Simpson stretches lead at Players to 7 after 68

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Everything is bigger in Texas and not many were bigger in the world of golf than Byron Nelson. The event that carries his name returns to the Lone Star state after a COVID-19 absence but will have a new home. TPC Craig Ranch in the Dallas suburb of McKinney replaces Trinity Forest as the new host for the next five years. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks TPC Craig Ranch has hosted stages of Q-School and has also served as host of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2008 and 2012. The Tom Weiskopf design, opened in 2004, will play as Par-72 and stretch 7,468 yards. There’s plenty of space to swing it off the tee as the wind is always a factor in this part of the world. The Bentgrass greens running at 11.5 feet will provide more than ample targets (see: wind) at almost 6,800 square feet on average. Avoiding the 83 bunkers and keeping the ball out of Rowlett Creek, which will be in play on 13 holes, will pair with just over two inches of Bermuda rough to act as a deterrent this week. Zoysia fairways will be similar to Trinity Forest but that’s where the comparison stops so I won’t spend much time looking at that event. The winning scores of 16-under and 17-under (both Par-71) for the Korn Ferry Tournament Finals suggest an even lower winning total this week because of Par-72. The first TOUR stop at TPC Craig Ranch will feature plenty of connections from the Dallas area. Colleyville resident Ryan Palmer holds the course record of 61. Defending event champion Sung Kang is a member at the club and a Dallas resident. Obviously the notes below are from the past. Tom Weiskopf’s TPC Scottsdale is another point of interest as that track is used annually on TOUR. While it’s a different course, we can still glean information, just like we follow who plays well on Pete Dye tracks. Good luck! Recent Event Winners Stats Recent Winners and Notables 2012: Web.com Tour Championship: Justin Bolli (-16, 268) 11 rounds of 66 or better. … Top seven players were 10-under or lower. … Low round of the week was 64. … Played October 25-28. Tournament Notables Entered This Week: James Hahn (2nd) posted one of the two rounds of 64 for the week, the lowest recorded. … Luke List (T13) posted four eagles for the week and led the field in Par-5 scoring (-11). … Ben Martin (T13) signed for four rounds 70 or better. … Brice Garnett (T19) posted 66 in Round 3, his best of the week. … Cameron Percy (T19) closed 66-68 after sitting 2-over after 36 holes. … Rob Oppenheim (T28) aced No. 14 in Round 4. … Joseph Bramlett (T31), Hudson Swafford (T39), Jim Herman (T42), Brian Stuard (T47) and Tim Wilkinson (T53) all completed the four rounds (no cut). 2008: Web.com Tour Championship: Matt Bettencourt (-17, 267) Round 3 saw the two lowest rounds in tournament history, 63, posted. … There were 23 rounds of 66 or better. … Top 15 players 10-under or better. … Played November 6-9. Tournament Notables Entered This Week: Marc Leishman (T7) made 22 birdies, second best on the week. … Greg Chalmers (T25) made 18 birdies. … Scott Piercy (T31) led the field in Par-5 scoring (-11). Key stat leaders Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. Horses for Courses

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