Establishment (D. Toms) vs. New Breed (B. Snedeker)

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Apr. 26, 2011
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

One of the themes for the 2011 PGA TOUR season is the competition involving the Establishment vs. the New Breed. How will the established players -- those with significant TOUR experience and long-standing championship pedigree -- fare against the young, hungry up-and-comers who are looking to nudge their way into the TOUR's elite?

Each week, PGATOUR.COM will select two players -- one from the New Breed and one for the Establishment -- and analyze their chances heading into the tournament. We'll then track which player has the better score for his team, and keep a running team tally throughout the year.

This week for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, we've selected Brandt Snedeker, who won Sunday's Heritage in a playoff, as the New Breed representative and Louisiana native David Toms, a former champ in the Crescent City, to carry the banner for the Establishment.




ESTABLISHMENT
AGE: 44
YEARS ON TOUR: This is Toms' 19th full season on the PGA TOUR. He has won 12 times, including the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and PGA Championship in a three-win 2001 season.
OVERVIEW: Toms grew up in Shreveport playing baseball with Albert Belle and Ben McDonald but soon found his niche in golf. He attended LSU, where he played with four players who would go on to play on the PGA TOUR, and remains a passionate Tigers fan. A two-time All-American in college, Toms was a bit of a slow starter once he turned pro in 1989. He didn't win his first PGA TOUR event until 1997 in his 151st start. But his next 228 appearances were much more productive, yielding 11 victories -- the most recent of which came at the 2006 Sony Open in Hawaii. So Toms, who made his 500th start at the Masters two weeks ago, will be looking to end a victory drought of more than five years at TPC Louisiana this week. He's had 19 top-10 finishes since that last victory, though, including five runners-up, so contending is hardly out of the question.
HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: Toms was a popular winner before the home crowd in 2001 at English Turn as he held off Phil Mickelson -- ironically, the same man he would beat later in the year at the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. Toms has played in 17 Zurich Classics and has three top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth two years ago at TPC Louisiana.
OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: Toms has been playing well this season with a pair of top-5 finishes in his last four starts, including a tie for third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. The LSU grad has shot in the 60s on 13 occasions in 26 rounds this year, and he ranks third in driving accuracy and fourth in greens in regulation. Given that consistency, to see the well-rested Toms contend again -- he has taken two weeks off since tying for 24th at the Masters -- would hardly be a stretch.
 


NEW BREED
AGE: 30
YEARS ON TOUR: Snedeker is in his fifth full season on the PGA TOUR, and his playoff win over Luke Donald on Sunday was the second of his career.
OVERVIEW: Snedeker was introduced to the game by his grandmother, who managed a golf course in Missouri. He went on to earn All-American honors at Vanderbilt and win the 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links. Snedeker spent two years on the Nationwide Tour before earning his TOUR card with two wins and a sixth-place finish on the money list in 2006. A year later, he was named the PGA TOUR's Rookie of the Year -- thanks in large part to a breakthrough victory at the 2007 Wyndham Championship and his subsequent Playoffs run to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Snedeker battled a rib injury in 2009 and had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip late last year. But he's obviously come back strong -- Snedeker has made the cut six times in 11 starts this year and hasn't finished lower than a tie for 15th. His performance is even better when viewed over his last five five starts, a stretch that includes two solo fourths, as well as the win and a tie for 15th at the Masters.
HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: Snedeker doesn't exactly have a lot of positive vibes working for him in New Orleans. He has played three times and has yet to make the cut -- and only has broken 70 once in six rounds. That said, his best finish at Harbour Town prior to last week's victory was a tie for 45th so history doesn't always foreshadow performance.
OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: Snedeker is playing in his fourth straight tournament so fatigue might be a factor. At the same time, though, Snedeker wastes little energy hitting shots and he certainly comes to the Crescent City knowing he's playing well. He ranks 29th in driving accuracy and wields an extremely accurate putter, standing second in putting and fifth in putts per round. Don't be surprised to see him contend again.
Tee times
Round 1 Tee Time for Toms, Snedeker
David Toms and Brandt Snedeker will be paired with Nick Watney on Thursday at 7:50 a.m. on the 10th tee at TPC Louisiana.
Establishment vs. New Breed: 2011 results
Here are the results of the previous matchups this year
  ESTABLISHMENT Score/Finish Tournament NEW BREED Score/Finish  
Steve Stricker 20 under (T-4th) Hyundai TOC Dustin Johnson 14 under (T-9th)  
Ernie Els 4 under (T-42nd) Sony Open Jason Day 8 under (T-20th)
Stewart Cink 5 under (MC) Bob Hope Classic Bubba Watson 7 under (MC)
Davis Love III 5 over (MC) Farmers Insurance Open Rickie Fowler 5 under (T20)
Angel Cabrera 7 under (T-49th) Waste Management Phoenix Jhonattan Vegas 2 under (MC)  
  Padraig Harrington 2 over (T63) AT&T Pebble Beach National Dustin Johnson Even (T55)
Jim Furyk 1 under (T35) Northern Trust Open Louis Oosthuizen 3 over (T62)  
  Vijay Singh 9 over (MC) The Honda Classic Anthony Kim 7 over (MC)
Luke Donald 11 under (T6) WGC-Cadillac Championship Jhonattan Vegas 2 under (T31)  
Sergio Garcia 7 under (T15) Transitions Championship Matteo Manassero 6 under (T20)  
Phil Mickelson 1 under (T24) Arnold Palmer Invitational Graeme McDowell 9 over (MC)  
  Fred Couples Even (T60) Shell Houston Open Gary Woodland 10 under (T13)
Tiger Woods 10 under (T4) The Masters Martin Kaymer 6 over (MC)  
Justin Leonard 2 under (T30) Valero Texas Open Anthony Kim 7 over (MC)  
  Jim Furyk 5 under (T21) The Heritage Jason Day 7 under (T9)
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