New time, new name for AT&T Classic
IN: News | US PGA | AT&T Classic (2007) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 16 May 2007
The PGA Tour is in Duluth on the outskirts of Atlanta this week for the renamed AT&T Classic at the Greg Norman designed TPC at Sugarloaf.
After two consecutive weeks on tough and demanding golf courses the field will be looking for a little relief in that regard but while the Sugarloaf layout may be less demanding than Quail Hollow and the TPC Sawgrass, it is nonetheless a quality golf course.
Last year Phil Mickelson won by a simply amazing 13 shot margin, his four round total of 28 under 260 bettering the next best 72 hole score at this venue by ten shots before he moved on to Augusta to win yet again. As was the case last week at The Players the tournament is being played six weeks later than has been the case in the past and the golf course will present a new look as a result. Gone will be the dormant rough grasses and in their place will be the lush growth of Spring.
Sugarloaf was for some time perceived as a long hitter’s golf course with winner like Tiger Woods, Scott McCarron and Phil Mickelson dominating the event and taking advantage of the lack of early season growth in the Zoysia rough grasses which have since been replaced by Bermuda. In recent years however players such as Zach Johnson and Ben Crane have contradicted that theory and the later time slot and thicker roughs might further assist the mid range and shorter hitters.
Surprisingly and disappointingly for the tournament organisers there is no Mickelson this week. The three time winner is no doubt enjoying the spoils of his recent resurgence and as soon as the new date was announced he gave an indication that, as much as he enjoys the golf course and the event he would not be defending. With its similarities to Augusta the Sugarloaf layout proved to be the perfect lead in to Augusta for Mickelson.
With Mickelson and many of the PGA Tour’s leading stars not present, therefore, the event is shaping as one where players of the standing of regular placegetter, Stewart Cink, have genuine chances to win. Cink has a residence at Sugarloaf and while local knowledge is not necessarily a pre requisite to success on the PGA Tour his record here speaks for itself. He has not won the event but has been inside the top ten in six of his eleven starts in the event including when runner up to David Duval in 1999. Cink is also in very good form at present after a third place last week at The Players and a 5th place at the Wachovia Championship.
Henrik Stenson is by far the highest ranked player in the field at number 7 in the world and while he might not be at the peak he was at earlier in the year he has played well enough to be a threat this week. Stenson missed the cut in his only appearance in the event last year.
Zach Johnson won this event in 2004 just a few months after joining the PGA Tour and, without wishing to state the obvious, he is a somewhat better player now. His 16th place finish at The Players was a good enough effort for him to take up where he left off at this event last year when finishing runner up to Mickelson.
Rory Sabbatini does not have a great record here although he did finish third in 1999. He has missed five of six cuts since but he is in perhaps the best form of his career right now and is a great chance to improve significantly on his record in this event.
David Toms has not exactly been setting the world on fire of late but he has been going along reasonably well. He had had several top twenty finishes in this event at this venue and an improved showing would not surprise.
Frederik Jacobson might be one for longer odds. He missed the cut at The Players but was beginning to play well prior and does boast a 15th place in this event last year.
Jonathan Byrd had a reasonable week at The Players finishing 16th and last year in this event finished in a respectable 6th place after being in second place heading into the final day. In this slightly weaker field he might have a chance.
Peter Lonard produced a very good event last week at The Players, the result of an improved short game on which he has been working very hard of late. He finished 5th at Sugarloaf in 2004 and has a self confessed liking for this layout.
Other Australasians include Mathew Goggin who appears on the verge of a very good tournament, Steve Elkington, Jarrod Lyle, Mark Hensby, who was runner up to Zach Johnson three years ago, Michael Sim, Steve Allan, Paul Gow, Gavin Coles, Steve Bowditch and New Zealander, Grant Waite.
