Week 21 Approach Shots: Crowne Plaza Invitational
By PGATOUR.COM Staff
FINALLY LEONARD'S TIME?: The Dallas, Texas native and resident has never missed a cut at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 15 career starts. He's had many career highlights at the famed layout, including nine top-25 finishes in 15 starts with five top-10 showings (2nd-2003, T5-2001, T8-1998, T10-1996, T5-1995). Leonard owns sub-par career scoring averages for all four rounds at Colonial, including identical 69.07 averages on Saturday and Sunday. He posted a career-low 61 in the final round in 2003 on his way to a runner-up finish.
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DON'T COUNT OUT COREY: Corey Pavin will be making his 26th consecutive appearance at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Although he will turn 50 on November 16, Pavin's history at Colonial suggests he will likely be in contention again this year. He tied for 15th in 2008, one of 13 top-25 finishes during his career at Colonial. A two-time winner of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (1985, 1996) and two-time runner-up (1990, 1992), Pavin has posted par-or-better scores in 66 of 93 rounds, including 17 of the last 22.
RECENT RESTORATION: The restoration project of Colonial Country Club was directed by Architect Keith Foster and included several changes that will come into play. With respect to the greens, minor modifications were made to enhance a few perimeter hole locations and, around the greens, short cut areas were added on Nos. 4, 5, 7, 12, 13 and 14. Additionally, No. 13 green was rebuilt in conjunction with replacing the masonry wall along the shoreline to enlarge the putting surface. To add length to the course, tournament tees on Nos. 3-9 and Nos. 11-18 were lowered and/or moved backwards. On the fairways, the landing areas on Nos. 2, 11 and 18 were regarded and/or recontoured. And lastly, bunkers on Nos. 1, 6, 7, 9-11, and 13-18 were either repositioned or eliminated in a manner that is in sync with the integrity of the famed course.
A LONG HISTORY: The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial dates back to 1946 and holds the distinction of being the longest-run event on the PGA TOUR to be contested on the same layout, and the 10th oldest overall (not including major championships). Since its inception in 1946, the Invitational has produced an impressive list of champions that few other events can match, with legends like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer donning the Scottish royal tartan plaid jacket.
The TOUR's oldest events are as follows: BMW Championship (1899), RBC Canadian Open (1904), Valero Texas Open (1922), Northern Trust Open (1926), FBR Open (1935), AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (1937), Wyndham Championship (1938), Zurich Classic of New Orleans (1938), HP Byron Nelson Championship (1944), Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (1946) and the Shell Houston Open (1946).
Colonial Country Club is a traditional layout that was built in 1936. Its fame skyrocketed after hosting the 1941 U.S. Open, marking the first time the USGA had hosted their premier event south of the Mason-Dixon Line. That tournament, won by Craig Wood, was such a success that it spawned the creation of what is now the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 1946. Among the highlights of the famed club are:
• Hometown favorite Ben Hogan winning the first two Invitationals on his way to a career-total five victories at the tournament, earning it the nickname "Hogan's Alley".
• No other course has hosted a U.S. Open (1941), PLAYERS Championship (1975) and an annual PGA TOUR event (1946-present).
• The Wall of Champions, located on the first tee, honors the name and score of each champion dating back to the 1941 U.S. Open. The Wall was first erected in 1975 prior to THE PLAYERS.
CHAMPIONS CHOICE' INVITATION: Every year, past champions of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial select two deserving young players to compete in the tournament, who otherwise would not have been eligible. It's a unique TOUR tradition known as the "Champions' Choice" invitation. Pros who made their first appearance at Colonial as a Champion's Choice include Tom Weiskopf, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Mark O'Meara, Paul Azinger and Davis Love III. Dave Stockton won the event as a Champions Choice in 1967, and five other choices through the years have eventually won the event during their careers. This year's recipients include Matt Weibring and Derek Fathauer.
ON-COURSE OBSERVATIONS: PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers is on the scene in Fort Worth for this week's satellite radio coverage (XM 146/SIRIUS 209). Reports Albers:
"It's a treasure." That's how Geoff Ogilvy describes Colonial Country Club. The former U.S. Open champion admires the twists and turns the old golf course offers, necessitating a player to hit both fades and draws during the course of a round. In fact, Ogilvy has put an old friend back in his bag this week, a 2-iron, which he says helps him deal with Colonial's numerous doglegs.
Paul Casey may look a little bleary-eyed this week. The No. 3-ranked player in the world competed and won in Europe on Sunday, took an all-night flight and arrived in the United States at 3:30 a.m. Monday. When asked if his recent success has led to the purchase of a private plane, Casey rolled his eyes, laughed and said, "I'm strictly commercial."
Dave Pelz is working on a new short game segment this week that will be featured on PGATOUR.COM, but his mind never wanders far from the Mickelsons these days. Pelz and Phil Mickelson have combined on short game instruction over the years and Pelz, along with the rest of the nation, is concerned with Amy Mickelson's battle with breast cancer. This Saturday at Colonial will be "Pink Out." Everyone is being asked to wear a pink shirt to honor Amy's battle. Pelz says, "I wouldn't do this for anyone but Amy. I look horrendous in pink, but how can you not love that lady?"
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