Woods playing first Playoffs event -- The Barclays

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Tiger Woods won two of his last three starts and will be back in action at The Barclays next week at Liberty National GC.

Aug. 21, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Tiger Woods, the top-ranked player in the 2009 FedExCup standings, has officially committed to play The Barclays, the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, Aug. 25-30, at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J. Along with Woods, 124 of the current 125 in the FedExCup standings have committed to The Barclays. The event will showcase the best players on the PGA TOUR and kick off the four-event PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Only Tom Watson, who is 123rd, is not committed to play.

Woods enters The Barclays with top-10 finishes in 11 of 12 stroke play events in 2009 and leads the PGA TOUR with five victories on the season, looking to win the FedExCup for the second time. Woods recorded his 70th PGA TOUR victory earlier this month at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Woods, the 2007 FedExCup Champion, missed the 2008 Playoffs after undergoing knee surgery following his victory at the U.S. Open.

This year marks the fifth time Woods has played The Barclays in his career. His best finish, a tie for 13th, came the last time he played in 2003. The Barclays is one of only three PGA TOUR events in which Woods has made at least three starts yet failed to record a victory (Northern Trust Open -- 11 starts, FBR Open -- three starts).

In his only previous start in a PGA TOUR or PGA TOUR co-sanctioned event in the state of New Jersey, Woods' best finish is a tie for fourth at the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol GC in Springfield, N.J. Should he go on to win The Barclays next week, New Jersey will become the 17th different state in which Woods has won a PGA TOUR event.

"The Barclays has been an exciting kick-off to the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup each of the first two years. Having Tiger in the field this year will, no doubt, bring even more excitement to the tournament," said Executive Director Peter Mele. "With our first-rate title sponsor Barclays welcoming the PGA TOUR's best to New Jersey coupled with a challenging layout and breathtaking views supplied by Liberty National, fans should get their tickets now to experience the very best the PGA TOUR has to offer."

Checking in at No. 2 in the points standings and coming off a tie for sixth at the Bridgestone Invitational is Steve Stricker. Though 946 points behind Woods, Stricker remains in good position to secure one of the coveted top-five seeds entering THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. A winner twice in 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the John Deere Classic, Stricker is averaging more than 125 FedExCup points per start.

Currently, Zach Johnson (No. 3), Kenny Perry (No. 4) and Lucas Glover (No. 5) round out the top five. Just over two months removed from an emotional runner-up finish at the U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park in Long Island, N.Y., Phil Mickelson returns to the New York/New Jersey area No. 6 in the FedExCup standings despite taking six weeks off between the U.S. Open and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

The top 125 players in the standings at the conclusion of this week's Wyndham Championship qualify for The Barclays. Points do not reset for the Playoffs, as they have in past years, so a player carries his point total -- and advantage -- into The Barclays. However, points are quintupled in all the Playoff events (a win is worth 2,500 points as opposed to 500 for a standard Regular Season event), meaning big moves are expected throughout the four-event stretch, culminating with a true showdown at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.

The Champions Tour's Watson, currently ranked No. 123 in the standings thanks in large part to his runner-up finish at the British Open, is the lone player within this week's top 125 who has not committed. However, with Watson not participating in the Wyndham Championship, the final PGA TOUR regular season event, it is doubtful he will remain in the top 125 and qualify for The Barclays.

Fans interested in seeing the best the PGA TOUR has to offer can get their Barclays tickets at www.thebarclaysgolf.com. Daily and Weekly tickets are valid starting Tuesday of tournament week, August 25.