Furyk DQ-ed from Barclays


Jim Furyk was disqualified from The Barclays, the first tournament in the season-ending FedEx Cup playoff, after he was late for the 7:30 a.m. shotgun start at Wednesday's pro-am. Expected to be one of the contenders, Furyk overslept when his cell-phone battery died; he uses his cell phone as his only alarm.

"A commitment to play in the tournament is a commitment to play in the pro-am," said Slugger White, the PGA Tour's rules and competitions VP in a statement. "It is unfortunate for Jim. It is unfortunate for the tournament. He is a fan favorite and everybody likes him. He is a really good guy, but my hands are tied. I am sure he will recover quite nicely next week and jump right in there again."

Furyk, third in FedEx Cup points and ranked No. 6 in the world, awoke at 7:23 and "tore out of there." But there was no way to get to the 11th tee in time for the shotgun start, he commented later. Furyk said something similar happened at Bay Hill Club & Lodge several years ago. At the time the alternate played for two holes and "then I just stepped in and played the rest of the way," he added. "In 17 years, twice."

But Furyk knew he messed up, saying, "Rules are rules."

One of the players upset about the ruling was Phil Mickelson, who said he spoke to PGA Tour commissioner about the situation. "The rule itself applies to only half the field," Mickelson, told reporters Wednesday. "So, if you have a rule that does not apply to everybody because not everyone plays in the pro-am, you cannot have it affect the competition.

"It's got to be a different penalty. It can't be disqualification if it only applies to half the field. So this rule - it's not protecting the players. It's not protecting the sponsors. It applies to only half the field and yet it affects the integrity of the competition. I cannot disagree with it more. I have no idea how the Commissioner let this rule go through. It's ridiculous. I made my viewpoint very clear to him, yes."

Furyk said it will be tough to win the FedEx Cup - and its $10 million top prize - by missing The Barclays. He's eligible for next week's Deutsche Bank Championship and the following BMW Championship, and is likely in the Tour Championship, which is played by the top-30 FedEx Cup point-getters throughout the season.

"No matter what tournament it was, I'd be upset," Furyk said. "But I'm more upset because it is this one. We are here at the end of the deal."