Crane set to defend US Bank Championship
IN: News | US PGA | US Bank Championship (2006) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 26 Jul 2006
The PGA Tour returns to mainland USA this week when the US Bank Championship is played at the Brown Deer Park Golf Club in Milwaukee.
With so many of the Tour's leading players taking a break after the rigours of the Open Championship at Hoylake last week, the event is not exactly blessed with a top class field but there are enough quality players to make for a interesting and evenly fought contest.
The Brown Deer Park Golf Course has been the venue here since 1994 when the event moved from its long time home of Tuckaway Golf Club in Franklin, just outside Milwaukee. It is one of the few Municipal courses hosting PGA Tour events and is recognised as one of the leading public courses in the USA.
The course was originally built in 1929 and designed by George Hanson but underwent changes in the early 1990's when Roger Packard and Andy North were involved in preparing it for the staging of a PGA Tour event. The course now measures 6800 yards and as such is one of the shortest on the PGA Tour.
Further changes have been made in the last twelve months by Packard and North but much has been on the reshaping of some of the bunkering and the addition of several new tees.
The defending champion will be Ben Crane who led from his opening round of 62 in last year's event and went on to win by four over Scott Verplank with Chad Campbell third. Crane arrives here after a very impressive 11th place at last week's Open Championship which had followed his sixth placing at the Booz Allen event three weeks earlier.
Scott Verplank will tee it up after a reasonable week last week at Hoylake. He struggled in the final round there but his form has been good enough of late for him to again figure in this event.
At number 28 in the world, Nick O'Hern is the highest world ranked player in the field. He was very disappointing last week on a golf course that could well have suited him at Hoylake but the upside of that is that he had the weekend off and was not forced into a mad dash back across the Atlantic to get to Milwaukee. His form prior to last week was very impressive and that this is not a long golf course might also be of assistance. He has not played this event previously.
Jeff Sluman has been quite well of late and did finish fourth in this event last year. His record at this tournament is second to none with two wins and several other top tens.
Stewart Cink missed the cut last week at the Open but his form prior was very good. On the only occasion he played this event he was 12th back in 1997 but there is every reason to believe he could do well. His recent 4th at the Western Open is perhaps a guide to his current form.
Bo Van Pelt, K.J. Choi, Justin Leonard, and local Steve Stricker are others who have genuine chances.
The best of the Australians, O'Hern aside, might just be Nathan Green who is in the middle of a superb rookie season on the PGA Tour. Obviously he has not played at Brown Deere Park previously but he has shown already this season that he can adapt quickly to new situations.
Other Australasians are the improving Stephen Leaney, Brendan Jones, Craig Parry, David McKenzie, Greg Chalmers, Jason Day and Steve Bowditch. For Day this will be his third consecutive invitation in a USPGA Tour event. He made the cut at his first at the John Deere Classic then missed by one last week at the BC Open.
Steve Bowditch returns to the PGA Tour following several weeks back in Australia where he has tried to get his game and confidence back in shape following a horror start to the year. Bowditch is an exceptionally talented player and it is hoped that he can rebuild to the stage he was at when such a success on the Nationwide Tour last year.
The tournament has prizemoney of US$3.5 million.
Photo - Anthony Powter
