The Barclays: Winners
For the first 22 years, the Barclays was primarily dominated by the top golfers from the USA. Only four internationals claimed the event during this era, three of them Australians – Bruce Crampton in 1970, David Graham in 1976 and Wayne Grady in 1989.
The fourth player was Spaniard, Seve Ballesteros – he took the title on two occasions, in 1983, and then again five years later in 1988. At this stage the event was known as the Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic.
Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Bobby Nichols, Raymond Floyd and Bob Tway were just some of the big names of the day who clinched the championship. Nicklaus, better known as ‘The Golden Bear’, or more impolitely as ‘Fat Jack’, joined Ballesteros with a double at the then Westchester Classic.
All this changed however, virtually at the same time that the tournament was renamed the Buick Classic. South Africans David Frost and Ernie Els, Fiji’s Vijay Singh, ‘bad boy’ of golf, Sergio Garcia and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington were dominant from 1992 onwards.
Singh and Els have to be the outstanding Barclays winners – Singh claimed the title an unprecedented three times, and Els won it in consecutive years in the 1990s.
What is remarkable, though, is that apart from the current defending champion, Steve Stricker, very few of the top golfers from the States have met with success at the Westchester Country Club.
Some interesting statistics from the Barclays 2007 are:
- Greens in Regulation – Jerry Kelly – 77.78% - field - 68.04%
- Sand Saves – Mark Calcavecchia – 100% - field - 46.08%
- Average Putts per GIR – Steve Stricker – field - 1.574
- Proximity to Hole around the Green – Bob Heintz – 5’05” – field - 8’02”
- Driving Distance – J B Holmes – 309.1 – field - 277.0
- Driving Accuracy – Jim Furyk – 91.07% -field - 73.57%
- Eagles – Ernie Els – 4 - field - 0
- Birdies – Mark Calcavecchia – 24 – field - 16
