NORTON — It is in Mike Antolini’s best interest for next month’s Deutsche Bank Championship to be a competitive tournament.
The Melrose native is the event’s first-year championship director. As such, Antolini’s duty is to oversee a tournament that makes TPC Boston into a proving ground for the game’s 100 best players.
“The competition should be fierce,” Antolini said. “I don’t think anyone is going to be able to put a player at the top of the leaderboard going into this event and really have too much of a case to build that he’s going to run away with it.”
The Deutsche Bank Championship, which starts on Aug. 29 at the Norton course, is the second event on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup schedule.
Advertisement
Last year, Henrik Stenson sprinted past Sergio Garcia, the third-round leader, on Labor Day. Stenson scribbled only two bogeys onto his scorecard on the final day. Stenson stamped an exclamation point on the championship with a 5-under-par 66 to wipe out his two-stroke deficit to Garcia.
Stenson’s four-day total: 22-under 262, good enough to best runner-up Steve Stricker by two strokes.
Stenson’s performance matched the tournament record held by Charley Hoffman (2010) and Vijay Singh (2008). All three previous champions are scheduled to return to Norton.
They’ll have company.
The earlier winners will have to battle with Jimmy Walker, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, and Jim Furyk, currently the five players atop the points standings. By Labor Day weekend, it’s possible that other players could shake up the top five and lay their claim as TPC Boston favorites. On Sept. 1, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson, or Jason Dufner, the four most recent majors winners, could be wearing the Deutsche Bank Championship crown.
This is how Antolini wants it to be.
“When we have the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings, it’s really the who’s who of the PGA Tour through the year,” Antolini said. “I would say, literally, any of the 100 players in our field can win this event. That’s something you can’t really say about other golf events. It’s very unique. Whether it’s Adam Scott, No. 1 in the world, or Jimmy Walker, who happens to be No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings right now, or No. 99 or No. 100, I don’t think anybody would be surprised if any of those gentlemen win.”
Advertisement
Antolini, 33, is replacing Eric Baldwin at the tournament’s helm. Baldwin had been involved with the Deutsche Bank Championship since it debuted in 2003. For the first two years, Baldwin was director of operations. He had been the championship director since 2005.
Antolini is a University of Massachusetts graduate. Antolini joined the Tiger Woods Foundation last September, several weeks after Stenson made his fourth-round run.
Antolini had been working in New York as the PGA Tour’s director of business development. Antolini started his career at the United States Golf Association, focusing on the US Open. For an 18-24-month period, Antolini lived at the US Open host site to manage outside-the-ropes operations.
“From a career progression, USGA and learning more about the PGA Tour, tournament director was kind of a goal of mine,” Antolini said. “Joining the foundation, we’re unique in a host organization in that not only are we running and managing the events, but we’re also running the programs that our tournaments benefit.”
Advertisement
At the USGA, Antolini once considered previous US Open courses such as Pinehurst, Winged Foot, and Torrey Pines his temporary places of residence. But now Antolini, who lives in Natick, is in charge of the most important tournament at his home course.
Antolini noted the improved Champions Club on the 17th fairway where fans can watch the play from covered bleachers. He mentioned the reserved seating by the 18th green. Antolini described the upcoming tournament as featuring the same template as in previous years, but one with decorative touches added.
“For us, it’s very exciting because we can really have a hand in the creative flow of the event,” Antolini said. “When we’re at TPC Boston — we’ve been here now going on our 12th year — now we’re challenging ourselves with ways we can elevate the event. I think it comes in minor tweaks and touches.”
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.