Jul. 13, 2011
The first round of the Viking Classic is set to begin. The Golf Channel will televise live action on Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
The British Open will be televised starting at 4 a.m. ET on ESPN. For full coverage, click here.
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| Groups we're watching |
| Tee time |
Players |
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7:50 a.m. ET
No. 1 |
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Will MacKenzie, D.J. Trahan, Cameron Beckman
The champions pairing -- all three players have won the event (MacKenzie in '08, Trahan in '06, Beckman in '01). They hope Annandale will bring them more good memories.
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8:10 a.m. ET
No. 10 |
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Chez Reavie, Tommy Gainey, Brendon deJonge
Reavie and deJonge finished in the top 10 last week at the John Deere Classic. Gainey finished T17th in his last event, the Travelers, and has two third-place finishes this year.
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12:40 p.m. ET
No. 1 |
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Jason Bohn, Troy Matteson, Kenny Perry
Matteson played well early in the year, finishing ninth at the Farmers and second in Puerto Rico. Veterans Jason Bohn and Kenny Perry look to regain the form that have helped them win multiple TOUR events in their careers.
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12:50 a.m. ET
No. 1 |
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Heath Slocum, Johnson Wagner, Bill Lunde
Slocum is another former champion in the field ('06). Wagner won this year at the Mayakoba Classic, and Lunde looks to boost his lead in the yearlong $1 million Kodak Challenege.
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WHAT TO WATCH IN ROUND 1:
• The front nine: Last year's winner, Bill Haas, dominated the field on the opening nine holes of Annandale Golf Club with a field leading score of 10 under par (field average was -.48). He made a field leading 23 total birdies for the week...9 more birdies than the field average of 14 per player.
• SEC strength: What do Michael Connell and Alex Rocha have in common? They both went to Mississippi State University. The Viking Classic is in the heart of Southeastern Conference country, so it's no surprise that there are a host of players in the field with ties to SEC schools. Here's a look at each player
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| Round 1 weather forecast |
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Thunderstorms
Temp: 96 high/74 low
Heat index over 100 degrees with a chance of thunderstorms all day. Winds around 5 mph. |
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| Here are some of the players you'll see during Thursday's coverage on the Golf Channel: |
| Chris Kirk |
| Kirk, a University of Georgia product, has three top-10s including a runner-up to Phil Mickelson at the Shell Houston Open. Last week at the AT&T National, he finished T8 to jump to No. 50 in the FedExCup standings. |
| Tommy Gainey |
| Gainey missed the cut at the 2008 Viking Classic and did not have a chance to tee off in 2009 when the event was rained out. The South Carolina native is having a career year on TOUR with four top-10 finishes. |
| Heath Slocum |
| Heath Slocum, who spent part of his childhood in Vicksburg, learned the game of golf from his father, Jack, who was the club pro at Vicksburg Country Club and played in the Viking Classic nine times. |
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