Lady Liberty looms large

Look down the fairway of most golf courses and you’ll eventually see a small, undulating path of short green grass, often framed by a stand of trees. Or on a links course, perhaps some wispy fescue with a sandy beach in the distance. Not at Liberty National. Take the par-3 14th hole, which due to some rerouting for the Presidents Cup will play as the 10th this week. Stand on the tee there and looming large in the distance is none other than the Statue of Liberty – that iconic beacon of inclusion situated a mere 896 yards away from the green in the Upper New York Bay. “It’s pretty cool,� says Geoff Ogilvy, who is an assistant captain on the International Team this week. “You don’t really see the statue until you get to 13 and then you go, wow, we’re pretty close to it. This is pretty special. “It’s a really, really cool place.� Liberty National, which opened on July 4, 2006, is the brainchild of businessman Paul Fineman and his son, Dan. Built on a New Jersey landfill, it is an intriguing and challenging golf course designed by Tom Kite and Bob Cupp that maximizes its location across the bay from lower Manhattan, the Statue and nearby Ellis Island.   And you can bet that Golf Channel and NBC Sports will take full advantage of every opportunity the next four days to showcase the treasured national landmark, which was a gift from France to the United States after the Civil War. The Verrazano Bridge and New York skyline will also be front and center this week. “When I walked out on the set for the first time today and saw the Statue of Liberty, I got goosebumps,� analyst Mark Rolfing said Tuesday. “I can’t imagine what the players are experiencing … seeing this backdrop as they prepare for the week. “This is a different kind of pressure.� As much as the Statue of Liberty is a classic symbol of Americana, it also showcases the country’s openness to other citizens of the globe. And in a nod to the International Team, remember that the seven spikes on the crown represent the continents of the world. The copper – yes, it’s green now, but that’s due to the patina that forms when the metal oxidizes and is exposed to the elements – statue rises 305 feet into the air. It takes 377 steps to reach the crown, which is equivalent to climbing roughly 20 stories, and advanced reservations are necessary to make the taxing vertical hike. There are other ways to see the Statue of Liberty, though. Patrick Reed got his first look from above after he won the 2013 Wyndham Championship in a playoff with Jordan Spieth. Reed’s Sunday evening had been consumed with interviews and sponsor commitments so he and his wife Justine missed their commercial flight to New York for THE NORTHERN TRUST. But the Wyndham folks let the couple hitch a ride on their private jet. Suffice it to say, the view as they approached Lady Liberty was inspiring for Reed, who practically bleeds red, white and blue. “It was awesome,� Reed says. “We were right near it and it was such a cool site. I’d never seen a national monument like that at that point. I’ve been to the White House and everything – but the Statue of Liberty, I’d never seen that. It was pretty cool.� Rickie Fowler, who is playing on his second Presidents Cup team this week, had a similar experience. He and FedExCup champ Justin Thomas took a helicopter from the Hamptons to Liberty National, which has its own landing pad, for a practice round last month. “When we flew in, (you) kind of fly right over the Statue of Liberty and into the course,� Fowler says. “The stands (were) already up over there. I was with my girlfriend and J.T., and they had not really seen it that way. “… It’s not your normal view. That was pretty cool.� Thomas agrees. “To be able to see the city and the Statue of Liberty was awesome,� he says. And the trip to Liberty National from Manhattan by water taxi is nothing to sneeze at, either. The Statue of Liberty looms even larger that way. “There might not be any better commute in golf,� Ogilvy says. South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen notes that his first look at the Statue of Liberty was “probably in a movie.� A few years ago, he finally saw it in person. “I had flown in through New York, and we had a great view coming in on the plane,� he recalls. “After that we’ve done a helicopter tour around and seen it from Liberty National when we did a golf day there. “It’s something special.� Oosthuizen, who is playing in his second Presidents Cup, says a visit to the city earlier this month turned into a learning opportunity for his three kids. “They did the boat trip there because with their home schooling they had a Statue of Liberty project that they had to do,� he says. “They’ve got their little toys. So, they loved it. They loved seeing it.� Just like the rest of us will this week on TV.

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