PGA Tour Hits TPC Las Colinas
Kevin hit a real duckhook in handicapping the Master’s. Of course, I hit a big slice with my pick. Although I call it the power fade.
Who saw that coming?
Visit Kevin at PGA 365, golf season is upon us.
This week’s tournament, the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, will be held at the TPC Las Colinas. The TPC course is one of the courses that make up the Four Seasons Resort and as such, I have no idea what this layout is like. There should be some interesting golf going on at this tournament, though. Last week Boo Weekley successfully defended his title at the Verizon Heritage, which was nice to see. He appeared to be very confident all week long and had no problem hitting shot after quality shot.
Three players come to mind for this week’s Tier 1 picks, but I’m going to only put my faith in two. That means Adam Scott and Hunter Mahan get top picks, but Scott Verplank is out. Sorry Scott! Scott is the tournament’s defending champion and he probably has a burning desire to win this tournament that is stronger than any other players’ (he was born in Dallas and grew up idolizing Byron Nelson), but he only has 1 top 10 in 8 starts this year and generally hasn’t seemed sharp. I know a lot of people might think I’m nuts, but I just don’t see him going the distance. I’m putting my faith in Adam Scott because he is a high-ranking player in a field that is missing many top names including (but not limited to) Woods, Singh, Furyk, and Mickelson. Hopefully he has recovered from his illness and is ready to go this week. Hunter Mahan is my second choice. He’s been streaky this year but he knows how to go low. If he posts a low 2nd round score, look for him to be strong into the weekend.
I have no idea where I’m going with the Tier 2 picks. I want to throw Justin Leonard in the mix (my official go-to guy in 2008) but he’s been putting in quite a bit of playing time and might be starting to burn out. Ian Poulter jumps out as a great pick for this group. Poulter finished 3rd in this event last year and had a respectable showing at the Masters. Following last week’s strong performance, I’m keeping the momentum pick with Anthony Kim. He had a successful rookie season last year and is displaying great confidence in his game…his fundamentals are very solid for such a young player, and I think it’s only a matter of time before he starts making a big impact. Some other players to consider for Tier 2 are Charley Hoffman, who would play better if he cut his hair, and Sean O’Hair, who has already won a tournament this year.
There aren’t really many players left to chose in the Tier 3 section generally, but two of them are obvious choices - Luke Donald and Trevor Immelman. Donald was the runner-up last year and has an excellent track record at this event. As the Masters champion, Immelman has the game to contend, but beware - he still may be on Cloud 9 after being fitted for a green jacket and his head might not be in the game. That being said, I think Immelman is more determined to become a better player and if he hits the ball anywhere close to the way he was at Augusta then he should have no problems here at this venue.
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