Politics & Government
PGA Begins Planning with Farmingdale Village
The Barclays is coming to Bethpage Black the third week of August.
The will begin meeting with PGA officials this month to plan an August 2012 golf event
"They will be meeting with us to talk terms of traffic conditions, letting people in at different areas and what not," said village trustee Ralph Ekstrand at the January board meeting. "They seem to be very willing to work with us for traffic and safety of the residents, which is our concern."
The PGA tour announced in June that The Barclays, the first stop of the FedExCup Playoffs, would be coming Farmingdale's famed in 2012. The tournament is named for its sponsor, a global financial service provider that annually hosts the PGA Tour event towards the end of summer.
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"They expect to have 35,000 a day at the Black Course," Ekstrand said. "They expect to use the railroad in the pretty much same set-up as the USGA used it in both Opens."
During the Opens, USGA had spectators picked up on the south side of the Farmingdale LIRR station and returned spectators on the north side of the railroad station, the village board said. The board said that a main concern they will discuss is the Lenox Hill area, where there was congestion and other issues during the last Open.
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In recent years, the Barclays has been held at New Jersey venues including Liberty National (2009), Ridgewood Country Club (2010) and Plainfield Country Club (2011).
Barclays has signed on to host the tournament through 2016, including stops at the Black next year and in 2016. "To bring The Barclays to Bethpage Black for the first time, and to return to Liberty National, Ridgewood, and Plainfield over the next five years guarantees world-class venues and competition for golf fans in the tri-state area," said Bob Diamond, chief executive of Barclays PLC in June.
Bethpage Black, designed by A.W. Tillinghast, last hosted the U.S. Open in 2009, a rain-drenched, five-day tournament won by Lucas Glover. It became the first publicly owned course to host the Open back in 2002, where Tiger Woods outlasted the likes of Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson to win his second national championship.
"We'll keep talking a whole lot about this," said Village of Farmingdale Mayor George Starkie, who won't be mayor when the tournament rolls in . "It's pretty cool for the village. We did great at the Open and I think this is going to be great too."
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