New Jersey golf fans, it is time to get excited because this August, the PGA TOUR is back in the Garden State to host the Northern Trust 2021 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City.
The PGA TOUR rotates hosting The Northern Trust between Boston and the New York Metropolitan Area. But after two years, the tournament is returning to New Jersey. After the pandemic, The Northern Trust is one of the first tournaments in the area allowing fans to attend. From August 18 to 22, golf enthusiasts can finally watch the top players in the world compete in The Northern Trust. Tickets are starting at $35 on the first day for Ground Access, and they will only increase in price as the last day of the tournament approaches.
What is The Northern Trust?
The Northern Trust, previously known as The Barclays, is the first tournament of three playoff events for the FedExCup—the other two being the BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship. Based on a season-long points competition throughout the PGA TOUR, only the top-125 players are able to qualify for The Northern Trust. After The Northern Trust, about 55 players are eliminated from the playoffs. This leaves 70 to play at the BMW Championship and eventually only 30 at the TOUR Championship.
The 2020-2021 season marks the 15th edition of the FedExCup. Players in the FedExCup Playoffs are competing for a piece of the $60 million total prize money throughout the tournaments. The FedExCup Champion takes home $15 million. When a champion finally is crowned at the tournament, it signifies their high performance during the regular season along with their skill under pressure during the playoff rounds.
About Liberty National Golf Club
Liberty National Golf Club opened on July 4, 2006. The golf course was designed by Robert E. Cup and Tom Kite. This breathtaking course is right on the Hudson River with views of the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Liberty National hosted the PGA Tour’s The National Trust, then known as the Barclays Tournament, in 2009 and 2013. The success of the course helped reinvigorate parts of Jersey City.
Liberty National prides itself on the history in which the course was built on. According to their website, “spending a day at Liberty is like walking through an American history book.” The course has seen the ever changing skyline of Manhattan and has views of the Verrazano Bridge connecting Brooklyn to Staten Island. However, there is also history to the site in which Liberty National is located. At one time, the property was used as an oil refinery and warehouse.
The Northern Trust 2021 playoff tournament is the fourth that Liberty National has hosted. The golf club also hosted the President’s Cup in 2017.
Stars to Watch
This year, there are a number of famous golf players attending The Northern Trust along with some rising stars. Household names such as Rory McIlroy, 19-time PGA TOUR winner, and Justin Thomas, 14-time PGA TOUR winner, have both committed to competing at The Northern Trust this year. Currently Thomas is sitting at eighth place on the leaderboard for the FedExCup.
However, Collin Morikawa is currently in the first place position on the leaderboard with two PGA TOUR wins this season so far and 2,136 points. Following him is Jordan Spieth in second and Patrick Cantay in third. While these rankings from the PGA TOUR regular season are important, the FedExCup Champion will depend on performance during the playoff tournaments starting with The Northern Trust.
Will you be attending the PGA TOUR Northern Trust at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey? Let us know in the comments
Cover image by Markus Spiske
About the Author/s
Meg is studying magazine journalism and civic engagement at Syracuse University with a passion for writing and editing. She is a Jersey girl at heart and has a slight obsession with Chai Tea Lattes.
