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Tournament: Dean & Deluca Invitational, May 26-29
Course: Colonial Country Club, 7,204 yards, par 70
Purse: $6,700,000
Defending Champion: Chris Kirk, of UGA fame. Kirk came from behind to capture the lead, but a hooked tee shot on 18 and a subsequent missed green made things a bit anxious. Kirk played a great chip to 7 feet and drained the putt, meanwhile draining the hopes of Brandt Snedeker (Vanderbilt), Jason Bohn (Alabama), and Jordan Spieth (Texas). HA! This was Kirk’s 4th PGA Tour victory.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Fun Fact: Bill Murray, aka Carl Spackler, played a pro-am round Wednesday with local DFW resident and Masters champ out of nowhere, Jordan Spieth. I imagine playing a round with Bill would be less fun with crowds, but I’ll keep it on my bucket list.
Former 'Dawgs in the Field (Six): Chris Kirk (defending champ), Brian Harman, Harris English, Kevin Kisner, Hudson Swafford, Brendon Todd.
I’ve often made light of the PGA Tour’s corporate sponsorships in these Dawgs on Tour installments, but most are just having fun with wordplay or scatological associations. I’m not near as amused by this one. This is the tournament honoring Ben Hogan, a true giant in golf lore.
Hogan grew up in hardscrabble east Texas before moving to the Dallas area and eventually linking up with another local depression era teen, Byron Nelson (see last week). Together they took golf to new heights and bridged the gap between Bobby Jones and Arnold Palmer. And this tournament has recently been to honor his contributions and let players and fans show their appreciation. Heck, the course nickname is “Hogan’s Alley”. Rant over.
Annika Sorenstam famously became one of the few women to compete in a men’s tournament here in 2003. She was far and away the #1 women’s player at the time, and though slightly gimmicky, she did herself proud and barely missed the cut (beating 50+ men along the way).
It’s a time-tested course, and actually has the longest tenure on Tour. Today’s pros have shortened it to a par 70, but it’s a classic and provides great viewing for golf. If you want to know any stats, rankings, measurements, etc., just drop a comment below and I’ll try to answer. But no matter what, be sure to tune in and….
GO ‘DAWGS!!!