Presidents Cup
Justin Thomas and the U.S. team will compete this week against the internationals
When folks gaze out from Liberty National Golf Club upon the iconic Statue of Liberty and the stunning Manhattan skyline, it’s hard to imagine that beneath them once stood a toxic waste sewer.
For more than a century, the ground of the 160-acre site was soiled by industrial waste from an oil refinery hard by the New York Harbor, then by an ammunitions depot. An industrial wasteland of corroded oil tanks and abandoned warehouses littered the land for decades.
A dazzling transformation, however, reclaimed the poisonous expanse. At the behest and financial backing of Reebok founder Paul Fireman, an engineering marvel took root 15 years ago. Tons of waste was exhumed and relocated, and an impermeable layer of clay and fabric capped the site. At a rate of 200 dump trucks a day for two years, more than 6 million cubic yards of sand and soil resurrected the land. More than 5,000 maple, evergreen and oak trees were planted, a golf course was routed and a clubhouse constructed.
Today, Liberty National is home to the 12th Presidents Cup.
“The setting is spectacular and remarkable,” U.S. captain Steve Stricker said. “You find yourself staring at the backdrops. And it’s the melting pot of our great country. There are so many different people and nationalities that live in the area. Many people came through New York to come to our country. It’s very special. We see the city in the backdrop. We see the Statue of Liberty that signifies freedom. It’s just a special place.”
Internationals captain Nick Price said Liberty “is a 10 out of 10. It’s in immaculate shape. All the arrows are pointing for this to be a great week.”
That wasn’t the case in 2009, when the course’s opening act under the bright lights of New York was savagely panned. Home that year to the Barclays, the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, the course wasn’t ready for prime time, its small greens, ragged bunkering and tight quarters coming under criticism. And the winds off the harbor didn’t temper any anger.
A caddie said they ruined a perfectly good landfill. One player said the Statue of Liberty, less than 1,000 yards from the course, was fortunate to be looking the other way. Most players declined to comment in fear of falling under the wrath of the PGA Tour commissioner.
Thus, another transformation took place. In all, 74 alterations were made on 15 of the 18 holes; the severe, sloping greens were rebuilt or smoothed out; the thick bluegrass rough was thinned and shortened; some trees were removed; and the landing areas and tee boxes were expanded.
When the Tour returned in
2013 for the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs, the reviews were far better.
“When Liberty National was introduced, the rough was so thick that it didn’t let the course shine,” said Phil Mickelson, an honorary member at Liberty National who played the first FedExCup Playoffs event in 2009 and
2013.
Much like Augusta National Golf Club, Liberty National is a second-shot golf course, Mickelson said. But when the rough was thick and high like it was in 2009, players were limited in their ability to attack. With the rough now resembling the first cut at Augusta National, Mickelson said, “Liberty National’s greatness came out.”
“The greens started to come out because you could hit a second shot into those greens with confidence,” Mickelson said. “And the angles of the golf course came into play. If Augusta National had thick rough, its greatness wouldn’t come out. You wouldn’t be able to hit second shots into those greens. So that was Liber- ty’s problem when we first got there, and now it’s isn’t a problem.”
Mickelson and others agree the course will play well for match play. The course is not overly long, the greens not overly difficult. With the other changes, players will be on the offensive this week.
Especially at No. 12 — a 325yard par-4 guarded by water on the right.
“When you go left, you are shooting straight down the grain, but when there’s rough, you don’t have a chance. Now you have options. It’s a drivable par-4, and now you can go after it, but you could go into the water,” Mickelson said.
Playable yet with abundant risk, the perfect setting for match play.
“There are a lot of small sections on the greens that take on risk. And the par-3 (16th) going toward the Statue of Liberty is a perfect example,” Mickelson said. “You will go after the pin because you’re playing match play instead of risking making a double bogey if you were playing stroke play. I think Liberty is a great matchplay course, especially on the back nine.
“There is going to be a lot of drama.” And right off the bat, too. “The opening hole will get everybody’s attention because there will be balls in the water right out of the chute, and it’s the toughest driving hole,” Stricker said of the
427-yard par-4 guarded on the left by water. “There will be momentum swings all over the course. Birdies will be made. You will see a lot of aggressive play.”
Jason Day, the best-ranked player for the Internationals at No. 7 in the world, played here in
2009 and 2013. After the course’s dreadful debut, players welcomed the decision to renovate the layout. Players won’t be on edge like they were in the past, Day
said.
“There is quite a lot of risk-reward holes, and I think they did a great job softening the greens that needed to be softened,” he said. “There are going to be birdies everywhere, and we’re going to see a lot of fireworks coming down the stretch. And I think everyone will be in a great mood. We get to play some of the best golf courses in the world, but it’s very rare that you get to see the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty from everywhere on the course.
“It’s imposing. It’s stunning. It’s beautiful and pretty impressive.”