The Barlcays: Top 5 Stories Heading into Day 2

Due to a two hour and 45 minute rain delay, Day 1 is not quite yet in the books at the Barclays, but the leaderboard is already starting to take shape.

Harrison Frazar is leading the event at seven-under-par while 17 others players are within three strokes of the lead and are now patiently awaiting their chance to make a move on Friday.

As the song goes, “the sun will come out tomorrow,” and players better bring their A-games out tomorrow as well, because it could very well be the only shot they have to play this golf course in pristine scoring conditions.

Here are five stories to follow as we head into Day 2 at The Barclays.

The Weather

With a two hour and 45 minute delay today, thunderstorms possible on Saturday afternoon and hurricane Irene forecast to hit on Sunday, tomorrow could very well be the only free run these guys have at Plainfield Country Club without being hindered by the weather.

Tomorrow’s forecast calls for clear skies with highs in the upper 80s.  Combine that with greens that will still be soft from today’s rain and the course will be there for the taking.

If anyone is going to make a big move, tomorrow could be the day.

Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh hasn’t won since the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship and has posted just nine top-10s in the past three years.

Between a slew of injuries and putting woes that now have him putting cross-handed with a belly putter—which is about one step away from Sam Snead’s croquet style—many have written the 48-year-old Fijian off until he makes his Champions Tour debut in less than two years (and undoubtedly begins dominating the over-50 crowd).

Just don’t tell Singh that though, because he’s currently tied for second place after a six-under-par 65 in the opening round of The Barclays.

Singh was scheduled to tee off at 12:44pm tomorrow. However, due to today’s weather delay, Singh won’t hit his opening tee shot until around 3:30 pm tomorrow afternoon.

Can Singh defy age and shock us all yet again this week at Plainfield Country Club?

We shall see.

Decision Time?

The PGA Tour has stated that no formal decision will be made regarding the plan of action over the weekend until sometime tomorrow when they have a better idea of exactly when Hurricane Irene will blow through the area.

It will likely come down to two possible options:

1)      Try to fit 36-holes into Saturday and get out of dodge before the hurricane strikes.

2)      Play 18 on Saturday and shut it down until at least Monday morning when any potential damage to the course can be assessed and the tour can decide whether it’s possible to conclude the tournament on Monday, or finish it off on Tuesday.   

Whether or not Hurricane Irene directly strikes New Jersey on Sunday or not, some serious weather is still headed their way, and it’s unlikely that a golf ball will be struck at Plainfield Country Club on Sunday.

By tomorrow evening we will have a better idea about whether or not this golf tournament will be ending anytime soon.

Nick Watney

Nick Watney, who currently leads the FedEx Cup point standings, fired an opening round 67 today and is currently tied for seventh—just three strokes off the lead.

If Watney posts another low round tomorrow he will be in prime position heading into the weekend. 

A win for Watney in the opening round of the playoffs will put him in prime position to capture the FedEx Cup and earn a $10 million pay day at the Tour Championship in five weeks.

Watney is the guy everyone is chasing in the point standings, and if Round 1 is anything to go by, he doesn’t seem to be backing down any time soon.  

Harrison Frazar

Harrison Frazar, who won earlier this year in Memphis, is currently leading The Barclays after posting an opening round 64.

Frazar is currently ranked 61st in the FedEx Cup standings, which means that he has some work to do if he wants to work his way into the top 30 and qualify for the Tour Championship.

We still have a long way to go in this tournament (or not, depending upon how many holes can ultimately be played), but a win this week would not only carry a $1.44 million pay day for Frazar, it would also move him into the top five in the point standings and all but secure his place in the Tour Championship—where any player in the field mathematically has a shot at winning the cup.

Welcome to the main stage, Mr. Frazar.