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JERSEY CITY, N.J. – This season’s first FedExCup Playoffs event, THE NORTHERN TRUST, will be held at Liberty National. Or as many people may know it, The Course near the Statue of Liberty. Here are seven things you should know about this week’s venue. 1. The land was once home to an internment camp, landfill and oil refineries. Despite being prime waterfront square footage, the area on which Liberty National stands today was once a putrid mix of garbage, storage tanks and left-over oil mess. It was an industrial wasteland. The site has also been home to a major Standard Oil refinery, a WWII munitions storage facility, and was once an Italian internment camp. The land was reportedly owned by the Rockefeller family at one point and the Gambino family at another. When Paul Fireman first saw the property, he didn’t see an eyesore. He saw potential. “When I purchased the nearly one-mile long stretch of a neglected and decayed New Jersey coastline, that would one day become Liberty National Golf Club, most people said I was crazy,â€� Fireman said. “But I dreamt of a championship golf course, surrounded by the New York skyline, and the Statue of Liberty and just couldn’t say no.â€� So Fireman decided to embark on a golfing project with his son Dan. To cover the entire site’s toxicity and cap the land from the contamination underneath to begin building the golf course was a five-year process alone. The course is 50 feet above the previous land. 2. The course was designed by Bob Cupp and World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite. The two first began working on the golf course in 1992. They immediately knew it would be a challenge. “The first time we showed up here, it was a nightmare,â€� Cupp, who passed away in 2016, said 10 years ago. “We were pretty sure any travesty known to man was on this property. There was consternation amongst the members with us; how do you make something out of this?â€� But they rolled up their sleeves and went to work. And while the course itself played to some mixed reviews in 2009 (some changes were made after that), the transformation of what it had been to what it is now is part of its legacy. “When you take a contaminated piece of property like this and turn it into a very real asset that brings a lot of exposure and credibility to the city and to the state, we think that’s a good thing,â€� Kite said. “Hopefully that will be a good example, because unfortunately, there are many pieces of property like that all across the United States. And I think as the golf course architects and superintendents continue to work with the environmental institute to reclaim some of these properties, it will be hopefully a shining example of what can be done.â€� Cupp always felt the project would be career-defining and transcendent. “We had an amazing time. It was a career event, quite honestly,â€� Cupp said years ago. “It turned something that was previously horrendous into something useful … It’s more than just tees and greens. It’s about an accomplishment and it helps the planet.â€� 3. It was one of the most expensive 18-hole golf projects in history. Considering that nothing on the site was natural, Liberty National stands as a monument on what you can manufacture should the funds allow it. Over 14 years, the club’s construction required moving six million cubic feet of soil, bringing in 70,000 truckloads of sand, adding 5,000 trees and spending $300 million dollars to make it happen. (By contrast, Bob Lang told the Wall Street Journal he spent $26 million to create Erin Hills, site of the 2017 U.S. Open.) Thankfully the Firemans are the type of family who can make it happen. Paul is the former boss of Reebok who, according to Forbes, netted nearly $700 million when he sold it in 2006. The same year, the course opened on July 4. “I absolutely loved the site,â€� Paul Fireman said. “The historical connections with the Statue of Liberty, being so close to the city, in full sightline of the Hudson River and New York Harbor. We plunged right into it. There were risks, and many people questioned the decision to take it on, but to me it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something iconic.â€� 4. It has the best skyline in sports.  The views are hard to beat. You can see the Statue of Liberty from many of the holes and the New York skyline is constantly visible around the course. The course is nestled along the banks of the Hudson River just 2,000 yards from the Statue of Liberty and as such is the closest course to New York City. Former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem calls it “one of the most stunning settings for professional golf there is on the planet.â€� It’s a 15-minute ferry ride from Downtown Manhattan. It also might be the only course on the planet where you can arrive by boat, train, bus, car, bicycle or helicopter. In 2009 when Liberty National hosted THE NORTHERN TRUST for the first time, Phil Mickelson was one of the players who stayed in Manhattan and took a ferry to the course. “I love going by the Statue of Liberty every night,â€� Mickelson explained that week. “That’s cool. Every morning we cruise right by it on the ferry and same thing going back. It makes me appreciate where we live. We live in the greatest place.  Mickelson, who became a member at Liberty National, says it’s “unlike any course in the world … to be able to be right by Manhattan is amazing.â€� Jordan Spieth was a rookie on the PGA TOUR when he played Liberty National for the first time during the FedExCup Playoffs that season. His first impression? “One of the most amazing golf courses I’ve ever been to.“ 5. It hosted the 2017 Presidents Cup and THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2009 and 2013. This is the first time PGA TOUR players have returned to Liberty National since the complete smackdown the U.S. Team handed the Internationals in the most recent Presidents Cup. The 19-11 hammering was almost over before the singles session and is a result that has the Internationals burning for revenge later this year in December when the teams meet again at Royal Melbourne in Australia. Only Kevin Chappell (back surgery) and Daniel Berger have failed to qualify for the Playoffs this season from the star-studded American team while Anirban Lahiri and Charl Schwartzel (wrist injury) are missing from the Internationals. In 2009 Heath Slocum made history by winning the event from 124th spot on the FedExCup points list while Adam Scott blitzed home in the final round of 2013 to steal the win. 6.  Tiger Woods has not won at the venue (or in THE NORTHERN TRUST at all). Woods has played 41 different PGA TOUR events over his career and has wins in all but 16 of them. THE NORTHERN TRUST is one event he is yet to conquer. This will be his 10th start in the event and the two previous times it was held at Liberty National were his best chances. In 2009, Woods started the final round five back but surged into contention. Despite his putter being somewhat uncooperative on a few holes, he had a short birdie putt on the last to take the outright lead. When it missed, Woods — and everyone else — was stunned. Hope remained for a playoff until Slocum rolled in a 20-foot par save on the last to win the tournament. As for the course in 2009? “It’s interesting,â€� Tiger said diplomatically. In 2013, Woods was right in the mix on the back nine until a tee shot sent a spasm through his back, sending him to the deck in serious pain. He tried to fight on and miraculously, especially given what we know now with his four back surgeries, had a putt from the back fringe to tie Scott, the clubhouse leader. It stopped about a ball width short from going in. As for the course in 2013? “They made some really nice improvements,â€� Tiger said. 7. Small membership, big names Liberty National, by all accounts, doesn’t have a huge membership list, but there are evidently some notable names on the locker room doors inside the clubhouse Entertainers such as Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson and Ray Romano. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Fashion designer Vera Wang. Sports stars such as Giants quarterback Eli Manning and former Mets pitcher Matt Harvey. “It’s a great, beautiful course with great views,â€� Romano told the Hudson Reporter. “See the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline. I can play here and tell my wife I’ve been stuck in eight hours of traffic. It’s a beautiful golf course.â€� During the 2015 World Series, Harvey played at Liberty National between his two starts against Kansas City.

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Brian Harman (+333 for a Top 20) … Before you think that the 35-year-old lefty slotted 61st in the Official World Golf Ranking is low-hanging fruit for this prop, consider that none of his seven paydays in eight appearances resulted in a top 20, and only one (T24, 2017) went for a top 30. Still, the upshot is that his experience on the course is as invaluable as his firepower. He’s 6-for-6 since the renovation (2015-present) and he recently connected for a T3 at The American Express. Branden Grace (+400 for a Top 20) … The South African knows a little about summering in February, just not on this side of the equator. He’s been nails in the dry heat of Scottsdale with a runner-up finish here in 2019 and a T9 in 2020. His scoring average in those eight rounds is a sporty 67.75. The tournament arrives at a time when he really needs it, too. Since a T7 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP three-and-a-half months ago, he’s just 1-for-4 with (the guaranteed payday of) a T33 at Kapalua to open 2022. Also sat out the Tilt-A-Whirl of the last three weeks and eight courses in California, so he’s rested. Sahith Theegala (+550 for a Top 20) … Not unlike last week’s endorsement in Draws and Fades for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, there’s something to be said again this week of a young professional who still can feel the thrills of playing in college. The 24-year-old former stud at Pepperdine now gets to experience the joy, the rush and the unknown of navigating the hoopla at TPC Scottsdale for the first time. He and Greyson Sigg are the only rookies to open 2022 with four cuts made in as many starts, but Theegala is in the WM Phoenix Open on a sponsor exemption. As of Monday night, he’s the only rookie in the Korn Ferry Tour graduate reshuffle category in the field. Kevin Chappell (+1400 for a Top 20) … While he and Patrick Cantlay never overlapped at UCLA, it still was fitting that the duo was paired together for three rounds at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. After all, it might have been Chappell’s final stop on the PGA TOUR in his home state. In what also promises to be compelling for at least two rounds this week, the WM Phoenix Open is poised to be his last start via a Major Medical Extension. for which a solo fifth-place finish is what’s necessary to retain status for the remainder of the season. (It’d also yield an exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship.) Short of that, he’d need no worse than to finish alone in 34th place to secure conditional status for the remainder. In eight prior trips to TPC Scottsdale, he failed to crack a top 20, but he’s managed a trio of top-31 finishes. For more detail on his targets, click or tap here. Preston Summerhays (+2000 for a Top 20) … Let’s face it, a cut made would be a relative win, so it’s unfair to attach an expectation such as this prop onto the 19-year-old amateur who lives a short longboard ride from TPC Scottsdale and represents the maroon and gold of Arizona State University. He’s just 72nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and doesn’t even qualify for the Velocity Global Ranking at PGA TOUR University. Rather, this is a personal celebration worth watching even though it’s already his third TOUR start. (He missed the cuts at the 2020 U.S. Open and 2021 Barbasol Championship.) Yes, he has the pedigree. His father and former TOUR member, Boyd, is the only coach he’s ever had and will be on his bag this week. Uncle Daniel is a veteran of 215 PGA TOUR starts, including a pair of runner-up finishes. And Preston prevailed at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 2019, a rare moment when he wasn’t shadowing family friend, Tony Finau, who also is in the field at the WM Phoenix Open. Preston isn’t expected to rise for a top five like Jon Rahm did as an amateur straight off the ASU campus in 2015, but this week will serve as a building block for a legacy that also will be worth watching. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022. For live odds, visit betmgm.

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