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National notes

Scramble is on for spots in FedEx Cup

By Michael Whitmer
Globe Staff / August 13, 2009

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Three weeks until the Deutsche Bank Championship begins, two tournaments remaining to earn FedEx Cup points before the playoffs start, and one clear picture of who still needs to perform well if they intend to play at TPC Boston.

At the conclusion of next week’s Wyndham Championship, the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list will qualify for The Barclays, the first of four playoff events. The Deutsche Bank Championship comes next, and only the top 100 after The Barclays advance to TPC Boston.

Padraig Harrington helped himself the most last week, his second-place tie at the Bridgestone Invitational vaulting him 72 spots up the FedEx Cup points list, to No. 70. Jeff Quinney, who tied for second at the Reno-Tahoe Open, also played his way into The Barclays, moving up 38 spots to No. 108.

A handful of popular players are currently inside the top 125 but outside the top 100, which means they would have to somehow earn enough points these next three weeks to play in Norton. Justin Rose, who finished third in the 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship and tied for fourth in 2006, is No. 103 in the standings. Adam Scott is 110th, and Sergio Garcia is 114th, after gaining seven spots with his showing at the Bridgestone. Fortunately for fans of these players, all three are playing in the PGA Championship.

A few other FedEx Cup standing notes: James Driscoll of Brookline isn’t in the PGA field this week, but he is 97th on the points list. Tom Watson, thanks to his runner-up finish at the British Open, would qualify for The Barclays if it started today because he’s No. 121. He figures to slip outside the top 125, but wouldn’t have played The Barclays even if he were eligible.

Cink makes mark on Twitter
Newly minted British Open champion Stewart Cink was one of the first PGA Tour players to use Twitter (www.twitter.com/stewartcink), and has earned himself quite a following (694,609 as of yesterday afternoon, and climbing steadily). He posts frequently (more than 1,100 since March), likes to include pictures, and has shown a sense of humor, something that can be difficult to do during golf tournament news conferences.

“Before the British Open I was pretty much calling this the year of Twitter for me,’’ Cink said. “Unless you’re Tiger Woods or Phil [ Mickelson] or Anthony Kim, it’s hard to get your personality through the TV camera lens. I always felt there was a disjointed connection between me and my fans, I didn’t feel like they knew who I was.’’

Smith coping with tragedy
His days now are spent doing laundry, house chores, and caring for his two injured children, but Chris Smith says there will be tournament golf in his future. Just not any time soon.

Smith, who has spent nine seasons on the PGA Tour and was playing a Nationwide Tour schedule this year, is adjusting to life after an automobile accident on Father’s Day killed his wife, Beth, and critically injured his teenage children, Abigail and Cameron.

“The kids want me to play again. I definitely want to, but there is no way that will happen before next summer,’’ Smith told Ted Bishop, the secretary of the PGA of America.

Smith was back on the course Friday, taking part in the first Beth Smith Memorial Tournament in Franklin, Ind., where the Smiths live. He’s appreciative of the support he and his family have received since the accident, saying the letters and handwritten notes from players such as Tom Watson have helped considerably.

“The support of the entire golf community has been unbelievable,’’ Smith said. “I wish there was some way to thank every single person who was involved.’’

One thing Smith hasn’t done is watch any golf on television since the accident. He said that will change this week when the PGA Championship begins.

LPGA takes another hit
Another LPGA Tour event has been sacked, with word coming out this week that the China LPGA, scheduled for Oct. 23-25, will not be staged. IMG, which was managing the tournament, said in a release that although the 2009 event has been scrapped, “we are now focusing our efforts on ensuring the event’s return to China in 2010 and 2011.’’ . . . US Solheim Cup captain Beth Daniel reportedly has informed Michelle Wie’s parents, B.J. and Bo, that they won’t be allowed in the team room or at team dinners. That’s probably best for all involved; the quickest way for Wie to change her image is for the 19-year-old to prove to teammates that she can get along just fine on her own.

LPGA not on Song’s playlist
Despite capturing two of the biggest prizes in women’s amateur golf, indications are that Jennifer Song will return to Southern Cal for her sophomore year. Song beat Jennifer Johnson, 3 and 1, to win the US Women’s Amateur at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, and made more history in the process. Two months earlier, she captured the US Women’s Amateur Public Links at Red Tail Golf Club in Devens. The only other woman to win both tournaments in the same year was Pearl Sinn, who pulled off the double in 1988. But it’s back to school for Song, the daughter of a college professor. Her father has been her caddie this summer, during which she took low amateur honors (tied for 13th) at the US Women’s Open. One reason she might be going back to Southern Cal is to atone for perhaps her one slip-up in 2009: she three-putted the final hole of the NCAA Championship and made double bogey, losing the individual title by one shot and reducing her to tears. All her tears since then have been celebratory.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.