Mickelson favourite at Byron Nelson
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship | Preview | 20 May 2009
From San Antonio the PGA Tour stays in Texas but moves north to Irving near Dallas for this week’s HP Byron Nelson Classic at the TPC Four Seasons Resort.
The tournament will be played over the Jay Morrish designed but D.A Weibring redesigned TPC Las Colinas layout which was again used as a sole venues in 2008 after being one of two venues since 1994. The Cottonwood Valley layout, which was included in the two course event in 1994, was withdrawn last year.
Adam Scott is the defending champion and not only did Scott win in 2008 but he finished third behind Brett Wetterich in his only other start in the event in 2006. Scott has however missed his last five cuts in PGA Tour events and a successful defence appears highly unlikely.
Phil Mickelson won this event in 1996 and has recorded several other good finishes including when third two years ago behind Scott Verplank. Mickelson’s form before an ordinary week at the Players Championship was very impressive.
Charley Hoffman entered calculations late in the piece at last week’s Valero Texas Open eventually finishing 9th and has finished inside the top ten in two of his four starts in this event. He has played very solidly for most of season 2009 and a win this week would hardly surprise.
Ian Poulter finished third in this event behind Scott Verplank in 2007 and following his very impressive runner up finish at the Players Championship is on the verge of his first PGA Tour victory. Poulter’s Lasik eye surgery earlier in 2009 has added a new dimension to his game and with form on this golf course and a good series of finishes this season he stands a very good chance.
Steve Marino has threatened to win his first PGA Tour event for nearly two years now and while it is a long time to wait the wait might be nearly over. He has made the cut on both occasions he has played this event and finished 10th on debut in 2007. There were several very good finishes earlier this season for Marino and if he can find a way to finish off good starts to events that first win is not far away.
Robert Allenby has been a model of consistency missing only one cut in his last 41 starts in tournament golf worldwide. Earlier in his career Allenby played this event well recording a third place behind Vijay Singh in 2003. He has not won a PGA Tour event in eight years but if consistency counts for anything then he stands a chance of putting that record straight.
Other Australasians entered to play the event are Rod Pampling, Stuart Appleby, last year’s joint first round leader, Mathew Goggin, Nathan Green, Marc Leishman, John Senden, James Nitties, Peter Lonard, Greg Chalmers, Jarrod Lyle, Steve Elkington, Stephen Leaney and New Zealanders Tim Wilkinson and Danny Lee.
Interestingly Danny Lee has a new caddie, his third in his last four events. At the recent Masters, Lee had a local Augusta National caddie on the bag while in his last two events he has had the experienced New Zealander Anthony Knight, who worked for him in two events in New Zealand earlier this year, looping.
This week, Lee has American Don Donatello on the bag as he looks to find the combination that suits him best. According to an article by Martin Davidson in the New Zealand Herald this week Knight was not comfortable with the idea of being forced to sit on the sideline while Lee experimented with several other caddies and who can blame him.
Interestingly the man who worked with Lee during his historic win at the Johnnie Walker Classic, Jason Hamilton, is working for his regular boss, Tim Wilkinson, in this week’s event.
