The PGA Tour heads West this week to Irving, Texas for the HP Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas.
This tournament was first played in 1944 and was won by Byron Nelson. It has been played on several courses over the years until 1986 when it was moved to the TPC course until 1994 when it was played on the TPC course and Cottonwood Valley course which are both part of the Four Season complex. In 2008 it was changed back to the TPC course after it had undergone several changes.
The course is a Par 70, 7166 yard layout with 68 sand bunkers and 8 water hazards. The fairways and rough are Bermudagrass and the greens are Bentgrass.
After the prestige and excitement of the Players Championship last week the winner of this tournament will still take home a handy US$1,170,000.
Considering the classy field that was present last week it is great to see several big names turning out to play this week. None more so than the Players Champ Matt Kuchar. He is the equal 12/1 favourite along with Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott. 2011 Byron Nelson Champ Keegan Bradley is 18/1, 2010 Champ Jason Day is next at 20/1. Then you have Louis Oosthuizen and Jason Dufner at 25/1.
If thats not enough there is also 2012 Winners Johnson Wagner, John Huh and Carl Petterssen. Past Byron Nelson Winners Adam Scott, Rory Sabbatini, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els. International Players Padraig Harrington, Arjul Atwal, Jhonattan Vegas, Ryuji Imada and Brian Davis.
So what does it take to win here? Good question. It all depends on the weather. If the wind decides to blow then batten down the hatches. Last year Keegan Bradleys winning score was -3. Due to the windy conditions the course was ranked 5th most difficult from 51 courses in 2011. The weather made sure it was the winner as only 5 players finished under par for the tournament.
However if you look at 2010 when Jason Day was the winner (-10) there were 40 players under Par and in 2009 when Rory Sabbatini was victorious (-19) there were 68 under Par. If the weather stays away we can expect more of the same, so look for guys who can shoot low scores and keep the ball in play.
Hitting greens is what its all about in golf and its pretty much the same here at TPC Las Colinas. Keep it in play, hit the greens and you are in with a shot at the title. Thats the name of the game.
So who do we like this week?
I am actually tipping two guys this week who have already tasted victory this year on the tour.
JOHN HUH 60/1
How many guys on tour can boast 10 cuts made from 13 starts, 3 top 10’s, a 2nd and a Win? And be in their rookie year!!!
That man is John Huh. He made it on to the PGA Tour after a T27th at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in 2011. And he has never played on the Nationwide Tour.
Highlights this season have been T6th Farmers Insurance, T12th Phoenix Open, 1st Mayakoba Golf Classic, T14th Shell Houston Open, T2nd Valero Texas Open, T23rd Players Championship.
For a young guy who is new on the tour he is full of confidence like a lot of the new young breed and he hasnt taken a backwards step. Just have a look at his Mayakoba Golg Classic victory. He started the fourth round 7 shots behind the leader and shot an 8 under Par 63 to make it into a Play Off with Aussie Robert Allenby. They then went 8 Play off holes until Huh came out on top. He had a Par on all 8 holes. He kept his nerve and played like a seasoned Pro. I expect him to have many more victories over the next few years.
In the Valero Texas Open he started with an 8 over Par, 44 on the front 9. He went on to finish at the Tournament at T2nd on -7. He showed real character to get his game back on track.
Stats wise he is ranked 13th in Driving Accuracy, 35th in Strokes Gained Putting and 23rd in Scoring Average. This kid has game and plenty of it.
He turns 22 next Tuesday. What better way is there to celebrate your birthday that with another PGA Tour Victory to his name.
Another little thing I found is John’s favourite quote. “The Pain of sacrifice is nothing compared to the pain of regret”. I like it. Go get them Champ.
CARL PETTERSSON 30/1
Carl won the RBC Heritage by 5 shots in Mid April. That was his 5th PGA Tour Career Victory. 2012 has been a great year to date for him. He has made 9 cuts from 12 tournaments and managed 4 Top 10’s, a 2nd and a Win.
He started the season with a T2nd Sony Open then went on to make 4 more cuts finishing between 33rd and 42nd. He missed the Cut at Transitions Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational.
From there he kicked it back into gear and was 2nd in the Shell Houston Open. From there it was off to the RBC Heritage where he Won.
Probably due to the celebrating he missed the Cut at the Zurich Classic then he started the upward curve of form that has caught my eye. A T46th in the Wells Fargo was followed up last week with a T10th at the Players Championship. Both of his weekend rounds were under Par and he was the only player in the field to do it.
His stats have him ranked 27th in Distance, 45th in GIR, 12th in Strokes Gained Putting, 21st in Birdie Average, 1oth in Scoring Average and 1st in Par 4 Birdies or better.
His course form is nothing to write home about however he was T4th here in 2008 and was T40th last year.
What I do like is his form in 2012. Current form and form on an upward curve will always take you a long way, so expect to see him challenging over the weekend.
Good Luck and Good Punting.