Tiger Woods and the Statue of Liberty during a PGA Tour event at Liberty National Golf Club in 2009.(Photo: FILE) <\/p>\n
JERSEY CITY Golfers who walk the fairways at Liberty National Golf Club can utter sentences that few who play this game ever get to say. <\/p>\n
Just aim it at the Statue of Liberty, or Play a little draw off of One World Trade. <\/p>\n
The super-exclusive private club, with its sweeping and unobstructed views of Manhattan and New York Harbor, offers a backdrop in golf unlike any other. Its part of the reason why Liberty National is one of the most recognized venues in professional golf, even though it has been around for only 11 years and has hosted just two PGA Tour events. <\/p>\n
But Liberty National is about to add a major notch to its competitive resume when it hosts the Presidents Cup in September and October. <\/p>\n
Its just an iconic place, Presidents Cup executive director Matt Kamienski said. And for all the people, not just those who are going to be here on site, but for all the people who are going to be viewing from around the world, its going to be spectacular. <\/p>\n
The Presidents Cup isnt as big as landing one of the four majors. But its the next biggest thing. The four-day, biennial event is a team competition pitting 12 Americans against 12 international players. From Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, Liberty National will be the undisputed capital of the golf world. <\/p>\n
Its a big step up from hosting a regular tour event. <\/p>\n
This is going to be a much bigger event, Derek Sprague, Liberty Nationals managing director of golf said. Having hosted two [PGA Tour events] this event is probably double in size, at least, not only with the number of attendees but with the excitement surrounding it. <\/p>\n
The event is so big and requires so much infrastructure, that construction workers will descend on Liberty National next week to start getting ready for an event thats more than three months away. Beginning on June 12, the PGA Tour will begin erecting a miniature city across the golf club, building hospitality structures, bleachers and the array of other structures that are required to put on an event of this magnitude. <\/p>\n
Fans who attended The Barclays now known as The Northern Trust at Liberty National in 2009 and 2013 can expect an entirely different experience. <\/p>\n
One of the most noticeable changes will be to the course routing. During the Presidents Cup what was previously the fifth hole will now be the first hole. The rest of the course will be played in order, with players finishing on what was previously the par-three fifth hole. <\/p>\n
Why the change? The Presidents Cup is a match play event and often matches end before the 18th hole. This change makes it more likely that all of Liberty National's most memorable holes the ones near the clubhouse and with the iconic views of Manhattan will be played before a match ends. <\/p>\n
We wanted to make sure that we could showcase those holes, Kamienski said. And [those holes] are also a place where we could build a lot of hospitality. We had to look at it that way, too, where we could position the [structures] to have the most energetic crowds the most people around. <\/p>\n
Finding room for spectators has always been a challenge at Liberty National, which has 18 holes tightly fit onto a property of about only 150 acres. For comparison: Erin Hills Golf Club, which hosts the U.S. Open later this month, sits on a massive 652 acres of land. <\/p>\n
Many of the holes at Liberty National are close together, allowing spectators access to only one side of the hole. <\/p>\n
Tiger Woods during the final round of the PGA Tour event at Liberty National Golf Club in 2009.(Photo: FILE) <\/p>\n
Itll be even trickier for the Presidents Cup. Unlike a regular tour event, with more than 120 players and groups spread across every hole, the Presidents Cup has only 24 players and only a few groups on the course at a time. <\/p>\n
And so the PGA Tour has capped attendance at 25,000 people per day. And thats not fans, its 25,000 people total on the property every day including those who volunteer and work the tournament. <\/p>\n
Only about half the amount of the daily capacity will be tickets sold to the general public. (Tickets, which start at $115 for tournament rounds and $50 for practice rounds, are on sale now at http:\/\/www.presidentscup.com<\/a>.) <\/p>\n We know that this golf course is very confined, Kamienski said. Its tough to move [spectators]. If you get more than 25,000 people out here for a full field event, thats tough. And think about it, we only have five groups on Thursday, five groups on Friday, four groups [Saturday morning] and four [Saturday afternoon]. So youre going to see so many more grandstands, so may more video boards than you would for The Northern Trust. <\/p>\n The hope is that with extra video boards and seating the congestion will be alleviated. <\/p>\n Its certainly a challenge for Liberty National. But the first two PGA Tour events at the course went off without a problem. And if things go well this time, it could be a stepping stone to hosting a major. <\/p>\n Well, certainly the Presidents Cup is the pinnacle for the PGA Tour, so we feel like we are hosting their most prestigious event, Sprague said. And who knows down the road, as successful as this one is we may have more in the cards in the future. <\/p>\n Email: vasqueza@northjersey.com<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n More: <\/p>\n Liberty National stepping into big-time as it prepares for Presidents Cup - NorthJersey.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tiger Woods and the Statue of Liberty during a PGA Tour event at Liberty National Golf Club in 2009.(Photo: FILE) JERSEY CITY Golfers who walk the fairways at Liberty National Golf Club can utter sentences that few who play this game ever get to say. Just aim it at the Statue of Liberty, or Play a little draw off of One World Trade. Continue reading