The PGA Tour heads back to Texas this week for the AT&T Byron Nelson. A field of 156 players will tackle a new test in Trinity Forest Golf Club, which is hosting the event for the first time after a long stint at TPC Las Colinas.
Be sure to join the all-new Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge - including a new One & Done game offering - to compete for prizes and form your own leagues, and log on to www.playfantasygolf.com to submit your picks for this week’s event.
Billy Horschel won this event last year in a playoff over Jason Day when it was held in Irving. Here are 10 names to watch in Dallas:
1. Jordan Spieth: Playing in his hometown against a relatively weak field, Spieth is a clear No. 1 even before his course knowledge of Trinity Forest gets factored in. A closing quad made his T-41 finish at TPC Sawgrass look deceptive, and if his notoriously streaky putter heats up he could easily dust the field on a course where he estimated he has played 30-40 times before.
2. Jimmy Walker: The Texas native is officially rounding back into form, highlighted by a T-2 finish last week. He was also fourth at Valero and tied for 20th at the Masters, marking his best run of results since being diagnosed with Lyme disease last year.
3. Matt Kuchar: When the variables increase, don’t be afraid to bank on consistency. Kuchar hasn’t missed a cut in more than a year, including a T-17 finish last week, and as he demonstrated last year at Royal Birkdale he can have plenty of success on a links-style layout.
4. Marc Leishman: Leishman was probably sad to see the tournament move across town, given his sterling track record at TPC Las Colinas. But the Aussie could find similar success this week on a venue that will allow for creativity on and around the greens, and he has already notched top-10 finishes at Bay Hill and Augusta in recent weeks.
5. Sergio Garcia: Garcia has bent the ear of Trinity Forest co-designer Ben Crenshaw, and his tee-to-green accuracy should pay ample dividends this week on a layout that can often punish small misses. While he faded over the weekend on the Stadium Course, is only a few weeks removed from a run of three straight top-10 finishes.
6. Branden Grace: Grace took some time off recently to celebrate the birth of his first child, but now he’s back in action on a course that has plenty of visual similarities to Chambers Bay. The South African hasn’t missed a cut anywhere in the world since August, and he currently ranks sixth on Tour in strokes gained: putting.
7. Adam Scott: Scott won this event 10 years ago when it was played across town, and now he returns in hopes of securing a spot in next month’s U.S. Open. Playing with a long putter for the third straight week, Scott finished T-11 last week at TPC Sawgrass in his best worldwide result since a T-10 finish in Memphis 11 months ago.
8. Beau Hossler: Hossler lost in a playoff last month at the Houston Open, but it wouldn’t come as a shock if he contends again for win No. 1 on another Texas layout. Hossler has a leg up on several players in the field given his experience at Trinity Forest, and he should be a popular One & Done pick given he’s made six straight cuts dating back to Bay Hill.
9. Charles Howell III: At 59th in the rankings, Howell enters this week with some extra motivation, given that the top 60 in the world after this week will qualify for the U.S. Open. Often vexed by the Stadium Course, he cracked the top 20 last week and now has five top-25 finishes in his last six starts overall.
10. Hideki Matsuyama: Only Spieth is ahead of Matsuyama in the world rankings among the players in this week’s field, but the Japanese phenom has yet to get fully on track following a wrist injury earlier this year. His missed cut at TPC Sawgrass was largely tied to an inability to handle the island green 17th, and he’ll be pleased to know there are no water hazards in play this week.