PGA Pro and Napoleon Graduate Brian Stuard tees off this afternoon at 1:39pm at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey for The Northern Trust and Event One of the four-event FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Stuard’s entry into the Playoffs means he’s made the Top 125 (#118 entering The Northern Trust) in Tour Rank and will retain his PGA Card for 2019. Brian was live on WKHM on Wednesday Morning and we asked him about how he likes Ridgewood, and if it fits his eye. “Yeah, it should be, it’s kind of an old traditional golf course. Playing pretty long right now, we’ve had a little bit of rain. The rough’s up, so there should be a premium on hitting fairways.”
Hitting fairways hasn’t been much of an issue this year for Stuard, who is 7th going into this tournament in driving accuracy, going 856-for-1215 in 95 rounds (70.82%). For reference, Tiger Woods is 388-for-700 (55.43%). Stuard says the margins are incredibly thin. He says he’s played well, but acknowledges that he’s slid a little since his strong start in the fall. “This is a game where one shot here or there, an important tee shot or a good save on a Friday to make the cut, something like that is big. It’s definitely a narrow margin, and you’ve just got to get it done when you get the chance.” Stuard said.
Brian has come a long way since his days at Napoleon High School, but he gives a lot of credit to his support team as the biggest influences in his career. “My dad for sure. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Gary Robinson who I’ve been working with since I was in high school. He’s been a big part of my getting better in golf, and My family, the support they’ve given me is pretty awesome.”