History and Past Winners Past Results of the Colonial Invitational

Unlike Arnold Palmer and Byron Nelson, there’s no tournament named for Ben Hogan. But if there was one, it would be The Colonial. Hogan won here at the Colonial Invitational five times (1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1959) and considered the Colonial Country Club his home course.

The genesis and inspiration for the Colonial Invitational was the 1941 US Open, which was held at Colonial Country Club. It was the first US Open held south of the Mason-Dixon line, and was thought a huge success. Local organizers hoped to capitalize on that goodwill, and in 1946 launched The Colonial Invitational.

Much of the appeal of the Colonial is that it has been played on the same classic course since its inception. Indeed, it’s impossible to imagine the tournament not being held there. The club, which dates to 1936, was designed by John Bredemus and Perry Maxwell and has among its memorable vistas holes that extend along the length of the Trinity River.

The Colonial National Invitational had no title sponsor until 1988, when it became the MasterCard Colonial Invitational. In 2003, it was picked up by Bank of America. In 2007, it became the Crown Plaza Invitational At Colonial. The current purse is $6,200,000, with $1,116,000 going to the winner.

The Colonial winners’ list looks like a Hall of Fame roster. In addition to Hogan, there’s Palmer, Snead, Casper, Bolt, De Vicenzo, Stockton, Crenshaw, Nicklaus, Price, Watson and Mickelson (Tiger is curiously absent). The strength of the winners’ roster is in part due to the strength of field: The Colonial is an Invitational, with only the top 80 players on the previous year’s money list guaranteed a spot.

A unique tradition at the Colonial is the “Champion’s Choice.” Each year, former Colonial Invitational Champions select two young players to join the field who otherwise would be ineligible. Among the Champions Choices were Al Greiberger, Tom Weiskopf, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Mark O’Meara, Paul Azinger and Davis Love. Dave Stockton won the tournament in the year he was selected.

While the Masters has the Green Jacket, the Colonial offers a Scottish tartan plaid jacket for its champions and committee chairmen. The tournament and Colonial Golf club also is marked by the engraved marble Wall of Champions near the first tee, which features the name and score of each of the tournament’s winners.

A random note: In 2003, Annika Sorenstam played the Colonial Invitational, becoming the first women to play a PGA Tour event since Babe Zaharias entered the Los Angeles Open.

2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship Notes

Dates: May 14-20, 2012
Where: TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas; Irving, TX
Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,166
Field: 156;
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Defending Champion: Keegan Bradley
FedExCup: 500 points to winner;
Purse: $6,500,000;
Winner’s Share: $1,170,000
Twitter: @hpbnc
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hpbnc
How the HP Byron Nelson Championship was won in 2011 After entering the final round trailing Ryan Palmer by four strokes, Keegan Bradley carded a 2-under 68 to finish regulation tied with Palmer at 3-under 277. He then two-putted for par from 54’ 6” to defeat Palmer on the first hole of a playoff to win the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship, winning his first-career playoff and becoming the first rookie winner of the event.

More on Keegan Bradley and the HP Byron Nelson Championship

• Bradley’s score of 3-under-par was the highest in relation to par at the event since Bruce Lietzke’s 1¬over-par score in 1981. His winning score was the highest in relation to par in a “non-major” since David Duval’s 3-under winning score at the 1999 PLAYERS Championship.
• Bradley’s win was the seventh consecutive on TOUR in 2011 decided in a playoff or by one stroke (dating to the Valero Texas Open). It was the 20th playoff at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
• Bradley notched his first-career win at the age of 24 years, 11 months and 22 days. He later added the PGA Championship at the age of 25 years, 2 months and 7 days.
• Bradley became the second consecutive player to win the event in his first start (Jason Day-2010) and the event’s first-ever rookie winner.
• In 2012, Bradley will attempt to become the first repeat winner of the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Tom Watson won three in a row from 1978-80.

FedExCup and the HP Byron Nelson Championship

Twelve players inside the top 30 in the FedExCup standings are in the field. Phil Mickelson (4) leads a group of four players inside the top 10, including Carl Pettersson (5), Johnson Wagner (6) and Jason Dufner (9). Last year, Keegan Bradley carried his win at the event to an eventual 20th place finish in the FedExCup.

Together, Anything’s Possible at the HP Byron Nelson Championship

As the PGA TOUR nears the $2 billion mark in charitable giving, the HP Byron Nelson Championship remains a leader in giving back to communities, raising $5.15 million in 2011 alone. Over the last 44 years, the HP Byron Nelson Championship has raised more than $121 million to help children & families in the area. Net proceeds from the event support the work of Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers.

A glance at the field (as of May 11 at 5 p.m.)

• Seven of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Rankings are in the field: Phil Mickelson (10), Adam Scott (12), Louis Oosthuizen (13), Jason Day (15), Matt Kuchar (16), Jason Dufner (20) and Keegan Bradley (22).
• Nine former HP Byron Nelson Championship winners: Keegan Bradley (2011), Jason Day (2010), Rory Sabbatini (2009), Adam Scott (2008), Scott Verplank (2007), Brett Wetterich (2006), Vijay Singh (2003), Phil Mickelson (1996) and Ernie Els (1995).
• Seven PGA TOUR winners in 2012: Johnson Wagner (Sony Open in Hawaii), Phil Mickelson (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am), John Huh (Mayakoba Golf Classic), Carl Pettersson (RBC Heritage), Ben Curtis (Valero Texas Open), Jason Dufner (Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Matt Kuchar (THE PLAYERS).
• 2007 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner Scott Verplank will be making his 26th start at the event. Just three players have more starts (28-Lanny Wadkins and Tom Watson; 27–Ben Crenshaw).
• 1995 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner Ernie Els will make his first visit to the event since a T13 in 2006. He owns four top-10 finishes in eight starts (1-1995, T4-2002, T7-2004, T10-2005).
• Phil Mickelson will be making his 14th start at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and first since a T3 finish in 2007. His win in 1996 is one of four top-10 finishes at the event (1-1996, T6-1998, T2-2000, T3-2007).

Miscellaneous Tournament Notes

• The 2007 win for Dallas resident Scott Verplank came in his 21st appearance in the event, the most starts by a winner claiming his first HP Byron Nelson Championship. Loren Roberts won in his 17th start in 1999.
• 2011 champion Keegan Bradley is one of just six past winners of the HP Byron Nelson Championship in the last 17 years who failed to record all four rounds in the 60s (Bradley-2011, Jason Day-2010, Adam Scott-2008, Brett Wetterich-2006, Sergio Garcia-2004 and Jesper Parnevik-2000.
• The course record of 61 has been posted on four occasions: Billy Mayfair (1993), Charlie Rymer (1996), Justin Leonard (2001) and Cameron Beckman (2010).
• The tournament scoring record of 261 was set by Rory Sabbatini in 2009.
• Only two have won the tournament in wire-to-wire fashion – Mark Hayes in 1976 and Tom Watson in 1980. (Note: Complete first-round scores are not available for the inaugural event in 1944, which was won by Byron Nelson).
• Dating to 2000, there have been seven international-born winners of the championship (2000-Jesper Parnevik, 2002-Shigeki Maruyama, 2003-Vijay Singh, 2004-Sergio Garcia, 2008-Adam Scott, 2009¬Rory Sabbatini, 2010-Jason Day).
• Just seven players (eight total wins) have carried the opening-day lead on to victory: Jason Day (2010), Scott Simpson (1993), Tom Watson (1979, 1980), Mark Hayes (1976), Chi Chi Rodriguez (1972), Earl Stewart (1961) and Don January (1956).

Remembering Byron Nelson The HP Byron Nelson Championship celebrates the life and legacy of Byron Nelson, one of the game’s most respected and revered individuals.

• Nelson reached the pinnacle of his golfing career in 1945, winning 18 tournaments, including a record 11-tournament winning streak that will likely stand the test of time.
• Throughout his relatively brief career, he won 54 times, including the 1939 U.S. Open, 1937 and 1942 Masters Tournaments, and the 1940 and 1945 PGA Championships.
• Above and beyond his accomplishments on the golf course, Nelson (who passed away in 2006) is universally regarded as one of the game’s true gentlemen.
• The tournament has several ways of honoring Nelson:
  • The Byron Nelson International Junior Golf Awards, which recognizes the achievements of junior golfers around the world.
  • The Byron Nelson Prize sponsored by the T. Boone Pickens Foundation, awarded each year to a person or organization in the golf world who exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship, integrity and philanthropy. Past winners of the Byron Nelson Prize include Tom Lehman (2007), Ken Venturi (2008), Arnold Palmer (2009), Tom Watson (2010), Deane Beman (2011) and this year’s recipient Nancy Lopez. Lopez is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and has been named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year twice. She owns 48 career wins on the LPGA Tour.
  • Each year the Salesmanship Club makes a $100,000 contribution to the charity of the Prize recipient’s choice. Lopez has chosen AIM for the Handicapped to receive the charitable contribution.

Source: PGA TOUR

One of just two PGA Tour tournaments named after a former player (the other, of course, is the Arnold Palmer), the HP Byron Nelson Championship is the ninth longest running active tournament on the PGA Tour schedule.

The tournament has its earliest origins in 1926 as the Dallas Open, won by MacDonald Smith. It then went on hiatus until 1944 when it reemerged as the Texas Victory Open. That tournament was played at Dallas’ Lakewood Country Club and was won by none other than Byron Nelson. The 1945 event was played at the Dallas Country Club, and was won by Sam Snead. Ben Hogan won at the Brook Hollow Golf Club in 1946. The longtime hosts of the tournament is the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and benefits the Salesman Club Youth and Family Centers.

No tournaments were held form 1946 until 1956, when two events were held in the same year . From 1958 - 1967, it was played at the Oak Cliff Country Club. In 1968, the Dallas Open Invitational was renamed The Byron Nelson Classic. It’s held that name—albeit with different title sponsors—ever since. The event currently is contested at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas.

For many years, Byron Nelson was a very real presence at his namesake tournament. Even in his final years—well into his 90s—Nelson could be seen in a pavilion overlooking the eighteenth green and greeting players as they finished.

Nelson, who had a reputation as one of the game’s true gentlemen, also has lent his name to two prizes which are awarded at the Byron Nelson Championship. The Byron Nelson Prize is awarded annually to a person or organization who “exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship, integrity and philanthropy that Byron Nelson personified.” It carries a $100,000 contribution to the recipient’s favorite charity. The 2010 winner is Tom Watson. Past recipients were Tom Lehman, Arnold Palmer and Ken Venturi.

In addition, the Byron Nelson International Junior Golf Awards” recognize the achievements of junior golfers around the world who distinguish themselves with a high level of junior tournament play as well as excellence in academics, exceptional character and a commitment to community service.”

Both are fitting tributes to a man who was a giant in the sport. A quote from Nelson about the tournament says a lot about the man:

This tournament is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in golf. Better than winning the Masters or the US Open or eleven in a row. Because it helps people”

The Official Tournament website has the final word on Nelson’s legacy:

Byron Nelson’s accomplishments as a professional golfer were as impressive as his golf swing.

There is a reason why he was the first PGA professional golfer to have a PGA TOUR tournament named in his honor. Mr. Nelson won 54 career victories, including winning two Masters (1937 and 1942), two PGA Championships (1940 and 1945), and the U.S. Open (1939). He is one of only two golfers to be named “Male Athlete of the Year” twice by the Associated Press, and the World Golf Hall of Fame honored Byron Nelson in 2004 by featuring an exhibit entitled “Byron Nelson: A Champion…A Gentleman.”

While Mr. Nelson obtained the status as a world-class athlete, it was his humanitarian efforts that were truly first class. He was a champion for the underprivileged and gave his time, talents, and funds to make this a better world. Byron Nelson and the HP Byron Nelson Championship have raised more than $112 million for the Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers, a nonprofit agency that provides education and mental health services for more than 7,000 children and their families in the greater Dallas area. Additionally, the Byron and Louise Nelson Golf Endowment Fund had provided over $1.5 million in endowment funds to Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Another example of his service was his dedication to the Metroport Meals on Wheels which provides daily, home-delivered, hot lunch for the frail, elderly and chronically ill residents. Byron Nelson was an active honorary chairman since 1992.

A list of past winners of the Byron Nelson Championship follows:

If you subscribe to the cynical theory that it’s all about the money, the list of golf’s “Majors” would look quite different. Forbes has a list of the top twenty, and these would be the real majors:

The Players - Purse of at least $9.5 million
WGC Bridgestone - $8.5 million
WGC Cadillac - $8.5 million
WGC Accenture Match Play - $8.5 million

In comparison, the four existing Majors have payouts of around $8 million each.

If you’re a Phil Mickelson hater and want to stay that way, don’t read this article..

For his fans (like myself), though, it’s a confirmation of what we had long strongly suspected. Phil is a quality guy.

From the introduction:

Mickelson, 41, has always enjoyed a deeply personal connection with his fans, thanks to his interaction on the course and the endless autographs he signs when the round is over. (He is also beloved in the service industry because of a penchant for dispensing $100 tips.) In the wake of Evan’s harrowing delivery, Mickelson has become an agent of change, beginning with an eponymous foundation that does not solicit outside contributions. Mickelson is a science nerd and the son of an Air Force pilot, so supporting education and providing for military veterans have become twin passions. In recent years he has found other creative ways to give back. “I’m lucky to be in a position to help,” Mickelson says, and he’d like to leave it at that. It is up to others to tell of his impact outside of golf.

Read it all.

Here are a few of the marquee groups for Thursday’s PLAYERS:

1st Tee
7:47 Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Scott Verplank
8:18 Brandt Snedeker, Ben Crane, Nick Watney
1:07 Scott Stallings, Jim Furyk, Davis Love III
1:28 Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Adam Scott
1:39 Luke Donald, Bill Haas, Lee Westwood

10th Tee
8:29 Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley, Matt Kuchar
8:39 Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Tiger Woods
8:50 Sean O’Hair, David Toms, Henrik Stenson
12:57 Frederik Jacobson, Lucas Glover, Retief Goosen
1:28 Graeme McDowell, Zach Johnson, Ernie Els

A random selection of interesting course and tournament records from the PLAYERS Championship:

PLAYERS Championship Records

Low 18 Hole Scores