From Hogan to Lefty, Colonial endures on TOUR

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Tom Watson's victory at Colonial in 1998 was one of the more popular wins on TOUR in that decade.

Ask your favorite PGA TOUR professional which course they enjoy playing the most -- other than those which host a major championship or TPC Sawgrass -- and the short list almost always includes Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles, Harbour Town at Hilton Head Island, S.C., and Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, which this week hosts the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

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Colonial memories

We asked seven Champions Tour regulars their memories of playing at Colonial Country Club.

Few tournaments boast the same longevity as Colonial, which began in 1946. It is the longest-running event on the TOUR that is still held at its original site. There is almost an Augusta-like feel to the club, which was founded by local businessman Marvin Leonard (salvage, groceries, real estate, banking and oil) in 1936. Leonard is also the guy who saw potential in young Ben Hogan and backed him financially through the rough times.

There's a reason that most professionals enjoy Colonial. It's playable for everyone and doesn't benefit the long knockers who see a fairway as merely a suggestion. Colonial is a shotmakers course, with tight driving areas, many tree-lined doglegs, crowned greens and only two par 5s.

That's also one reason many of the big hitters opt to skip Colonial, although Phil Mickelson (who has been known to occasionally miss a fairway) has won it twice.

Colonial will always be connected with Hogan. Hey, they named an Alley after him, didn't they? He won there five times and the club has a special trophy room that honors Hogan's achievements. There's even a statue of Hogan standing guard outside, his swing captured forever. Hogan even started a tradition in 1952 of playing the first round in a threesome with the defending champion and the defending low amateur.

Many interesting things have occurred at Colonial over the years, but here are my top five:

• 1959: Hogan won at Colonial for the fifth time in his amazing career. At age 46, it turned out to his final career victory. Hogan shot a 285 to tie Fred Hawkins and had to return Monday for an 18-hole playoff. Hogan won the playoff by four shots. He essentially retired from competitive golf a year later after nearly winning the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills.

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Phil and Amy Mickelson at Colonial, 2000.

• 1998: Tom Watson, then 48, became the oldest player to win the Colonial. Watson's key was a miraculous off-balanced shot on the ninth hole that allowed him to keep his final round 66 on track. The win was the last of 39 TOUR victories posted by Watson.

• 1967: One of the traditions at the Colonial Invitational is the extension of an invitation to some promising player who would not otherwise be eligible, an exemption known as a Champions Choice. One of the invitations in 1967 went to Dave Stockton, then a 25-year-old who hadn't proven himself. Stockton won the tournament, the first of 10 TOUR victories, and went on captain a winning Ryder Cup team in 1991.

• 2003: Annika Sorenstam was granted a sponsor's exemption and became the first woman to play in a PGA TOUR event since 1945. She didn't make the cut, but shot respectable rounds of 71 and 74. Sorenstam, the most accomplished player of her generation, had other opportunities to play in men's events, but opted not to take them. Always graceful is the Sorenstam way.

• 2000: Phil Mickelson really had no business winning. He started the final round six shots behind, but closed with a 63 and set a record for the lowest final round at Colonial by a tournament winner. (Mickelson's 2008 win was equally miraculous; he made an unlikely birdie on the final hole after appearing to be dead in the left rough, buried behind some trees with no open shot to the green, and won by a single stroke).

That short list doesn't even include cool things like Arnold Palmer beating Johnny Potts in a playoff in 1962, or Sergio Garcia posting his first PGA TOUR win there in 2001, or Kenny Perry closing with a 62 to win it by seven shots in 2005.

The source of inspiration can be debated. Maybe it's the memories of The Hawk. Maybe it's the course. But it always shapes up to be a pretty interesting week. This should be no exception.

Stan Awtrey is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily reflect the views of the PGA TOUR.