea about hurricanes in this country(UK) but from what I gather shortening the tourney is the only option. Let’s hope it can be completed on Saturday before Irene makes her entrance. And as for Jeff and John Wilkinson, tell them to take their blinkers off and their ear plugs out, oh and remove their heads from the sand!
Good luck, and I hope all of you come through the next few days safely.
James said: Suggestion: Maybe they should move future events to the west coast at this time of year.
It hasn’t rained in California for months.
That’s not realistic. They hold the California events in January and February when the East Coast courses are snow-covered.
After reading the John Wilkinson comment, (you know, the one that said finishing a golf tournament the day or two after a hurricane was “no problem”, and with a Normandy invasion analogy added to accentuate his thought) I must regrettably concede that perhaps the Eugenics movement wasn’t as daffy as I used to believe.
Given the size and scope of the hurricane, playing 54 holes was the right decision!!! Irene is one NASTY storm.
Monday? Tuesday? Try OCTOBER. That’s when this course will be playable again if it takes 12 inches of rain atop what it’s already got and gets wind damage that knocks down trees and buildings that they have to bring Bobcat cranes in to clear out. The last time the Northeast faced a hurricane this diabolical was 1954.
Frankly, I’ll be surprised if they’ll be able to play next week at TPC of Boston. To get the course fit after Irene slaps it around this weekend will require a Herculean effort.
Face it, the Tour got one-upped by a 1-in-50 year storm. Rotten luck. Now, let’s all be safe out there.
Having personally experienced Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 whilst on vacation,that the correct decision has been made here to shorten the event. The safety of the local population ,staff , volunteers and fans is paramount.
to be honest, it’s dangerous to even have the 18 tomorrow. people will be going to south jersey after in potentially 40-50 mile per hour winds and folks heading back to the city (like my friends that are going), will have no public transport back.
even though the golf will likely finish, is it worth someone getting hurt or worse on the way home? the PGA could have much bigger problems than getting grief for calling it after 36…
this should be called after today, it’s a state of emergency….
pga went to early the stormm is weaking and the media hype has turned us all into a bunch of scared little girls abut everything
if i have tix for sunday, will they be able to be used on saturday??
Sunday tickets can’t be used on Saturday.Did you even read the story?
Another PGA ripoff! As a Sat ticket holder, to take your money for golf during an evacuation and insist, “you should have just drove the Turnpike.”
What a disgrace. I’m calling the Governor’s office.
The most poignant comment was that to get the course ready for M or T would have taken resources away from putting people’s lives/homes back together. If they are so worried that they are taking their scoreboards down on Friday, and making plans for if they can’t finish by 2PM ET on Saturday, then quite frankly, they should have ended the tournament after today’s round…
ALL THAT JAZZ. El show debe continuar. O acaso se olvidan que hicieron con el “savage” de la novela BRAVE NEW WORLD del mas grande escritor del siglo XX. Aldous Huxley? Its a joke. Saludos.
Can’t players play 36 on Saturday ?? I thought they were supposed to be athletes nowadays! Stupid decision but then the fed ex cup doesn’t really mean anything anyway, except to the winners bank manager.
I hope they cut the price money by 25 % only fair to the fans, they always seem get the short end of the driver anyway especially from what I read about refunds at this tournament.
slugger white had seen his fair share of golf events over the years and his call to shorten to 54 is the right call….weather can sometimes get in the way of any type of outdoor event and when it is going to be this extreme, you must make a call the best suits everyone including the spectators….the fedex cup and the outcome for this event will have the same feel as if they did play 72, and it gives the pros another day off…..
i would to see what each player made in each tour