The Barclays, Round 4 (PGATOUR.com)
August 30, 2009
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.
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Slocum started the Playoffs ranked next-to-last in points. In the , 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.
"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 ( to replay his round with Shot Tracker):
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 ( 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. 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 1st2nd 6974 7173 The Barclays 1st2nd3rd 707267 707267
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 MarinoThey 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 SimpsonSimpson'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 JohnsonWoods has a sizeable lead in the FedExCup standings, but you know he wants to win every single tournament. Live Essentials 
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