GOLF US TOUR:WORLD NUMBER six Jim Furyk has been disqualified from the first of the FedEx Cup play-offs in America – a day before it has even begun.
Furyk was banned from The Barclays tournament in New Jersey because he overslept and missed his 7.30am tee-time for yesterday’s pro-am.
The Ryder Cup star, who will win his seventh cap against Europe at Celtic Manor in October, was third in the play-off standings, but will now have to wait to see how much his blunder affects him in the four-tournament series.
Furyk set a wake-up call on his mobile phone, but the power ran out during the night.
Tiger Woods begins a new chapter at The Barclays, competing for the first time since his divorce and scrambling to qualify for the remainder of the FedExCup play-off series.
The world number one, who announced his split from wife Elin on Monday, will be in the unaccustomed role of teeing off in the first group on the first tee at 12.10 Irish time in the opening round because he is 112th in the points list.
Playing alongside little-known fellow Americans Cameron Beckman and Troy Matteson at Ridgewood Country Club, Woods also faces the pressure of producing good golf in order to qualify for next week’s Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.
The top 100 on the points list go through to the second event in the series, with 70 players qualifying for the third, the BMW Championship. The leading 30 then advance to the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta.
The 34-year-old Woods, without a win this season, needs to finish between 50th and 57th to qualify for the next round of a series that pays the final points winner a $10 million bonus.
World number two Phil Mickelson tees off at the more genteel time of 18.16 along with Justin Rose and Jeff Overton.
Rory McIlroy goes off the 10th tee at the same time in the company of Rickie Fowler and Carl Pettersson.
Pádraig Harrington is in the group immediately behind, playing with Matt Jones and Spencer Levin.
THE BARCLAYS
Course: Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, New Jersey.
Length: 7,319 yards. Par: 71.
Prizemoney: €5.9 million (€1.07 million for the winner)
Layout: Designed by AW Tillinghast, the event is played on a composite of three courses. Parkland with small Bentgrass greens.
Field: 122.
Defending champion: Heath Slocum with Pádraig Harrington amongst runners-up (played at Liberty National).
On TV: Sky Sports 4 today, 8pm. Sky Sports 3 tomorrow (8pm), Saturday (6.0) and Sunday (5.0).
Weather forecast: Sunshine for all four days, with wind set to get up tomorrow.