Liberty National in New Jersey to Become Mainstay on PGA Tour


On Tuesday the PGA Tour announced it had reached a 25-year agreement with Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J., that calls for the course overlooking downtown New York City and the Statue of Liberty to host the 2017 Presidents Cup.

In addition, Liberty National will be the site of up to 10 Tour events during the agreement. It already has served as the site of the 2009 and 2013 Barclays, the first in the Tour's four-event, season-ending FedEx Cup.

"The Presidents Cup has come so far in its relatively short history," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem in a statement. "Seeing the world's best players compete in this market, on this incredibly fantastic venue with such an amazing backdrop in 2017, is something fans of this great game will never forget."

The course was developed by Dan Fireman and his father, Paul Fireman, a former chairman of Reebok International. Dan Fireman told New York Times reporter Zach Schonbrun: "There are so many great, historic courses within 30 miles of Liberty.

"For us to be chosen really represents what we set out to achieve when we started, and that is to create a championship-level course."

Future Tour events and dates at Liberty National have not been determined. But the previous Barclays drew good attendance and television ratings. This year The Barclays was held at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., with Hunter Mahan winning by two strokes last Sunday and vaulting to the top of the FedEx Cup standings with three events to go.

New York golf fans can get to the course - built on a former landfill at a cost of $250 million - a variety of ways, including by ferry across New York Harbor. "People can get to us by boat, train, bus," Fireman told Schonbrun.

The next Presidents Cup, which is overseen by the Tour and held in alternate years to the Ryder Cup, will take place in October 2015 at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in New Songdo City, South Korea. The biennial, match-play event pits 12-man teams from the USA against players from non-European countries.

TPC Harding Park in San Francisco was recently announced as host of the 2025Presidents Cup, but there are open dates for 2019 (international site), 2021 (USA) and 2023 (international).