Maginnes: Moline and Dallas, uncharacteristically similar PGATOUR.com Contributor What do beef brisket and pork chops have in common? Other than the fact that they both go well with beer... not much. In Dallas at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship it is all about the brisket. At the John Deere Classic there is actually an area known as "pork chop hill" where the finest pork chop sandwich you have ever eaten can be bought. Try it with a little mustard. ![]() If history means anything, Sean O'Hair's win at the 2005 John Deere Classic could serve him well in Dallas this week. (Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage) Believe it or not, the John Deere Classic and the EDS Byron Nelson Championship have a little more in common than just fattening goodies. The tournaments are played in two decidedly different areas. Other than excellent cuisine the only other common thread seems to be the outstanding hospitality. However, for some reason, players who play well in Dallas also seem to find success later in the year in the Quad Cities. Ironically, the two courses are as dissimilar as two cities. D.A. Weibring did a wonderful job designing the TPC Deere Run in his native Moline, Ill. The course sweeps through uncharacteristic hills for the heartland and valleys along the banks of the river. The course seems to favor the longer hitters on TOUR with its generous fairways and big greens. By contrast, The TPC Four Seasons in Irving, Texas, sight of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, is a far more intimate golf course that folds back over itself. Consistent play off the tee with a variety of clubs is a must. However, immediately following this year's edition of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, Weibring and his course design team will do the renovation of the TPC Four Seasons. When you take a closer look, things start to get interesting. Weibring finished second in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship back in 1995. Later that year, he went on to victory at the John Deere Classic. Does that sound familiar? Sean O'Hair finished second in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in 2005, and then won a tractor later in the summer at the John Deere Classic. He went on that year to claim rookie of the year honors. As if that parallel isn't enough how about the fact that Vijay Singh won both the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the John Deere Classic in 2005. Of course, Vijay won just about everything that year.
Then there is Robert Damron. He won the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in 2001, his only TOUR victory. In 2005, he finished second to Sean O'Hair in the Quad Cities. If you are wondering about the defending champion this week, Brett Wetterich and his record at the John Deere Classic? Well, he didn't play last year. But he is putting up one heck of a defense this week. The defending champion of the John Deere Classic is John Senden and he has played himself into contention at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship with rounds of 67 and 69. So what does this mean for the weekend? I have absolutely no idea. Mike Vitti and the boys from the stat department can probably come up with a theory that includes logarithms and advanced algebra to explain this aberration. If not they can definitely tell you to the ounce how many pounds of brisket is eaten at the Four Seasons this week and how many pork chop sandwiches were eaten in Moline last year. |