No, Tiger Woods did not win the Barclays golf tournament at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City on Sunday. Instead, it was relative unknown Heath Slocum who finished one shot ahead of not only Woods but also top-flight golfers such as Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Steve Strickler, with all four ending up tied for second place.
But the real victor was the city of Jersey City, which got prominent exposure on TV with the stunning sight of the Statue of Liberty seen from the 14th hole, and saw hundreds of people come during the four days of the tournament and numerous golfers dining at local restaurants.
Among those happy for the exposure was Oswin Hadley, a Jersey City attorney and longtime friend of Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who attended the Barclays three of the four days of play.
“I proud of the fact that people can watch the Golf Channel and see all these beautiful views of our great city,” Hadley said. “It’s my wish after this event that the PGA Tour hold another event here in the future.”
Tom Best, coach of the golf team at Lincoln High School, was happy for the exposure the members of the golf team got from seeing players like Woods in person.
“The only time you get to see these people is on TV,” Best said.
Celebrities also dropped in for the tournament including Jay-Z and Beyonce, who walked past this reporter accompanied by off-duty Jersey City police officers and his personal security. When asked what he thought about the tournament, he only smiled and waved.Also seen was actor David Morse, known for his work on the TV show St. Elsewhere and movies such as The Crossing Guard and Twelve Monkeys.
As for the course itself, the players interviewed had mixed feelings with Slocum saying the best thing was “you had to be pretty accurate off the tee.”
A clearly frustrated Woods said Liberty National was one where he “misread putts that badly” such as the one seven feet from the 18th hole that he failed to sink, which stunned the packed audience. – RK