This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
A week after a drama-less and star-less finish at the Players, it was refreshing to see both drama and stars battle to the end of the AT&T Byron Nelson. OK, Billy Horschel isn't exactly a star, but he's a former FedEx Cup Champion and not many golfers can say that, and as for his opponent in the playoff, well no one can question that Jason Day is a star on the PGA Tour. Just as majors carry more excitement than the average tournaments, anytime a big gun on the PGA Tour is involved late on Sunday, it's just more exciting.
The only thing missing from this particular finish was dazzling play. There were some close calls, but it's hard to say that either player went out and grabbed victory from the grasp of defeat. In fact, you could say Billy Horschel backed his way into a win on Sunday, but after two winless seasons, I doubt he'd even care about that classification. A win is a win, and as Horschel and many other golfers on the PGA Tour have shown over the years, it's not easy to win out here for just about everyone.
As for Jason Day, it has to be disappointing to go out on a bogey, but the fact that he was back in contention is a great sign. I mentioned in last week's preview that the signs were there, he'd just yet to put it all together. Day came up short by one stroke, but he's
A week after a drama-less and star-less finish at the Players, it was refreshing to see both drama and stars battle to the end of the AT&T Byron Nelson. OK, Billy Horschel isn't exactly a star, but he's a former FedEx Cup Champion and not many golfers can say that, and as for his opponent in the playoff, well no one can question that Jason Day is a star on the PGA Tour. Just as majors carry more excitement than the average tournaments, anytime a big gun on the PGA Tour is involved late on Sunday, it's just more exciting.
The only thing missing from this particular finish was dazzling play. There were some close calls, but it's hard to say that either player went out and grabbed victory from the grasp of defeat. In fact, you could say Billy Horschel backed his way into a win on Sunday, but after two winless seasons, I doubt he'd even care about that classification. A win is a win, and as Horschel and many other golfers on the PGA Tour have shown over the years, it's not easy to win out here for just about everyone.
As for Jason Day, it has to be disappointing to go out on a bogey, but the fact that he was back in contention is a great sign. I mentioned in last week's preview that the signs were there, he'd just yet to put it all together. Day came up short by one stroke, but he's got just about everything working right now. Just in time for the U.S. Open in a few weeks.
This week: Dean and DeLuca Invitational - Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth
Last Year: Jordan Spieth shot a final-round 65 on his way to a three-stroke victory over Harris English.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Jordan Spieth
Peruse the recent history of this event and you'll notice that course history seems to hold true more than any other factor. In other words, if you know your way around this course, you can overcome poor form. Spieth will certainly test that theory as his form is not good, yet his track record here is among the best in the field. Spieth won here last year and finished runner-up the year prior.
Zach Johnson
Johnson will also test the form versus track record theory this week as his form has been off all year. Actually, he's had a couple good showing this season, but nothing up to the level we are used to from Johnson. The good news is, he has an incredible track record here, with two wins and three additional top-10s in 11 starts. He's also never missed a cut here.
Chris Kirk
Kirk's season numbers aren't horrible, but they are a little misleading as his best finishes came during the fall portion of the season. Since the calendar turned, however, Kirk has missed as many cuts as he's made. The good news though, is that one of Kirk's best performances of 2017 came in his most recent start at the Players, where he finished T12. His track record here is solid as well, with a win here in 2015 and five total top-20s in seven starts.
Jason Dufner
Dufner is getting close, but he just can't seem to close. Even with his weekend struggles, he's managed to sneak into the top-15 in three of his last five single-player events. If he can get off to a good start this week, he may be able to solve his weekend issues as his track record at Colonial is pretty solid. Dufner has three top-10s here in his plast five starts, two of which were runner-ups.
Ryan Palmer
I went with Palmer last week and while he was a bit of letdown, he did have his moments, which leads me to believe he's close. Factor in his track record here and you have all the ingredients for a Sunday run. Palmer has finished in the top-5 here in three of his last five starts.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Scott Brown
Brown is a guy we've seen quite a bit on the weekend this season, but we might not get a glimpse of him this weekend if he can't figure out this course soon. Brown has played this event four times and has failed to make it to the weekend in three of those starts. Yes, he is a better player now than in the past, but this course isn't for everyone.
Kyle Stanley
Stanley is having a nice year, bolstered by a top-5 at the Players, but he might have a hard time carrying that momentum through this week and he's never fared well at Colonial. Stanley has made the cut in just half of his six starts and has cracked the top-50 just once.
Cameron Tringale
Tringale has a bizarre track record at this event. He's made the cut in five of his six starts at this event, but he's never cracked the top 40. Perhaps he has trouble with the weekend pins? Whatever the reason, he can't be trusted on the weekend here, so he has little value this week.
Harris English
English will also test the track record theory as he finished runner-up here last year, but I'm guessing he's too far off his game to perform well this week. English enters this week off of three consecutive missed cuts on the PGA Tour.
Billy Horschel
With the recent revelation that Horschel was dealing with more than just a struggling golf game the last couple years, it would be understandable if he were to lose some focus this week after such a big win at the Nelson. To be honest, it's a bit curious that he's even playing this week as he's never played this event before, but my guess is he didn't want to back out of a commitment to this event. There's a lot in play this week with Horschel, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were to play well again this week or miss the cut by a mile.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Ryan Palmer (T27) - $49,921; Season - $6,170,917
This week: Chris Kirk - This seems like a good week to take it down a notch and go with someone off the beaten path. Kirk won't be all that popular this week because of his play in 2017, but as mentioned, I think he might be on the way back up with his most recent start at the Players.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 2,504
Rank: 20,817
This Week:
Group A: Marc Leishman, Bill Haas
Group B: Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson
Group C: Chris Kirk, Jason Dufner
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Gary Woodland - (T40); Streak - 2
This week: Zach Johnson - It's tough to argue with a guy whose never missed the cut here before. Johnson is a perfect 11-11 here and most often, he finishes in the top-20. He's also a good one-and-done pick this week, but I slightly prefer Kirk in that format.
