Nearly all the top golfers around the world will descend upon Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, NY this week for the 2012 FedEx Cup kickoff at the Barclays Championsip.
After foregoing last week's Wyndham Championship to prepare for Bethpage Black, world No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy and prohibitive FedEx favorite Tiger Woods will be playing in the same group for the first time since January's Dubai Desert Classic.
Woods and McIlroy come into Bethpage as co-favorites at 7/1 odds (via Bovada.lv), with Tiger having a huge experience advantage over the 23-year-old. In two U.S. Opens held in Farmingdale, Woods won in 2002 and tied for third in 2009, while McIlroy finished tied for ninth in the latter tournament.
Looking to knock off the world's two most outstanding golfers is nearly all the 125 best PGA Tour performers from this season. However, conspicuously absent from Bethpage this week will be Jason Dufner, who comes into the Cup second behind Woods in the standings.
Though Dufner cited rest for his reasoning to sit out, one has to wonder why he simply didn't sit out last week's Wyndham Championship, a relatively minor stop on tour.
Regardless, nearly every other top golfer possible is in the field and hungry to strike early in the PGA's playoff system.
With that in mind, here is your complete guide to the 2012 Barclays Championship, including a television schedule, golfer tee times and which men you should be on the lookout for this week.
Where: Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, NY
When: Thursday, Aug. 23 - Sunday Aug. 26
TV Networks: GOLF Channel and CBS
TV Schedule (All Times EST)
Thursday, Aug. 23: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. (GOLF)
Friday, Aug. 24: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. (GOLF)
Saturday, Aug. 25: 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (GOLF) and 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Aug. 26: 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (GOLF) and 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. (CBS)
Tee Times (All Times EST)
Thursday
| Time | Golfer | Golfer | Golfer | ||
| 7:32 a.m. | Lee Westwood | J.J. Henry | Matt Every | ||
| 7:54 a.m. | Adam Scott |
Sergio Garcia
|
Louis Oosthuizen
| ||
| 7:54 a.m. | Phil Mickelson |
Luke Donald
|
Scott Piercy
| ||
| 8:05 a.m. | Dustin Johnson | Graeme McDowell | Marc Leishman | ||
| 8:05 a.m. | Keegan Bradley | Matt Kuchar | Steve Stricker | ||
| 8:16 a.m. | Tiger Woods |
Rory McIlroy
|
Zach Johnson
| ||
| 12:44 p.m. | Brandt Snedeker |
Jim Furyk
| Rickie Fowler | ||
| 12:55 p.m. | Ernie Els |
Justin Rose
| Webb Simpson | ||
| 1:06 p.m. | Bubba Watson |
Hunter Mahan
| Carl Pettersson |
Friday
| Time | Golfer | Golfer | Golfer | ||
| 7:54 a.m. | Brandt Snedeker | Jim Furyk | Rickie Fowler | ||
| 8:05 a.m. | Ernie Els |
Justin Rose
|
Webb Simpson
| ||
| 8:16 a.m. | Bubba Watson |
Hunter Mahan
|
Carl Pettersson
| ||
| 12:22 p.m. | Lee Westwood | J.J. Henry | Matt Every | ||
| 12:44 p.m. | Adam Scott | Sergio Garcia | Louis Oosthuizen | ||
| 12:44 p.m. | Phil Mickelson |
Luke Donald
|
Scott Piercy
| ||
| 12:55 p.m. | Dustin Johnson |
Graeme McDowell
| Marc Leishman | ||
| 12:55 p.m. | Keegan Bradley |
Matt Kuchar
| Steve Stricker | ||
| 1:06 p.m. | Tiger Woods |
Rory McIlroy
| Zach Johnson |
Golfers to Watch
Tiger Woods
Eldrick is the only two-time FedEx Cup champion and will look to make it a third this year playing from the pole position.
With three wins this season and a sizable points lead heading into Bethpage, 2012 has been a far cry from the abject failure that was Tiger's season last year.
But it hasn't been all happy stories and sunshine this year.
A season full of late-round collapses in the major tournament season makes the FedEx Cup Woods' last opportunity to come away with some prestigious individual hardware.. If Tiger's past performances in Farmingdale are any indication, the world's No. 3 golfer should get off to a top-10 start.
With the world watching, the real key will be outplaying McIlroy in the two's pairing. Whether that expectation is fair to a 36-year-old man who has been through Woods' experiences the past couple years is another question.
It doesn't matter. If Woods wants to re-exert his dominance, it starts this week.
Rory McIlroy
David Cannon/Getty Images
The Irishman comes into Bethpage fresh off another dominant major championship victory at the PGA Championship two weeks ago.
With his early-season struggles behind him and a bevy of tournament victories ahead of him, the road to grabbing his first FedEx Cup title starts at Bethpage. As a 20-year-old two years ago, McIlroy navigated the difficult course conditions to come away plus-2 and a ninth-place finish.
If McIlroy can simply repeat his performance from the 2009 U.S. Open, he would vault himself into the top two with Woods and set up the three-tournament showdown everyone has waited for.
Phil Mickelson
Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Though Mickelson actually comes into Bethpage ranked sixth in FedEx Cup points, this has been nothing short of a lost season for the 42-year-old.
After starting the season well, winning at Pebble Beach and tying for third at the Masters, Mickelson has fallen apart toward the tail end of 2012. In his last six tournaments, Mickelson has finished over par and missed the cut entirely in half of those outings.
But if there is any place special enough for Mickelson to right the ship, it's Bethpage.
Lefty finished second both times the U.S. Open came to Farmingdale, but his magical performance in the 2009 Open was a classic. With his wife ailing with cancer, Mickelson took to Bethpage to honor her and stayed in contention throughout the week despite the worst circumstance imaginable.
This place has special meaning for Mickelson, so hopefully he comes out and recaptures that magic in time to make a FedEx Cup run.
