Mother Nature was the star of the show Thursday at The Barclays, as inclement weather caused more than six hours of delays at Liberty National Golf Course. Here’s where things stand after the first day of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, as Kevin Stadler will hold the lead overnight:
Leaderboard: Kevin Stadler (-7), Henrik Stenson (-6), Camilo Villegas (-6), Ryan Palmer (-6), Jason Day (-5), Matt Kuchar (-5), Tiger Woods (-4)
What it means: Play was halted at dusk Thursday evening with several players still on the course in New Jersey. Those able to complete their opening rounds, though, took full advantage of soft conditions at Liberty National, with most able to card birdies by the bunches. None were better than Stadler, though, who holds a slim lead over a star-studded field with the opening round still in progress.
Round of the day: Still in search of his first career PGA Tour victory, Stadler birdied three of his first four holes to grab an early lead and remained aggressive through the remainder of his opening round. The veteran failed to drop a shot and played his first 13 holes in 7 under, resulting in his one-shot lead with the first round still in progress.
Best of the rest: Already one of the hottest players in the field, Stenson kept up his fine form with nine first-round birdies en route to a 6-under 66. The Swede, who has been inside the top three in each of his last four worldwide starts, notched five birdies across a seven-hole stretch on the front nine, his inward half, and as a result is once again near the top of a PGA Tour leaderboard.
Biggest disappointment: Only a month removed from his near-miss at Muirfield, Lee Westwood struggled from the get-go Thursday, recording a pair of double bogeys in his first five holes. The Englishman didn’t record a birdie until the 13th hole, and despite three red figures on the back nine, Westwood is well off the pace after a 2-over 73 and in danger of missing the 36-hole cut.
Main storyline heading into Friday: With half the field still yet to complete their opening rounds, much remains to be decided before the second round gets underway. When it does, though, several big names will find themselves in contention, including Woods, who opened with a 4-under 67 on a course where he was a co-runner-up in 2009. As the afternoon wave faces the prospect of finishing a significant portion of their opening rounds beginning at 7 a.m. Friday morning, the field at Liberty National likely face long days of golf both Friday and Saturday (barring further delays) before the proceedings are back on schedule.
