Featured Groups: DEAN & DELUCA InvitationalFeatured Groups: DEAN & DELUCA Invitational
FORT WORTH, Texas – The Texas swing this season ends with this week’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, held on one of the PGA TOUR’s most historic courses. Colonial Country Club has been a regular stop since 1946, and its list of winners is topped by the local legend, Ben Hogan, a five-time champion. Another nearby-local legend, Dallas’ Jordan Spieth, is the defending champ this week. Spieth comes off a missed cut in his hometown event, the AT&T Byron Nelson, but now has a chance to put his name next to Hogan’s in the tournament record book. Thus far, Hogan is the only player to have won this event in consecutive years; in fact, he did it two different times. Colonial’s Horrible Horseshoe – hole Nos. 3, 4 and 5 – is the signature stretch on this course, with the average strokes over par since 2003 at plus-0.465. “The Horrible Horseshoe it’s called,â€� said Colonial member Ryan Palmer, “and it can be horrible to a lot of people.â€� PGA TOUR LIVE’s coverage of the first two rounds will be from 8 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET with a mixture of morning Featured Groups and afternoon Featured Holes (the par-4 5th and the par-3 16th). The broadcast also will be available on Twitter from 8 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday. PGA TOUR Radio’s coverage is from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET for the first two rounds and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the final two rounds. Here’s a look at the Featured Groups (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses): Thursday Jon Rahm (4), Sergio Garcia (13), Si Woo Kim (22). Kim is making his first start since winning THE PLAYERS Championship two weeks ago. He was originally scheduled to play last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson but was forced to withdraw with a sore back. He said it’s fine now. Garcia won at Colonial in 2001 in his first start in this event and is playing Colonial for the first time since 2012. Rahm is making his DEAN & DELUCA debut. Tee time: 8:55 a.m. ET off 10th tee. Wesley Bryan (19), Matt Kuchar (40), Phil Mickelson (43). Mickelson, a two-time champion (2000, 2008) is making his first appearance at Colonial since 2010 when he missed the cut. Kuchar has two top-10 finishes in his last three starts here, including a tie for sixth last year. Bryan, like Rahm, is making his first appearance. Tee time: 9:06 a.m. ET off 10th tee. Friday Billy Horschel (15), Paul Casey (27), Brandt Snedeker (48). Having won last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, Horschel – the 2014 FedExCup champ — will look to become the first player to win both Metroplex TOUR events in consecutive weeks. Hogan is the only player to win both in the same year (but not in consecutive weeks). Snedeker – also a past FedExCup champ, having won in 2012 — tied for second here two years. Casey finished fifth in his first start at Colonial in 2009. Tee time: 8:55 a.m. ET off 10th tee. Pat Perez (5), Jordan Spieth (7), Zach Johnson (95). Spieth, the defending champ, also tied for second the previous year and has another top-10 finish among his four starts at Colonial. Johnson’s track record here is even more impressive – two wins (2010, 2012) and two other top 10s among his 11 starts. He’s won more money at this event ($3.4 million) than any other player. Perez has four top-10 finishes here. Tee time: 9:06 a.m. ET off 10th tee.
