Philadelphia, PA – PGA TOUR - THE BARCLAYS, Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey - The FedExCup Playoffs start this week with 123 of the top 125 on the points list set to tee it up.
Last year, The Barclays was contested at Bethpage Black, but the event rotates to Liberty National this year.
Nick Watney fired a 6-under 65 in the first round last year and cruised to a 3-stroke win over Brandt Snedeker, who went on to win the Tour Championship and the FedExCup.
The two players skipping the event are Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson. Stricker is playing a limited schedule this year and did not commit, while Johnson is skipping the tournament to be in his brother's wedding.
This is the seventh year of the FedExCup Playoffs, and five of the first six champions have qualified for this year's playoffs. The only past FedExCup winner that didn't qualify was 2008 champ Vijay Singh.
Only three of the last six winners of The Barclays are in the field this week. Watney, 2011 winner Dustin Johnson and 2010 champ Matt Kuchar all made it into the Playoffs this year, while 2007 winner Stricker, 2008 titlist Singh and 2009 champ Heath Slocum failed to qualify.
Tour rookie Jordan Spieth, who started the year with no status on tour, has played his way to eighth on the FedExCup points list, thanks in part to his win at the John Deere Classic. Spieth is the third rookie to go into the Playoffs ranked in the top 10 in the standings.
Snedeker, the reigning FedExCup champion, enters the Playoffs third on the points list. That gives him the inside track on becoming the first champion to qualify for the next years Tour Championship.
Golf Channel will have full coverage of the first two rounds and early action on Saturday and Sunday before handing off to CBS for the remainder of the coverage.
The PGA Tour heads to Massachusetts next week for the Deutsche Bank Championship, where Rory McIlroy rallied with a final-round 67 to beat Louis Oosthuizen by a shot last year.
EUROPEAN TOUR
JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES, The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland - The European Tour returns to action after a one-month layoff.
Since the last official event in Russia, the third World Golf Championship event and final major (PGA Championship) of the season have been played. With the FedExCup Playoffs starting this week for the PGA Tour, many of the top players are still in the United States this week.
Last year, Paul Lawrie opened and closed with 68s en route to a 4-stroke win over Brett Rumford. Lawrie was five strokes better than Rumford in the middle two rounds, and that was what carried him to victory.
The victory was Lawrie's second of the year, and eighth of is career on the European Tour. It also solidify his spot on the European Ryder Cup team.
Gleneagles, the host venue this week, will not host the event next year as it prepares for the 2014 Ryder Cup. Europeans will start earning points towards the next Ryder Cup next week in Wales.
Lawrie, whose lone top-10 this year was in January, will headline the field with Scott Jamieson and Stephen Gallacher, who have both won this year, and Francesco Molinari, who teamed with Lawrie on last year's winning Ryder Cup team.
Golf Channel has coverage of all four rounds this week.
The tour heads to Wales next week for the ISPS Handa Wales Open, where Thongchai Jaidee hung on for a 1-stroke win last year.
LPGA TOUR
CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN - Royal Mayfair Golf Club, Edmonton, Alberta - The LPGA Tour returns to action in Canada this week with the Canadian Women's Open.
Amateur Lydia Ko made history last year as she became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history and the first amateur winner since 1969.
Ko led by one entering the final round last year, then fired a 5-under 67 to win by three over Inbee Park.
The 16-year-old has played nine LPGA Tour events this year, and she has collected four top-10 finishes. She opened the season with a 63 in the first round in Australia, but closed with a 76 to finish in third place.
Despite her age, Ko already has won three professional titles, one each on the LPGA, Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf.
The event shifts from Vancouver Golf Club to Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton this year.
Golf Channel will cover all four rounds of action.
The LPGA heads to Portland next week for the Safeway Classic, where Mika Miyazato won by two strokes over Park and Lincicome last year.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
BOEING CLASSIC, TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, Washington - The Champions Tour heads to Washington this week for the Boeing Classic.
Jay Don Blake and Mark O'Meara needed extra holes last year as they both closed with 68s to end at 10-under. O'Meara missed a birdie try from inside seven feet after Blake missed a 12-footer on the first extra hole.
They head back to the 18th again, and this time Blake made sure they didn't return. Blake rolled his eagle effort to tap-in range. After O'Meara failed to convert from 15 feet out, Blake knocked in his birdie attempt for the win.
The victory was Blake's third of his Champions Tour career. He doesn't have a win this year, but he does have two second-place finishes.
Golf Channel will have television coverage of all three rounds.
The Champions Tour heads north of the border next week for the Shaw Charity Classic, a new event on the schedule.
WEB.COM
COX CLASSIC, Champions Run, Omaha, Nebraska - The Web.com Tour is in Nebraska this week for the Cox Classic.
Ben Kohles made it 2-for-2 last year as he won his second straight tour start. In fact, it was his second ever tour start, and he became the first player in tour history to win his first two starts.
With the changes in the qualification system for the PGA Tour this year, this the final regular season event for players battling for position to earn their PGA Tour card.
The top 25 on the Web.com Tour money list after this week, will receive their PGA Tour. The last four Web.com Tour events will include the top 75 on the tour money list and Nos. 126 to 200 on the FedExCup points list.
The top 25 money earners, not already qualified, from those four events will also earn their PGA Tour cards for the 2013-14 season, which starts in October.
The busy Golf Channel will cover all four rounds this week.
The Web.com Tour finals start next week with a new event, the Hotel Fitness Championship.
PGA TOUR CANADA
GREAT WATERWAY CLASSIC, Upper Canada Golf Course, Morrisburg, Ontario - After a short break, the Canadian Tour returns to action this week with the Great Waterway Classic.
Last year, Eugene Wong fired a 65 in the final round to hold off Daniel Im by a single stroke. Im matched Wong's 65 to grab second place.
The victory was the second straight on the PGA Tour Canada for Wong. In five events this year, Wong's best finish was a share of sixth at the Syncrude Boreal Open.
The PGA Tour Canada remains in Ontario next week for The Wildfire Invitational.
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