1. Tiger Woods was satisfied with the way that he finished at The Barclays. After back-to-back days above par, he shot a 67 on Sunday. Numerous times, Woods cited his putting as the primary reason behind his positioning in the tournament.
I asked Woods Sunday to give me an assessment of Ridgewood Country Club: “Finally it played fast. It got quick yesterday. But today it’s really quick. There were a couple of mud balls out there, but still the greens are really fast. You’ve got to be very careful. I mean, if it would have played like this on Thursday, we would have had a major championship on our hands; basically, with four or five-inch rough and with greens like this.”
2. A tip of the hat to Martin Laird and Matt Kuchar, both of whom had to compete in a one-hole playoff for the win. Initially, the victory was in Laird’s hands — and putter — but he three putted on 18 to send the final round into the playoff. The three putts were uncharacteristic of Laird’s previous 17 holes, which he completed in just 22 putts.
Kuchar, who I saw with a constant smile on his face throughout the weekend, took the win with a gorgeous second-shot in the playoff. The ball rolled from the fairway to the back of the green and back down to rest two feet from the pin. Laird had very little shot from that point on. Both players finished at -12.
3. The best story of the week has to be Kevin Streelman. The 31-year-old, who finished tied for fourth at The Barclays in 2008 at Ridgewood Country Club, has spent most of his life living in the Chicago area. His parents, however, lived in Midland Park and Glen Rock, N.J. for about 31 years. In fact, his father’s parents are buried in a cemetery that is separated by a fence on the seventh hole. Streelman finished in a tie for third place with a four-day score of -10.
Earlier in the week, Streelman told me there was no additional pressure from having so many family and friends, many of whom still live in the area, in attendance.
4. I’m disappointed that Phil Mickelson missed the cut this week. I’m sure the PGA, Ridgewood Country Club, CBS and everyone else involved in The Barclays were, as well. The crowds around Woods were huge, and I can’t imagine them being any less around Mickelson should he have been in contention. I would have loved to pick Mickelson’s brain about what went wrong, however, he left without talking to the media on Friday. That’s very un-Phil-like. Mickelson is adored by the fans, especially in the tri-state area, and has a great relationship with reporters. For him to walk out without saying a word, you have to think he was extremely disappointed in his play.
5. I’m looking forward to 2011, when The Barclays will be played at Plainfield Country Club in Plainfield, N.J. That could be the last New Jersey stop for the tournament before it possibly goes to Westchester in 2012. I’d love to see another Liberty National stop, perhaps in 2013. Padraig Harrington said he believes that’s where this tournament should be played every year.
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