Johnson, McPherson in action this week

Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson is paired with Rory Sabbatini and Jim Furyk in the first two rounds of the $7.5 million The Barclays, the first of four events in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. The group goes off the first tee at 12:49 p.m. in today's first round and off the 10th tee at 7:59 a.m. in Friday's second round. Johnson enters the playoffs 19th in FedExCup points. He tied for 22nd in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and tied for 10th in the PGA Championship before taking last week off. Johnson is sure to finish better in the playoffs than he did in his rookie season last year, when he missed the cut at The Barclays and was eliminated.
The course in Jersey City, N.J., will be one of the stars of the event. It is a Tom Kite and Bob Cupp design built atop a landfill along the Hudson River with the Statue of Liberty some 1,000 yards in the distance. Tiny greens and deep bunkers are the trademark of several holes on the 7,400-yard layout, so the short game may determine the winner.
Conway native Kristy McPherson is also playing this week in the $1.7 million Safeway Classic, which is a 54-hole event that tees off Friday at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore. She tees off the 10th tee at 12:27 p.m. Eastern time with Stacy Lewis and Wendy Ward. McPherson was on the winning U.S. Team last week in the Solheim Cup and enters the tournament 14th on the LPGA Tour money list.