[citation needed] Bethpage being selected in 2002 as the first publicly owned and operated golf course to host the tournament[16] was seen as an egalitarian move by the USGA.

[17] 2002 winner Tiger Woods was never a legitimate factor, and left the park within ten minutes of sinking his final putt.

After completing his round Phil Mickelson declared that he would be taking significant time off to tend to his ailing wife, Amy, who had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

[citation needed] The most memorable moment occurred following his tee shot on the short par-3 17th hole, where he was met by thunderous chants of "Let's Go!"

Though his birdie putt came up short, he later commended the New York golf fans and suggested a Ryder Cup played at Bethpage Black would give U.S. players "a big advantage.

"[18] The USGA teamed up with World Golf Tour and co-hosted a 2009 Virtual US Open tournament to give fans a better experience of playing the difficult Black course.

The annual Barclays tournament, the first of FedEx Cup playoff events, continued its rotation around the New York metropolitan area and was played at Bethpage State Park in 2012 in late August.

Despite this total there was no secondary cut after the third round as in regular PGA Tour events, following a change made after the 2014 season.

[22] Patrick Reed won by a stroke over Emiliano Grillo and Sean O'Hair, moving from seventh place to first in the standings.