TOUR Insider: Low scores a must  PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent Byron Nelson is gone. His spirit remains. A legend and a gentleman, Nelson, who died last fall at age 94, was the driving force of an event started in 1944 as the Dallas Open, an event that claims Nelson as its first champion. That the EDS Byron Nelson Championship has had his name on the marquee since 1968 only serves as a reminder that this tournament -- and its record charitable proceeds (nearing $100 million total) has always been about more than just golf and always will be a tribute to what is great about the game.  Sergio Garcia won Lord Byron's tournament in 2004. (Greenwood/WireImage)
Of course, Nelson, lest it be forgotten, was, among other things, a man who knew how to produce great golf. That will be the requirement for the prospective champion, who must go low on the TPC Four Seasons at Las Colinas and its neighboring Cottonwood Valley course, both par-70 layouts. The winner of this tournament in suburban Irving, Texas, has had to shoot at least double digits under par every year since 1989. This year's edition is notable for reasons beyond Nelson's absence. The April date breaks up the traditional Texas two-step; no longer is the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial the follow-up tournament. And this will be the last year for Cottonwood Valley to remain in the competitive mix. Next year, the TPC Las Colinas, after an upgrade and renovation by D.A. Weibring, will be the lone tournament layout. A par-70 course measuring 7,057 yards, TPC Las Colinas will undergo a thorough -- but not radical -- transformation once the '07 tournament is completed. An upgrade to tees, fairways and greens is just the start. The stadium mounding will be softened, yardage increased (naturally), trees moved or removed, and the irrigation system redone. An expansion of the lake at the par-4 18th should make the finish more intriguing. As for this week, the usual southerly winds move in and hotter temperatures arrive on the weekend, but the east winds that might hit Thursday could keep scores from going crazy low. No precipitation is forecast, another factor to consider as the week wears on. Worth knowing: Shooting four rounds in the 60s isn't a ticket to victory, but it sure helps pave the way to respectability. The task wasn't as easy last year as it was in 2005, however. Just five men broke 70 each day in '06 compared to 17 players in '05 (including 1998 winner John Cook, who shot four 69s and ended up joint 40th). But only one player did it both years: Luke Donald. Shigeki Maruyama, the 2002 winner, has finished tied for sixth each of the last two years and has shot in the 60s in seven of his last eight rounds and 20 of 26 rounds overall with four top-10s in seven appearances. Billy Mayfair and Dallas native Justin Leonard are the only two players in the field with a piece of one of the two course records, each having shot 61 at the TPC Las Colinas. Interestingly, they have just three top-10s between them in 30 combined appearances in the Nelson. Brett Wetterich has a tall task this week, considering no champ has defended successfully since the event's 1983 move to TPC Las Colinas. In fact, just three players have won back-to-back: Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, with Watson taking three straight from 1978-80. Jerry Kelly doesn't have a strong record at the Nelson, but he never finished in the top-10 in a major until his tie for fifth at the Masters, either. Don't count him out this week; he has posted three straight top-10s for the first time in four years, coinciding with a switch in putters to a Yes! Golf Sophia model. Since 1970 no other tournament has had more playoffs than the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Fourteen times the tournament has gone overtime, including the six-man playoff in 1994 won by Neal Lancaster and Sergio Garcia's win 10 years later. Phil Mickelson makes his first start since his disappointing defense of his Masters title, and the 1996 Nelson champion, according to news reports, will be showing up in Dallas with teacher Butch Harmon officially in his camp. Harmon is the only swing instructor to take two players to No. 1 in the world rankings: Greg Norman and Tiger Woods. After missing most of last season with a back injury, Dallas native Hank Kuehne makes his PGA TOUR return after missing the last 13 months. He last competed in the '06 PLAYERS Championship, though he has had three Nationwide Tour starts recently, finishing 19th and 40th before missing the cut last week at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic. |
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network