Feb. 29, 2008
Back in the Florida Swing. As always, all times are eastern.
Luke Donald, Ben Curtis, Olin Browne
Tee time: 11:57 a.m.
Tee: No. 10
Total TOUR wins: 8
Why you should watch: Donald won The Honda Classic when it was played across the street from PGA National at Mirasol in 2006. After Thursday's first round, he's in fine shape yet again. PGA National played as one of the most difficult courses on TOUR in 2007, which makes Donald's opening-round 64 all the more impressive. Curtis and Browne both struggled in round one, but on such a demanding course a good round by either player could go a long way.
| 2008 Stat Comparison |
| Donald |
2 |
2 |
-- |
-- |
1 |
1 |
2 |
68.28 |
| Curtis |
3 |
2 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
71.83 |
| Browne |
6 |
2 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
71.40 |
|
Brett Quigley, Ken Duke, Kevin Na
Tee time: 7:53 a.m.
Tee: No. 10
Total TOUR wins: 0
Why you should watch: Quigley ended the 2007 season with a sour taste in his mouth. Before deciding to get knee surgery that ended his '07 campaign in early September, Quigley figured he'd crack the top-125 on the money list to keep his TOUR card. But, it didn't turn out that way. Instead, he slipped outside the magic number. Given a medical exemption, Quigley has seven tournaments in 2008 to earn about $63,000 to regain full status and qualify for THE PLAYERS Championship. So far, that hasn't been going too hot. Quigs had to withdraw from the Buick Invitational with a tailbone injury, then missed cuts at both the FBR Open and Northern Trust Open. His 3-under 67 on Thursday at The Honda Classic had to feel great -- especially when you consider he's playing practically in his back yard of West Palm Beach. It will be interesting to see if Quigley can keep it going and get the "will-I-keep-my-card?" monkey off his back.
| 2008 Stat Comparison |
| Quigely |
2 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
72.16 |
| Duke |
5 |
1 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
72.49 |
| Na |
6 |
5 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
2 |
2 |
70.55 |
|
Matt Jones, Dustin Johnson, Kevin Streelman
Tee time: 1 p.m.
Tee: No. 10
Total TOUR wins: 0
What to watch for: The trio of rookies. All of them have made a splash on TOUR in 2008. Streelman was the fun-loving Monday qualifier at the Buick Invitational who suddenly found himself in the final pairing in the third round with no less than Tiger Woods. In five starts, Johnson already has three top-12 finishes, highlighted by a tie for seventh at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Jones -- like Johnson -- is 5-for-5 in cuts made, but really got it going in the first round of The Honda Classic with a 4-under 66, which had him just two shots off the lead.
| 2008 Stat Comparison |
| Jones |
5 |
5 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
3 |
69.95 |
| Johnson |
5 |
5 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
2 |
3 |
70.10 |
| Streelman |
6 |
4 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
70.84 |
|
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