Week 13 Approach Shots: Fort Smith Classic

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Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, Ark., is again the site for the 12th annual Fort Smith Classic, where dramatic come-from-behind victories have become the norm for the tournament.

Quick Facts

WHAT: 13th of 29 Nationwide Tour events WHEN: June 18-21 WHERE: Fort Smith, Ark. COURSE: Hardscrabble CC WHAT'S AT STAKE: $550,000 purse ($99,000 for winner) KEY LINKS: Tee times | Leaderboard Tournament page | "THE 25"

For the second consecutive year, the 2008 Fort Smith Classic champion came from six shots off the pace in the final round to win. Colt Knost rallied on the last day to vault into first place thanks to a final-round, 5-under 65 that put him at 12-under 268. Knost had finished his round when 2006 champion Darron Stiles birdied the 16th hole to grab a share of the lead. Stiles stumbled with a bogey at No. 17 and failed to birdie No. 18, giving Knost his first professional win. Knost's come-from-behind win matched Jay Williamson's six-stroke comeback in 2007.

COMEBACK CRAZE: Comebacks are nothing new at Hardscrabble Country Club, where four of the past six winners have erased deficits of five shots or more on the final day. Zach Johnson rallied from six back to win in a playoff in 2003, Chris Couch posted a 10-under 60 on the last day to wipe out a five-shot deficit in 2005, while Jay Williamson's 63 eliminated a six-stroke margin in 2008. Most recently, Colt Knost wiped away six strokes on his way to victory with a final-round 65 last year.

THE EARLY BIRD GETS NO WORMS: If past history is any indicator, look for the first-round leader(s) to be at 6-under-par 64 -- but don't expect him to win. Nine times in the first 11 years of the tournament the leader(s) at the end of the opening round have finished with 64s, including Kris Cox, Tommy Gainey and Matt Weibring last year. However, no first-round leader has yet to go on and win at Hardscrabble.

RECORDS AND WINS: The Hardscrabble Country Club 18-hole record is 10-under-par 60, first set by Jeff Freeman in the third round in 2005. Freeman came back with a final-round 65, which forced a playoff that did not finish until Monday morning. Freeman and eventual champion, Jay Delsing, completed one hole of the playoff before they ran out of daylight Sunday. The two returned Monday morning, where Delsing won on the fourth extra hole. Chris Couch tied Freeman's course mark with his own 10-under 60 in the final round in 2005. Couch's finish gave him a five-stroke win, the largest in the tournament's 11 years.

Weather forecast for the Fort Smith Classic presented by Stephens, Inc.

THURSDAY, Rd. 1 FRIDAY, Rd. 2 SATURDAY, Rd. 3 SUNDAY, Rd. 4 Partly cloudy Temp: 95 high/75 low Partly cloudy Temp: 93 high/72 low Partly cloudy Temp: 94 high/71 low Sunny Temp: 94 high/73 low

DTN/Meteorlogix is the official weather provider of the PGA TOUR. For more information, click here

Fort Smith Classic presented by Stephens, Inc. snippets

Rain factor: Lift, clean and place conditions have been in effect for all four rounds the past two years, as well as the opening two rounds in 2006. Despite the "beneficial" conditions, winning scores have actually been slightly higher the past three years than in the first eight years of the event. First-timers: Seven of the first 11 Fort Smith Classic champions have made the tournament their first professional win, including the past two winners Jay Williamson and Colt Knost. Trend alert: Another notable trend in Fort Smith has been a tightly bunched leaderboard after the opening 36 holes. Eight times in 11 years, the distance between the leader and the cut has been in single digits, highlighted by a seven-shot separation in 2001.