- FedExCup Points: 50,000
- Purse: $7.0 million
- Winning Share: $1,260,000
- Yards: 7,415
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
NORTON, Mass. -- While fans at home were watching the CBS telecast of the final round of The Barclays on Sunday afternoon, Doug LaBelle II was in front of his computer.
He wasn't sending e-mails, though. LaBelle wanted to see whether the 6-foot birdie putt he made on the 18th hole at Westchester Country Club that afternoon was enough to put him through to the second round of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
| RELATED CONTENT |
LaBelle's putt polished off a clutch round of 68 that moved him from even par to 3 under for the tournament. He would finish in a tie for 41st and earn 175 FedExCup points -- which turned out to be 24 more than he needed to advance.
Until he knew for sure, though, there were several anxious moments as LaBelle waited to find out whether he was flying home to Phoenix, or headed to Boston instead.
"I went home from the golf course and I pulled out my computer, and on PGATOUR.com, you've got (those projected FedExCup standings) so I'm trying to figure it all out," he recalled. "We spent about two or three hours watching everybody finish.
"When all the scores were in, we still weren't sure because if there's something wrong with the computer ... you never know. And later that night, when everyone had been done for a few hours, I still kept checking the points to make sure nothing had changed.
"I like to double check everything."
Apparently so. And LaBelle already knows that he likely needs a two-way tie for second -- or better -- at the Deutsche Bank Championship this week to move on to Chicago and the third Playoff event, the BMW Championship, at Cog Hill.
LaBelle, who moved up one spot to 120th in the FedExCup standings on Sunday, now needs to play his way into the top 70 to advance this week. He currently stands 3,925 points behind the man on that bubble, Steve Flesch.
The TPC Boston, which was renovated by architect Gil Hanse and TOUR player Brad Faxon within the last year, will afford a difficult test, too. The course is actually shorter by 208 yards, most of it taken from two holes, but still measures in at a healthy 7,207. The biggest changes are visual, designed to make the player think twice before he hits.
"The golf course last week suited my game a lot better than this week," admitted LaBelle, who is one of seven PGA TOUR rookies remaining in the Playoffs, after playing in the pro-am on Tuesday. "This course is set up for the longer hitter. I'm one of the shorter hitters, but I drive it pretty straight.
"But that's OK. I'm happy to be here, and if we can get a good week this week, maybe we can be in Chicago next week."
LaBelle, who calls himself an "organizer" and admits he's "very analytical," has hotel reservations in the Windy City, just in case, as he did in Boston this week. If things don't work out, he plans to go home to Arizona and take some time off before preparing for the PGA TOUR's Fall Series.
The Nationwide Tour grad played well right out of the box this year -- tying for fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii -- but he still has some work to do to secure his playing privileges for 2008. LaBelle currently ranks 126th on the money list, and only the top 125 will be exempt.
LaBelle has other goals to achieve, too. He wants to win a tournament, and he wants to climb into the top 70 in order to gain entry into the invitational events next year. So depending on what happens this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, LaBelle can see himself playing as many as six -- and maybe all seven -- events in the fall.
"It's been a successful year right from the start," LaBelle admitted. "That's a great way to start. That really helped kind of jump-start my year. ... For a first year out, I'm pretty happy with it.
"But I still have some goals I want to reach, and we've got to play some good golf to get there. I set some pretty lofty goals, and hopefully, between now and the end of the year, we can reach both of them."
LaBelle has wanted to play on the PGA TOUR since he was 12 years old and his grandfather took him to the Buick Open. Among the players they watched that day was Dan Pohl, who is from Mount Pleasant, Mich., just like LaBelle.
"I was just amazed at the production that it was," LaBelle said. "That enthusiasm, the thoughts of being able to be a part of all that just propelled me, plus I loved playing golf."
LaBelle went on to become a two-time All-American at New Mexico. Ten years after that first trip to the Buick Open, though, just before his senior season, LaBelle was having some second thoughts.
"I was thinking that maybe this is getting to be a little too much of a grind," LaBelle remembered. "This is too much work. It's probably harder than I thought it was going to be. So I was thinking about ... when I finished college, going out and getting a job."
That summer, LaBelle Monday qualified for the Buick Open. He shot rounds of 74 and 75 to miss the cut, but he was energized again.
"That's the adrenaline I've been playing on these last 10 years," LaBelle said. "So I've had some pretty timely things happen to keep me going."
Just like that putt on the 18th hole Sunday.
