The Barclays, Round 4

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Steve Marino
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Steve Marino entered the final round with a share of the lead, but stumbled down the stretch at The Barclays.
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PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report has all the news and notes from The Barclays, and we'll be providing updates from Liberty National all day long for each round, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.)
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Aug. 30, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

FEDEXCUP MOVERS (6:40 p.m.): In the end, four players outside the top 100 in the FedExCup standings at the beginning of the week punched their tickets to Boston and the Deutsche Bank Championship.

The biggest mover was Heath Slocum, who made a clutch 20-footer for par on the 18th hole Sunday, to win The Barclays. He started the week at No. 124 in the standings and ended up in third.

Fredrik Jacobson moved from 107th to 48th with his tie for sixth while Troy Matteson, who was the last man in the field at Liberty National at No. 125, moved up to 83rd when he tied for 20th. The final one to play his way to TPC Boston was Richard S. Johnson, who tied for 31st and jumped 23 spots to No. 85.

Falling out of the top 100 were K.J. Choi, Ben Curtis, George McNeill and Matt Bettencourt. Choi dropped nine spots to No. 101, just two points behind Daniel Chopra, who stayed at No. 100 as he had been at the start of the week. Curtis dropped nine spots, McNeill 10 and Bettencourt nine.

The second event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup begins on Friday and finishes on Labor Day. Only the top 70 in the FedExCup standings at the end of the Deutsche Bank Championship advance to the next Playoffs event. -- Helen Ross

WOODS IN FOR FULL PLAYOFF RUN (6:24 p.m.): Tiger Woods said Sunday night that he's planning to play all four Playoffs event. Woods had earlier committed to the Deutsche Bank Championship next week, but there's no doubt now that he'll play the entire Playoffs run -- as he looks to win his second FedExCup title.

Woods said he will also play the Deutsche Bank Championship, the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, as well as the Presidents Cup, two overseas events and his own event in December.

"I've still got a lot of golf to play," he said.

Woods has won at all three courses left in the Playoffs -- TPC Boston, Cog Hill and East Lake -- although Cog Hill has undergone a redesign since the last time he played it, in 2007.

"I've got a little bit of homework to do there," he said. "Two of the next three, I pretty much know those golf courses." -- Mike McAllister

SLOCUM SLIPS PAST THEM ALL (6 p.m.): In the end, Heath Slocum slipped past them all and did so in dramatic fashion, rolling in a lengthy par putt on the 72nd hole to win by one.

With a bevy of players in the clubhouse at 8 under and Slocum and Steve Stricker both finding fairway bunkers off the tee at No. 18, it looked like we could be headed for a five- or six-man playoff, especially when neither Slocum or Stricker could reach the green.

From there, Slocum came up about 20 feet short on his approach, Stricker 10 feet. That's when Slocum, nearly the last man in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, stole the show. Last year, Slocum was ranked 161st in putting average. Today, he needed just one putt, pouring it in the center of the cup.

Stricker had a chance to match Slocum and send the first Playoffs event into a playoff, but Stricker, one of the TOUR's best putters, slid it by on the left. Only Fredrik Jacobson would be able to catch Slocum...if he holed out from the fairway. He didn't. Ball game.

For Slocum, it's his first win since 2005 and more importantly moves him from 124th in the FedExCup standings to third. One down, three more to go. -- Brian Wacker

WATNEY'S WILD FINISH (5:55 p.m.): Nick Watney put together his best finish since the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard on Sunday at Liberty National -- and he did it with a flourish, too, making birdie on the final hole.

Watney finished in a tie for sixth at 7 under after closing with a 67, which was his low round of the week. Watney, who won the Buick Invitational earlier this year and finished second at the CA Championship, moved from 13th to seventh in the FedExCup standings as a result.

"I played very well," Watney said. "It was really nice. I was kind of leading up to this all week. Yesterday I played well. But I made one big mistake (a triple bogey at the 12th hole). Thursday I played well. Friday wasn't so good. It's nice when your best day is on Sunday."

Watney also still has a shot at making the U.S. Team for the Presidents Cup. He finished four shots out of the automatic top 10 but hopes his strong play Sunday -- and hopefully next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship -- will impress Captain Fred Couples who makes two picks to complete his team on Sept. 8.

"I'm excited I still have a chance," Watney said. "Unfortunately, I didn't make it through points. Got a couple weeks here to try to show 'em something. You know, I'm happy with this week and looking forward to next week.

"I was probably forcing things a little bit there at the end. But it's a learning experience, you know. Definitely very, very important to me. So I was probably pressing a little bit. ... Hopefully I can make some more noise next week."

DOWN TO THE WIRE LEAD (5:43 p.m.): Tiger Woods is in with his second straight 67 and in a three-way tie for the clubhouse lead here at Liberty National. Just 6 feet, 10 inches separated him from grabbing that lead by himself at 9 under, but Woods uncharacteristically missed the putt.

The good news for Woods, and the other players in at 8 under, though, is that co-leaders Steve Stricker and Heath Slocum both found fairway bunkers on No. 18. Wow. -- Brian Wacker

HARRINGTON NOW IN THE HUNT (5:30 p.m.): If this were a movie instead of a golf tournament, it would be Fast and the Furious. That's how quickly things are happening here at Liberty National, where suddenly Padraig Harrington is in contention after closing with four birdies over his last eight holes to get to 8 under and into a tie for the clubhouse lead with Ernie Els.

Meanwhile, Steve Stricker and Heath Slocum still lead at 9 under, but Tiger Woods is lurking just one shot back after a perfect 3-wood off the tee at No. 18. At the other end of that spectrum is Steve Marino, who is on his way to a triple-bogey after making a mess of the 15th.

Just how crazy are things right now? We could be looking at a five-man playoff if Stricker and Slocum each drop a shot coming in. -- Brian Wacker

TIGHT RACE (5:20 p.m.): Heath Slocum has the lead by himself at 9 under, but this tournament is anything but over. Slocum is a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR, but the last time he had a victory was in 2005. He also has a few serious threats behind him with Ernie Els already in at 8 under and Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker also at 8 under and still on the golf course. Another shot back are Padraig Harrington and Steve Marino, both also still on the golf course. Stay tuned, folks. -- Brian Wacker

ELS IN AT 8 UNDER (5:10 p.m.): It's been a while since Ernie Els has been in this position. Now he'll play the waiting game. In with a 5-under 66, Els is the clubhouse leader at 8 under after a bogey-free round that matches his lowest score of the season on the PGA TOUR.

Els, who won last year's Honda Classic by coming from three shots back in the final round, started today's round six back. Will his 66 be enough? We'll have to wait and see, but this is the best Els has played all season. The Big Easy does have five top-10s this year, but every part of his game has been clicking at Liberty National -- he ranks in the top 20 in the field in fairways hit, greens in regulation and putting.

"Absolutely," Els responded to CBS' Nick Faldo when asked if he's found something in his game the last couple of weeks. Indeed he has. Els finished in the top 10 in each of the last two majors. "I really have to credit Butch [Harmon] and Bob [Rotella]. We weren't going to reinvent the wheel here, so might as well go with what we have.

"I started hitting the ball much better. I'm just trying to finish my backswing ... kind of get back to my old golf swing."

One swing Els might wish he had back, though, was his tee shot on the drivable par-4 16th. Els couldn't go for the green because he had reportedly cracked his driver.

Conventional wisdom would say that his 8 under won't hold up, but who knows. There's still a lot of golf left over these final holes and Els is in the cat-bird seat -- for now. -- Brian Wacker

HAVING FUN (5 p.m.): When Y.E. Yang finished up at No. 18, he threw his ball into the stands just to the left of the TV tower. His playing partner, Scott Verplank, then did the same. Yang then tried to throw his golf glove in the stands, but it landed just short so he ran over, picked it off the ground and threw it again, this time successfully.

Yang, clearly having fun, then jokingly threatened to throw his putter into the stands before drawing back and grinning wildly. Yang and Verplank must have enjoyed their round together -- they made a move to low-five each other before shaking hands. -- Mike McAllister

PLAYOFF IN THE PLAYOFFS? (4:45 p.m.): With two players tied for the lead, and six players within three shots, a playoff is a possibility. If it happens, it would be the 13th playoff in the history of The Barclays, and the second straight; last year, Vijay Singh defeated Sergio Garcia and Kevin Sutherland at Ridgewood.

There have been nine playoffs on the PGA TOUR this year (see below). -- Mike McAllister

Tournament Result
FBR Open Kenny Perry def. Charley Hoffman with a birdie-3 on the third extra hole
Shell Houston Open Paul Casey def. J.B. Holmes with a bogey-5 on the first extra hole
Masters Angel Cabrera def. Kenny Perry with a par-4 on the second extra hole; Chad Campbell was eliminated on the first extra hole
Valero Texas Open Zach Johnson def. James Driscoll with a birdie-3 on the first extra hole
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Steve Stricker def. Tim Clark and Steve Marino with a birdie-3 on the second extra hole
British Open Stewart Cink (4, 3, 4, 3) def. Tom Watson (5, 3, 7, 5) in a four-hole playoff
U.S. Bank Championship Bo Van Pelt def. John Mallinger in a two hole playoff on holes 18, 18 with a birdie-4
RBC Canadian Open Nathan Green def. Retief Goosen in a two hole playoff on holes 18 and 17 with a par
Wyndham Championship Ryan Moore def. Kevin Stadler with a birdie-3 on the third extra hole; Jason Bohn was eliminated on the first extra hole

THREE TIED AT THE TOP (4:30 p.m.): Steve Marino just dropped out of a share of the lead as he joined playing partner Paul Goydos in making bogey at the 496-yard, par-4 10th. The two men, who began the day tied atop the leaderboard at 9 under, are a combined 5 over today. As such, Ernie Els, Steve Stricker and Heath Slocum, all of whom are tied for the lead at 8 under, are a combined 10 under today. -- Brian Wacker

KODAK CHALLENGE HOLE (4:10 p.m.): The final groups will soon be approaching this week's Kodak Challenge hole, the par-3 14th. With a scorecard yardage of 150 yards, the hole is the shortest at Liberty National. With the pin tucked in the back right of the green, guarded in front by a bunker, the hole is playing at 151 yards today -- longer than any of the previous three days, in which the hole played from 133 to 144 yards.

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The hole might be even longer depending on the wind conditions. Course co-designer Bob Cupp said tee shots at the par-3s at Liberty National were designed to play into the wind.

Heath Slocum and Steve Marino, who currently are co-leaders with Ernie Els and Steve Stricker, are each ranked in the top 30 in the Kodak Challenge standings.

To learn more about the Kodak Challenge, click here. -- Mike McAllister

LOGJAM AT THE TOP (4:03 p.m.): The final pairing of the day is about to make the turn and we've had quite a turn of events today. Steve Marino still has a share of the lead, but he has company. A lot of company (except for Paul Goydos).

Ernie Els, now 5 under on the day, just rolled in a short birdie putt on the par-5 13th, moving him to 8 under for the week and not-so-quietly-anymore into a four-way tie for the lead here at Liberty National, where Steve Stricker and Heath Slocum are also at 8 under.

Meanwhile, Goydos (1 over today) and Nick Watney (4 under today) are one back with Tiger Woods headlining the group of three players who are two back. In all, that's five players within two shots of the foursome that leads the way. Two more players, one of whom is Padraig Harrington, are three back.

After the way this course played earlier in the week, who knew we'd have such a Sunday shootout? -- Brian Wacker

TWEET OF THE DAY (3:55 p.m.): "Suspect the winner is who picks up the most shots Holes 13-16, and who doesn't lose a shot on 18." -- Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson (@dougferguson405).

Ferguson is right. The 13th is the third-easiest hole on the golf course right now, but it's a par-5 that's yielded nearly as many birdies (26) as it has pars (32), though only one eagle has been made there all day and that was by Stewart Cink.

The par-3 14th ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of difficulty, but the 481-yard, par-4 15th is playing into the wind and as the toughest hole on the entire course with only four birdies made there all day. Conversely, there have been 18 bogeys and three double bogeys.

And the drivable par-4 16th? It's the second-easiest right now with more birdies (26) than pars (23). -- Brian Wacker

WINDY FINISH (3:44 p.m.): The PGA TOUR Network's Fred Albers, who is following the final group of the day, Steve Marino and Paul Goydos, said the wind was really whipping as the pair teed off on the par-5 eighth. "The golf course is only going to get tougher from here on in," Albers said. -- Mike McAllister

PLAYOFF PICTURE (3:30 p.m.): The all-important top five in the FedExCup standings could have a new look after The Barclays concludes this afternoon.

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Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson, who ranked Nos. 1-3, respectively, entering the week, have all been in contention on Sunday. Stricker just birdied the eighth hole and is one stroke off the lead, held by Heath Slocum and Steve Marino, while Woods is two behind.

Johnson, who is playing with Woods for the fourth straight day, is among a big group at 3 under after back-to-back bogeys. Kenny Perry, who ranks No. 4, never could get untracked with three rounds of even par and a 75 in the rain on Friday to tie for 52nd.

Perry and Lucas Glover, who cracked his driver on the range on Thursday and shot an uncharacteristic 81 to miss the cut, could be headed out of the FedExCup top 5, too. Right now, the projected standings have Slocum and Marino edging them out, but there is still a lot of golf to be played.

Phil Mickelson, who came into the week ranked sixth, wasn't able to gain ground on the top five, either. The world No. 2 tied for 52nd but at least he heads to TPC Boston, where he won in 2007, with a bit of momentum after finally breaking par at Liberty National in shooting 69 on Sunday. -- Helen Ross

TIGER MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER (3:15 p.m.): After four pars and a bogey in his first five holes, Tiger Woods has suddenly turned his round around with three birdies in his last four holes to get to 2 under on his round and within two strokes of the lead.

Interestingly enough, the only hole he didn't birdie during that stretch was the sixth, a par-5 hole. Woods, who leads the PGA TOUR in birdie-or-better scoring on par 5s this year, had birdied that hole the first three days.

On the par-4 fifth, Woods sank an 11-foot birdie putt. On the par-4 seventh, it was from nine feet. And at the par-5 eighth, it was from 7 feet, 7 inches after he nearly drove the green in two.

For now, Heath Slocum and Steve Marino lead at 8 under, though only four players separates Woods from them at this point. There are, however, a cluster of players at 6 under right along with Woods, including Ernie Els, who is 3 under today, and Steve Stricker, who is even today. -- Brian Wacker and Mike McAllister

SLOCUM STRONG SO FAR (3 p.m.): Heath Slocum has taken over the lead after his birdie on the par-5 sixth that puts him 9 under for the tournament. Slocum eagled the previous hole, the par-4 fifth, when he holed out from 158 yards.

Slocum started the Playoffs ranked next-to-last in points. In the current points projections, if he wins, he'll move to second behind Tiger Woods. That's the benefit of getting 2,500 points for a Playoffs victory. -- Mike McCallister

CINK'S CRAZY STRETCH (2:52 p.m.): Stewart Cink just had his most, uh, interesting four-hole stretch of the tournament so far. The British Open champion rinsed his tee shot on the par-3 11th before finding a greenside bunker on his third shot. A pitch-out and two putts later, he had a triple-bogey 6. Things didn't get any better on the next hole, either, where Cink made bogey. On the par-5 13th, however, Cink bounced back by reaching the green in two and rolling in a 17-footer for eagle. He then followed that up with a birdie on the par-3 14th. All that adds up to Cink being 1 under on his round and 1 under for the week. -- Brian Wacker

HAAS HOLDING HIS OWN (2:42 p.m.): Bill Haas had a chance to win the Wyndham Championship a week ago but he couldn't go low on Sunday. He's certainly rectifying that situation at The Barclays.

Haas has played his first nine holes in 32 and has moved to 6 under for the tournament -- just two strokes off the lead held by Heath Slocum and Steve Marino. The former Wake Forest All-American, who is looking for his first victory, has made birdie putts of 30, 3, 2 and 10 feet.

A week ago at Sedgefield, Haas started the final round in third place after rounds of 62, 69 and 66. He shot 70 on Sunday, though, and just couldn't keep pace with Ryan Moore, who closed with a 65 and beat Jason Bohn and Kevin Stadler in a playoff. -- Helen Ross

JOHNSON ON HIS LOW ROUND (2:30 p.m.): What was the key to Dustin Johnson's 64? Simple, he hit fairways -- all but five, to be exact, which was exactly the opposite of how he performed in that statistic on Saturday. He also used just 22 putts.

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Johnson

"Finally today I drove it in the fairway. First time all week I hit fairways," Johnson, who ranks third on TOUR in driving distance, said. "(I) hit good iron shots, too, which I haven't been doing all week. My short game's been good, though.

"I was probably chipping it a little earlier in the week. Finally today I hit some good shots, chipped and putted well."

Johnson's birdie putts came from 3, 2, 9, 17 and 11 feet. He missed four other putts inside 7 feet for birdie, but also chipped in for back-to-back birdies on Nos. 9 and 10.

Now that the driver has straightened out, Johnson feels primed for TPC Boston and next week's Deutsche Bank Championship. He's well within the all-important top-30 that will get to play in the finale of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

"That's huge," Johnson said. "Especially Playoff time, you can just play solid and get you through the first few rounds, you're right there at the end." -- Helen Ross

TIGER UPDATE (2:20 p.m.): Tiger Woods is nearly automatic inside 5 feet, but he just missed a 3-foot, 1-inch putt for par on the par-3, 193-yard fourth hole that dropped him six shots off the lead.

Coming into this tournament, Woods had made 98 percent of his putts inside 5 feet since the start of the 2008 season. Last year, he ranked first on the PGA TOUR, making 148 of 151 putts at that length. This year, he entered The Barclays ranked third, converting 442 of 451 attempts. -- Mike McAllister

DUSTIN THE COURSE (2:10 p.m.): Is it a day for the long hitters? Perhaps, especially considering the round Dustin Johnson just posted.

Johnson, who won the rain-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am earlier this year, set the new course record with a 7-under 64. That leaves him at 3 under for the tournament. The previous low rounds this week were the 65s shot by Sergio Garcia, Paul Goydos and Steve Marino in the first round and Greg Owen in the third round.

Johnson ranks third on the PGA TOUR in driving distance, and at 7,419 yards, Liberty National would seem to favor the big hitters.

The 64 is the third lowest round in Johnson's two-year TOUR career. He posted a 62 earlier this season in the third round of the Valero Texas Open, and a 63 in the fourth round of the 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. -- Mike McAllister

Below is a look at Johnson's scorecard from today (click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker):

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COSTLY PENALTIES (1:52 p.m.): Jim Furyk is probably kicking himself right now. He birdied two of his first three holes and is 3 under for the tournament. Just think, though, if he hadn't had to absorb those two two-stroke penalties Saturday for having a 15th club in his bag.

Furyk and his caddy discovered the extra club when he was about to hit a chip from the rough at the second hole. So he was penalized two strokes at each hole where he otherwise would have made pars. So let's do the math -- if he hadn't had to add the strokes, Furyk would be climbing the leaderboard at 7 under, two strokes off the lead.

Furyk, though, is not a player to ponder what-ifs. That's why the 2003 U.S. Open champion been able to move on and put his name back on the leaderboard. -- Helen Ross

MARINO MAKING A STATEMENT (1:45 p.m.): Co-.leader Steve Marino will wear a red shirt and black pants today as he tries to win his first PGA TOUR event.

He knows he's not the only contender dressed in those colors. Tiger Woods, on the practice green when Marino arrived to warm up, is outfitted in his traditional Sunday attire.

"We didn't coordinate it like that," Marino told the PGA TOUR Network's Brian Katrek. -- Mike McAllister

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS II (1:38 p.m.): Phil Mickelson was among the interested spectators at the preseason football game between the New York Jets and the New York Giants on Saturday night. Mickelson, an avid football -- and San Diego Chargers -- fan, was able to watch in relative anonymity until the fourth quarter when fans began asking for photos and autographs. No word on which team he was rooting for, but the Jets won 27-25. And David Morse of "St. Elsewhere" and "Hack" fame is at Liberty National on Sunday taking in the final round of The Barclays. -- Helen Ross

LEADERS LOOKING AHEAD TO FINAL ROUND (1:30 p.m.): Sunny and windy. That's how the two co-leaders noted about the weather upon reaching the practice area prior to Sunday's final round.

"It'll be nice to finally see this golf course in the sun," Steve Marino told the PGA TOUR Network's Brian Katrek. "Mother Nature is shining on us today."

But with the sun shining and the winds blowing, the course will be a different beast than the one the players battled through wet conditions for most of the first three days.

"This is the first time we've seen (the wind) during the tournament," Goydos told Katrek.

Marino said he's "real excited about today." It's only the second time in his TOUR career that he's held or shared the 54-hole lead.

Goydos, meanwhile, knows his name is a surprise at the top of the leaderboard, since Liberty National is 7,419 yards and he ranks just 189th on TOUR in driving distance.

"I don't think anybody expected me to be on top," he said. "It's been a good week." -- Mike McAllister

TIGER TEES OFF (1:20 p.m.): Tiger Woods' largest career final-round comeback is five strokes, which is exactly the deficit he's facing today at Liberty National.

Woods, who just teed off with Zach Johnson for a fourth straight day, came from five back earlier this year to win at Bay Hill, but that's a course he knows, likes and has played a billion times. So what will he need to make another Sunday comeback? Probably something lower than the 67 he shot yesterday, even if all the guys ahead of him on the leaderboard at the start of the day had never won a tournament with him in the field (click here to follow Woods' round live with Shot Tracker). -- Brian Wacker

Tiger Woods: Comebacks after 54 holes
Tournament 54-hole status Finish Score
1996 Las Vegas Invitational 4 back of Black Playoff over Love 64
1996 Disney 1 back of Clements, Fehr, J. Haas by 1 over Stewart 66
1997 Mercedes Championships 4 back of Lehman Playoff over Lehman 65
1999 World Golf Championships-American Express 1 back of Jimenez, Parry Playoff over Jimenez 68
2000 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 5 back of Brooks, Gogel by 2 over Gogel, Singh 64
2001 THE PLAYERS Championship 2 back of Kelly by 1 over Singh 67
2001 Memorial Tournament 1 back of Azinger by 7 over Azinger, Garcia 66
2001 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational 2 back of Furyk Playoff over Furyk 69
2005 Buick Invitational 2 back of Lehman, Donald by 3 over Lehman, Howell, Donald 68
2005 Ford Championship at Doral 2 back of Mickelson by 1 over Mickelson 66
2005 World Golf Championship-American Express 2 back of Daly Playoff over Daly 67
2006 Buick Invitational 1 back of Garcia, Pampling Playoff over Green, Olazabal 72
2006 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational 1 back of Cink Playoff over Cink 68
2006 Deutsche Bank Championship 3 back of Singh 2 over Singh 63
2007 Buick Invitational 2 back of Buckle, Snedeker 2 over Howell 66
2007 Wachovia Championship 1 back of Sabbatini 2 over Stricker 69
2007 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational 1 back of Sabbatini 8 over Rose, Sabbatini 65
2007 BMW Championship 1 back of Stricker, Baddeley 2 over Baddeley 63
2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational 5 back of O'Hair 1 over O'Hair 67
2009 Memorial Tournament 4 back of M. Wilson, Bettencourt 1 over Furyk 65
2009 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational 3 back of Harrington 4 over Allenby, Harrington 65

CELEBRITY SIGHTING (1:15 p.m.): Beyonce and her entourage, including husband Jay-Z, just arrived in front of the Liberty National clubhouse in a black Cadillac Escalade. Instead of stepping inside, the group headed toward one of the corporate chalets at the 18th hole. -- Mike McAllister

WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT NEXT WEEK (1:05 p.m.):Any player ranked 74th or better in the FedExCup standings after this week's cut was made, is guaranteed a spot in the field for next week's Deutsche Bank Championship. That means that Fred Couples is in and Adam Scott is out.

Below is a breakdown of some other notables and their PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup fate. Click here for the full projected standings.

Today's final five
Tee time Player/comment
1:07 p.m.: Padraig Harrington -- No. 66 with 608 points...could move into the top 30 with an 11th-place finish or better...Won The Barclays in 2005...Has made the cut in 10 of 16 starts with a T2 at World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational his best...Finished T10 in his next start at the PGA Championship.
Matt Kuchar -- No. 77 in the standings...could reach the top 5 with a runner-up finish or better today...made 14 of 20 cuts this year with T5 at Memorial and T6 at FBR Open his two Top-10s...finished 115th in PGA TOUR Playoffs last year...has one victorythe 2002 Honda Classic.

1:16 p.m.: Tiger Woods -- No. 1 in standings for third consecutive year with 3,431 points...regardless of what he does this week, he cant be lower than 3rd heading into the Deutsche Bank...Won the FedExCup in 2007...Winner of 5 titles this year and has 11 Top-10s, both figures most on TOUR...Has finished 1 or 2 in four of last five starts.
Zach Johnson -- No. 3 with 2,019 points...could move into first with runner-up finish or better...Improved 109 places over 112th place regular-season finish last year...Won twice in 2009 making the cut in 17 of 21 starts with 7 top-10s...led the FedExCup standings for nine weeks.

1:26 p.m.: Steve Stricker -- No. 2 with 2,155 points...could claim top spot with a runner-up finish or better this week...Won The Barclays in 2007 and has won twice this year...Has made the cut in 15 of 18 starts with eight top-10s...been in the top-10 in the standings since the Masters in April...led the standings for two weeks.
Heath Slocum -- No. 124 in the standings...made the cut in 14 of 24 starts...qualified for the PGA TOUR Playoffs by just 2 points...needs to finish at least 53rd to reach the top 100...has 2 Top-10s this year with T3 at Mayakoba Classic his best.

1:35 p.m.: Webb Simpson -- No. 85 in the standings...one of 8 rookies to reach the PGA TOUR Playoffs...made the cut in 13 of 24 starts...2 Top- 10s came in first two starts...could move into 2nd with a win or Top 30 with an 8th place finish.
Fredrik Jacobson -- No. 107 in the standings...needs to finish at least 66th to reach the top 100 and qualify for next week's Deutsche Bank Championship...finished 44th in final FedExCup standings last year.....looking for first PGA TOUR win.

1:45 p.m. Paul Goydos -- No. 49 in the standings...made cut in 12 of 20 starts with 3 top-10s -- a T2, T3 and T4...made the cut in his last seven starts...could reach as high as second this week or reach top 30 with a 28th or better.
Steve Marino -- No. 30 in the standings...made the cut in 19 of 25 starts...playoff loss at Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial his best finish...has 4 top-10s...seeks first TOUR win...T10 last week at Wyndham Championship...could move into top spot with win or top-5 with a third-place effort.

FINAL-ROUND AVERAGES (12:52 p.m.): It's no surprise that Tiger Woods has the lowest final-round scoring average on the PGA TOUR, averaging 68.91 strokes. But in looking at the top 11 players on the leaderboard going into the final round of The Barclays, you might be surprised who ranks next in line (see below). -- Mike McAllister

Final-round scoring averages in 2009
Pos. Player Final-round average Rounds Rank on PGA TOUR
T7 Tiger Woods 68.91 11 1st
T7 Matt Kuchar 69.50 12 7th
5 Steve Stricker 70.14 14 37th
T7 Zach Johnson 70.38 16 47th
T7 Ian Poulter 70.40 10 49th
T1 Steve Marino 70.47 15 53rd
T3 Webb Simpson 70.92 13 86th
T3 Fredrik Jacobson 71.55 11 136th
T1 Paul Goydos 71.67 12 144th
6 Heath Slocum 71.69 13 148th
T7 Padraig Harrington 72.50 10 177th
Sip of Maginnes
SUNDAY SHOOTOUT SHOULD AWAIT (12:42 p.m.): It is no surprise that the field staff has softened Liberty National for this championship Sunday. According to Shotlink, the total yardage is 7,218 -- or a little more than 200 yards shorter than from the very tips. Also, we're still playing lift, clean and place due to the rain that fell on New Jersey all week long.

Under sunny skies and very little wind until late on Sunday, scoring conditions should be the most favorable they've been all week. Already, a couple of players, Boo Weekley and Tim Petrovic, have gotten it to 4 under as they finish up their rounds. If that is an indication of things to come, we could see any of the 16 players within six shots of the lead make a run for the title this week. The golf course is primed, ready and finally ripe for the picking. -- John Maginnes

EARLY TIMES GET THE BIRDIES (12:25 p.m.): Players say it evens out during the course of the year, but those with the early Thursday/late Friday tee time have filled most of the spots at the top of the leaderboard going into the final round.

In the last 10 groups on Sunday, 15 of those 20 players benefited from the "good" end of the draw, including every player in the final four groups.

The only players in the last 10 groups who had the late Thursday/early Friday draw are Padraig Harrington, Matt Kuchar, Ian Poulter, Bo Van Pelt and Bill Haas.

So just how big of an advantage was it during the first two days? More than three strokes.

On Thursday, the players with the early tee times average 71.50 strokes, compared to 72.42 strokes, almost a full stroke difference.

On Friday, the difference was even more pronounced, thanks to torrential rain that pelted Liberty National in the morning. The early scoring average on Friday was 75.55 strokes. The rain stopped in the early afternoon, though, allowing for better scoring conditions, with the late group averaging 73.23 strokes -- more than two strokes difference. -- Mike McAllister

TIGER & CO. (12:15 p.m.): Tiger Woods is making his 250th start on the PGA TOUR -- and he's about to do something on Sunday that he's never done before in his professional career in a stroke-play event: Play with the same player for the fourth consecutive day.

Woods has been paired with Zach Johnson for Sunday's final round (tee time at 1:16 p.m. ET), meaning the 14-time major champion and the 2007 Masters champ will have been side-by-side for all 72 holes at Liberty National (maybe more if they both end up in a playoff).

Not only that, but the two have posted identical scores the first three days (70-72-67).

Woods and Johnson were paired together in the first two rounds due to their proximity on the regular-season FedExCup points list -- Woods entered The Barclays ranked first with Johnson third. Second-ranked Steve Stricker was the other member of their threesome.

Woods and Johnson were paired in the third round with Luke Donald, all three players starting the round at even par for the tournament.

Woods has played three rounds with the same player at several tournaments in his career, the last time coming this year at the Quail Hollow Championship when he was paired with Jim Furyk for the first three days.

Woods was almost paired with Padraig Harrington for four consecutive rounds over a two-tournament schedule at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (final round) and the PGA Championship (first two rounds). But a late bogey by Harrington knocked him out of the final pairing with Woods in Saturday's third round at Hazeltine. In 1999, Woods was paired with Tim Herron five times in a six-round stretch at the Masters and MCI Classic. -- Mike McAllister

Woods-Johnson pairings in 2009
Tournament Round Tiger's result Zach's result
Arnold Palmer Inv't pres. by MasterCard 4th 67 69
the Memorial Tournament 1st
2nd
69
74
71
73
The Barclays 1st
2nd
3rd
70
72
67
70
72
67

SUNNY SKIES (12 p.m.): A mysterious orb they call the sun appeared over Liberty National on Sunday morning. So after two days of steady rain and drizzle, this picture-perfect course by the Hudson River will finally get to shine. The Statue of Liberty and dramatic Manhattan skyline won't be shrouded in gray anymore as players tackle the Tom Kite-Bob Cupp creation that has transformed a toxic waste dump into an extremely challenging test of golf. Adding to the difficulty, though, will be winds that may gust over 20 mph as the leaders tackle the back nine. -- Helen Ross

Groups We're Watching
Tee time Players  
1:45 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Paul Goydos, Steve Marino
They have made it through the weekend, now can they withstand a day of desperation from the field?
1:35 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Fredrik Jacobson, Webb Simpson
Simpson's 72 on Saturday took him out of the lead, but he is still within striking distance.
1:16 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson
Woods has a sizeable lead in the FedExCup standings, but you know he wants to win every single tournament.
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