Watching Golf this Week: The Barclays, and the FedEx Cup… Playoffs!

I did a minor spit-take watching ESPN on the flip from the Giants-Dodgers Wednesday night — there was a quick clip of Rory McIlroy saying he was ready to kick Tiger’s ass or somesuch. Wow! Was it possible? Had Boy Rory’s stompdown at the PGA given him an unnatural boost of testosterone? Was this weekend’s Barclays tournament, with McIlroy and Woods paired together for at least Thursday and Friday, now must-see TV?

Well… no. Turns out Rory was just joking. And though it sounds like good theater for the moment, it’s appropos that the Barclays opening press conference was a bit of sham theater, since the actual tournament this week is also a bit of a joke. In case you’re not clued in, the Barclays is the start of the season-ending (kind of) FedEx Cup playoffs, where there are three weekend tournaments and then the Tour Championship. If you really have some time on your hands you can dig deep into the FedEx Cup 101 page provided by the Tour and try to delve into the mystery of regular-season points, playoff reset points, and why Jason Dufner can take this week off and still have a pretty good chance at raking in the $10 million that goes to the playoffs winner.

If you figure it out, let us know. We, like just about everyone else in the golf world, just watches these four weekends as kind of one extended long tournament. It doesn’t actually work out that way — you get more points the better you do each weekend — but it’s a massively flawed system that usually doesn’t get tense until the last Sunday of the Tour Championship. I mean, you get some big bucks for winning any of the next three weekends, but — winning any one of the next three is only part of the pinada, like winning a divisional playoff series or a conference championship.

The good news is, even if there really isn’t much at stake each particular weekend, the big bucks involved means that we get online video this week, with the PGA’s own Live@ kicking in each of the next four weeks. Bonus! Coverage starts right here at 11 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, so you can use your PC at work to see if Rory really does go out and kick Tiger’s ass or vice versa. Plus, there will be extended Golf Channel coverage on Saturday and Sunday mornings. And, the Barclays this year is being played at Bethpage Black, the cool public course out on Long Island with a lot of history and long, long, interesting holes. Don’t expect a birdie-fest here.

Though the Duf is taking the week off (he is second in the FedEx standings so he shouldn’t slip much — and the dude has been playing a lot lately, including last weekend at the Wyndham) everybody else will be there, because while the weekly wins may not mean that much, the $10 million that goes to the playoff champ is enough to turn the head of even a mega-rich golf star. So pick your favorite, they’re playing this weekend. I guess that alone makes the playoffs worth watching.

Here’s where to follow the action:

THE BARCLAYS / FEDEX CUP PLAYOFFS

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, Aug. 23 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 24 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 25 — Golf Channel, 1 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.; CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 26 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 1:30 p.m. CBS, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m. every day

ONLINE
Live@ video is back this week — with coverage of Bethpage’s par-5 13th and par-3 17th. The PGA’s On The Tee program also kicks in this week, before the Live@ coverage.
Live@ coverage — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., every day

PGA SHOT TRACKER
If all you want is shots and distances (which can be addicting) get your fix via Shot Tracker, which will definitely be in action at the Barclays.

FACEBOOK PAGE
The playoffs begin at the Barclay’s Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

The Barclays has a Twitter feed. Beware, it seems locally oriented.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Bethpage State Park’s Black course has some strong history, including the great 2002 U.S. Open won by Tiger over the fan favorite Phil Mickelson. (I’d forgotten how charged the fans at that Open were, coming so soon after 9/11; also just read about the people yelling at Sergio to “just hit it!” … remember the waggle?) Though the 2009 Open was also played there (Lucas Glover, anyone?) the 2002 version is recalled in this slightly weird highlights video, with 9 minutes of Pearl Jam music that somehow… almost… kind of but not really… works:

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Dustin Johnson. Who needs to repeat…

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Tiger Woods, 2,269 points
2. Jason Dufner, 2,110
3. Rory McIlroy, 2,092
4. Zach Johnson, 2,019
5. Bubba Watson, 1,777

See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Rory McIlroy; 2. Luke Donald; 3. Tiger Woods; 4. Lee Westwood; 5. Webb Simpson.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

Watching Golf this Week: The Wyndham Championship

UPDATE: Because of the rain delay, coverage will resume Monday morning on the Golf Channel, starting around 9 a.m. Eastern time. Thanks to Geoff Shackelford for the link.

Admit it — you probably didn’t know this week’s tourney, the Wyndham Championship, is the last regular-season event for the PGA. Well, maybe you did. Of course it’s hardly the end of golf in 2012, since the FedEx Cup playoffs start the week after (at the Barclays) and then there is that whole Ryder Cup thing in September.

And don’t forget about the Fall season!

Anyway, at the Wyndham this week the big (maybe only) tension outside of just trying to win comes from the chase to make the top 125 list, so that you can participate in the big fiesta payoff known as the FedEx playoffs. As usual we turn to Geoff Shackelford for insider humor, with a post where he tries to make FedEx feel good about its $40 million investment by providing some links to stories explaining the pending playoffs. In case you didn’t know we like Geoff’s humor. And we’ll even link to one of the posts, since it will set you up nicely for a weekend of golf-watching.

We notice that Jason “the Duf” Dufner is the top-ranked player in Greensboro this weekend, and good on him. We’re still ticked that Duf didn’t come through for us at the PGA (had him two days on my fantasy team, and all he did was par par par) but how can you not like the Duf. Especially when he and Bubba and Rickie get their tweets on. I can’t tell you much about the Wyndham other than that Olympic gold medal hoopster Chris Paul apparently played in the pro-am. In case you didn’t know, Paul is good pals with last year’s winner and new U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson. I didn’t know that either.

No online golf this week (Live@ returns next week for the Barclays). You might also be interested in following the conclusion of the U.S. Amateur, which is on Golf Channel Thursday and Friday, and on NBC on the weekend.

Here’s where to follow the action:

WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, Aug. 16 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 17 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 18 — CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 19 — CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m. every day

ONLINE
No Live@ video this week — the PGA’s live online video doesn’t return until the Barclays in late August, so you will need to get your online fix from…

PGA SHOT TRACKER
If all you want is shots and distances (which can be addicting) get your fix via Shot Tracker.

FACEBOOK PAGE
You can Escape to the Wyndham’s Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

The Wyndham has a Twitter feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
The Sedgefield Country Club has an awesome web site. Much to learn here. And hey, Steve Elkington had a hole-in-one here! So says the PGA’s stat page.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Webb Simpson.

U.S. AMATEUR

TV COVERAGE
Thursday, Aug. 16 — Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 17 — Golf Channel, 8:30 p.m. — 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 18 — NBC, 4 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 19 — NBC, 4 p.m. — 6 p.m.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Cherry Hills CC in Denver… heard of this place, Arnie?

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Tiger Woods, 2,269 points
2. Rory McIlroy, 2,092
3. Jason Dufner, 2,025
4. Zach Johnson, 2,019
5. Bubba Watson, 1,777

See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Rory McIlroy; 2. Luke Donald; 3. Tiger Woods; 4. Lee Westwood; 5. Webb Simpson.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

Early Sunday Start for PGA Championship on TNT, also Online; Players Turn to Twitter to Amuse Themselves

With the rain interrupting Saturday’s third round of the PGA Championship things will get a much earlier start than planned Sunday, with golfers finishing up the third round starting at 7:45 a.m. Eastern Time. According to the PGA’s Twitter stream, the broadcast coverage on TNT will start at 8 a.m. Eastern, and the online stream (which will follow Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh as the “featured” group) will start airing at 7:40 a.m. Just like the British Open, early weekend golf! CBS should still come on at 2 p.m. Eastern, weather permitting. Let’s see if they can finish before dark.

I have to say I’ve been impressed by the PGA’s online efforts so far. Though it still doesn’t match the Masters when it comes to online screen choices (there is only one “marquee group” on at any time, plus coverage of the par 3 holes plus the ability to see the CBS broadcast when CBS is live), I do like the timeline below the viewing screen that lets you go back to watch highlights. And I will call the Social Caddy page a success — I was getting set to rip it this morning because it looked like the PGA was keeping out any negative commenters, but by Saturday afternoon I saw more than a few tweets about how pathetically bad the shuttle system was to get fans and media in and out of Kiawah.

Apparently there is only one road out to the island, leading to all kinds of traffic jams and a cavalcade of woe-is-us tweets from the golfing media, who have to endure the horrors of hours-long shuttle rides to and from the course. While it’s doubtful that anyone feels at all sorry for golf writers it has made for some entertaining reading. And it’s cool that the PGA isn’t trying to stop or police it on the Social Caddy site. Here’s USA Today writer Steve DiMeglio with a good line:

Of course one of the funniest PGA-related Twitter exchanges was taking place between Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Jason Dufner. If you’ve been following this trio you know that they love to just play around by ripping each other… relax folks it’s all a joke. Gotta love Bubba posting what looks like an old photo of Dufner:

Nothing like a little downtime and a good Internet connection.

Watching Golf this Week: The PGA Championship

Good news first: The 94th running of the PGA Championship will have a boatload of online and viewing options, and all kinds of web-enabled goodies to allow you to enjoy the year’s last major from the comfort of your desk, laptop, or iPhone or iPad. (Here’s the link to live video.) The bad news? It may not wrap up until Monday given the probability of thunderstorms likely to hit the Island Course in Kiawah, South Carolina. At least during the inevitable rain delays, you will have all kinds of diversions like the PGA’s new Social Caddy page to let you watch Twitter streams of players and caddies waiting out the rain.

A quick note on the online stuff — though we had written before that the PGA Tour and Turner Sports were parting ways, the relationship between Turner and the PGA Championship is a different beast — and as such Turner will be pulling out all the stops with TNT coverage Thursday, Friday and before CBS on the weekends, and a whole bunch of good website stuff, including lots of photos and videos.

Several things that we are going to look closely at for the live online video (which starts at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday and Friday) are the multiple camera views and featured groups that Turner says we’ll be able to follow online. We were disappointed at the U.S. Open’s somewhat limited online options, so let’s see if Turner can do better at the PGA. So far, the Masters is still far and away the online king of majors. We are heavily disappointed that the PGA app is iPhone only — c’mon folks, there are a heckuva lot of Android phones out there. Bad form to not have an Android app ready. Like in gymnastics, we’re taking a full point deduction there.

As for the actual golf… once again it really is all about Tiger, and whether or not he can get the job done at a major. Kiawah really doesn’t suit his perfectionist game — weirdo target golf — but when he is on, he really is the Usain Bolt of golf. I think it’s good to note here that had he not three-putted on that disaster bunker hole and not gone over the green on the par-3, Tiger would be your defending British Open champion. Just saying, the guy didn’t have anything near his “A” game and he still almost took the jug. He’s still the rock lock on my ESPN Fantasy team, but behind him I see… maybe Jason Dufner? An incredibly consistent year and good performances in the majors. Like last year, he could be standing near the end while others are falling.

Who else? I like Dustin Johnson’s ability but fear that Dustin is his own biggest enemy. At least there are no sand-trap rules for Johnson to worry about. Unlike the PGA two years ago where there were bunkers everywhere, there is a lot of sand at Kiawah but… according to some weird rule none of the sand is a bunker. So expect to see a lot of guys grounding their clubs, and a million calls to the PGA offices to follow. Watch the video and learn why it’s not a problem.

Finally my dark horse pick: Someone who historically plays well in South Carolina coastal courses, someone who has been surprisingly sharp at times this year… while he puts together his Ryder Cup team. That’s right, I am giving some love to the Captain, DLIII, Davis Love the Thirdly, to find another rainbow and win a second major in the gloaming of his career. I watched Love for a hole at Olympic during the Open, and his game seemed anything but old, striping a 2-iron off the tee and outhitting a younger playing partner who went 3-wood. Nice. In reality Love will probably be on the sidelines Saturday and Sunday, watching to see if Phil Mickelson can give him a reason to make him a captain’s pick for the Ryder roster. Enough Olympics already. Let’s get this war by the shore started.

Here’s where to follow the action:

94th PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, Aug. 9 — TNT, 1 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 10 — TNT, 1 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 11 — TNT, 11 a.m. — 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.; CBS, 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 12 — TNT, 11 a.m. — 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.; CBS, 2 p.m. — 7 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
Coverage starts at 12 p.m. Thursday & Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

ONLINE
As we said above, there is going to be a lot of online video, including marquee groups, par 3 coverage and press conferences. HERE IS THE LIVE VIDEO PAGE.

PGA SHOT TRACKER
No Shot Tracker this week.

FACEBOOK PAGE
If it looks like the beach, it’s the PGA Facebook page for Kiawah.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW

HASHTAG FOR THE PGA IS: #PGAChamp

Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend. Who won’t be going back to Akron anytime soon.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
You’re kidding, right? Like you haven’t heard of the Island Course. Or seen numerous recaps of The War by the Shore. Well here is the official page, knock yourself out.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Keegan “long putter” Bradley. Outlasting our man Duf.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Tiger Woods, 2,204 points
2. Zach Johnson, 2,018
3. Jason Dufner, 1,983
4. Hunter Mahan, 1,739
5. Bubba Watson, 1,712

See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Tiger Woods; 3. Rory McIlroy; 4. Lee Westwood; 5. Webb Simpson.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

Watching Golf this Week: WGC Bridgestone Invitational (and Reno-Tahoe Open)

It’s going to be hard to get excited about golf this weekend, even with a World Golf Championship event taking place. With Olympics track and field starting and the PGA just a week away, even having all the big names out for a WGC event isn’t going to move the needle a lot. Even if there is good golf everyone knows we’ll forget the WGC winner on Monday.

On the other hand if you are getting tired of NBC’s tape delayed Olympics, the WGC does give you all the biggies — including is-he-back Tiger Woods, who has won at the Firestone CC outside Akron a bunch of times, and so far this year Tiger has done well on tracks he’s historically liked. So even though Ernie, Phil, Bubba and everyone else except Webb “having a baby” Simpson is going to be there, Tiger is the guy to beat, at least until Sunday. Ouch! Defending champ Adam Scott will also be there, trying to tell everyone he’s over his British Open collapse. Not bloody likely, but so far Scott has won a lot of admiration for how well he’s handled defeat. Maybe Akron will get him back on track for Kiawah.

Good news for TV viewers there will be bonus Golf Channel coverage, not just 2 p.m. to 6 p.m today and Friday, but also the noon-to-1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. CBS will take over on the weekend from 2-6 p.m., all times Eastern. And in case you want even MORE golf — and who doesn’t — there’s the Reno-Tahoe Open this weekend, for all the guys who didn’t make it into the WGC. Like NBC’s Olympics the Reno show will be on late, 6:30 p.m. start times on Golf Channel (7 p.m. on Sunday). Just for kicks, the Reno-Tahoe Open will use the Stableford scoring system, which is about as confusing as the Russian gymnastic judges. Showing my age with that joke. No live video online anywhere this weekend, but Shot Tracker should be in action at the WGC.

Here’s where to follow the action:

WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, Aug. 2 — Golf Channel, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 3 — Golf Channel, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 4 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 1:30 p.m.; CBS, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 5 — Golf Channel, 12 p.m. — 1:30 p.m.; CBS, 2 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m. every day

ONLINE
No Live@ video this week — the PGA’s live online video doesn’t return until the Barclays in late August, so you will need to get your online fix from…

PGA SHOT TRACKER
If all you want is shots and distances (which can be addicting) get your fix via Shot Tracker.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Only the best on the globe are invited… but the rest of us can click over to the WGC Bridgestone’s Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
Can’t find one for the WGC but the Reno-Tahoe Open is on Twitter.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Here’s the WGC page on the Firestone CC South Course. Clickable walk-through available.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Adam Scott.

RENO-TAHOE OPEN

TV COVERAGE
Thursday, Aug. 2 — Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 3 — Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 4 — Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m. — 9 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 5 — Golf Channel, 7 p.m. — 9 p.m.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
We were just in Tahoe last week and I can guarantee you there ain’t any snow-capped mountains to be seen. Pretty hot and dry there. But the Montreux Country Club looks cool. Plus it’s at altitude, so maybe we’ll see some 400-yard drives.

FACEBOOK PAGE
The Reno-Tahoe Foundation’s page will get you there if it’s Facebook you want.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Scott “just won again last week” Piercy.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Tiger Woods, 2,132 points
2. Zach Johnson, 1,988
3. Jason Dufner, 1,888
4. Hunter Mahan, 1,725
5. Bubba Watson, 1,662

See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Tiger Woods; 3. Rory McIlroy; 4. Lee Westwood; 5. Webb Simpson.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

Watching Golf this Week: RBC Canadian Open

Like a lot of the pro golf field your MSR golf writer is taking some time off this week following the most recent major. But newly minted British Open champion Ernie Els isn’t, and is heading to Canada for this week’s RBC Canadian Open.

After the orgy of online and broadcast coverage of last week this week you are back to the Golf Channel Thursday-Friday, CBS Saturday-Sunday routine. I wish I could get more excited about this event but — gotta recharge for the end of the season, the PGA, the Ryder Cup, and the FedEx Cup chase. So just the basics below. More in-depth analysis next week.

Here’s where to follow the action:

RBC CANADIAN OPEN

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, July 26 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, July 27 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 28 — CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 29 — CBS, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m. every day

ONLINE
No Live@ video this week — the PGA’s live online video doesn’t return until the Barclays in late August, so you will need to get your online fix from…

PGA SHOT TRACKER
If all you want is shots and distances (which can be addicting) get your fix via Shot Tracker.

FACEBOOK PAGE
Nothing not to like about the RBC Canadian Open Facebook page.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
The RBC Canadian Open has its own feed.
Geoff Shackelford — well known golf writer. If you’re not following Geoff you are missing the online boat.
Golf Channel — official Golf Channel feed
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend.
Doug Ferguson is the lead golf writer for AP. Good Twitter insights that often aren’t part of your wire-service lead.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
The Hamilton Golf and Country club has its own site.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
Sean O’Hair.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Tiger Woods, 2,132 points
2. Zach Johnson, 1,988
3. Jason Dufner, 1,888
4. Hunter Mahan, 1,705
5. Bubba Watson, 1,662

See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Tiger Woods; 3. Rory McIlroy; 4. Lee Westwood; 5. Webb Simpson.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.