AT&T Byron Nelson Notes 2015

2015 AT&T Byron Nelson Notes

Dates: May 25-31, 2015

• Where: TPC Four Seasons Resort; Irving, Texas
• Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,166
• Format: 72-hole stroke play;
• Field: 156 FedExCup: 500 points to winner;
• Purse: $7.1 million ($1,278,000 to the winner)
• Defending Champion: Brendon Todd
• Twitter: @attbyronnelson;
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/attbyronnelson
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/attbyronnelson/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cae6w1sCCDcxJUeu5xtBQ

A look back at the 2014 AT&T Byron Nelson

• Brendon Todd held a share of the third-round lead before shooting a bogey-free final round 66 to win by two shots over former Masters champion Mike Weir.
• Todd led the field in Fairways Hit, Total Putts and Strokes Gained – Putting for the week.
• The win came in Todd’s 77th PGA TOUR start at the age of 28 years, 9 months and 26 days.

More on Todd and the AT&T Byron Nelson

• Todd will attempt to become the first repeat winner of the AT&T Byron Nelson since Tom Watson won three in a row from 1978-80.
• Todd won in his fourth start at the AT&T Byron Nelson. After missing the cut in his first two starts (2009, 2012), he finished T17 in 2013 and won in 2014.
• Todd became the fourth champion in the last five years to record their first PGA TOUR victory at the event, joining Jason Day (2010), Keegan Bradley (2011) and Sangmoon Bae (2013).
• Todd (a 2007 graduate of the University of Georgia) was among a large contingent of winners from Universities in the state of Georgia during the 2013-14 Season, including the University of Georgia (two-time winners Bubba Watson and Chris Kirk, as well as Russell Henley, Harris English, Brian Harman and Todd), Georgia Tech (Matt Kuchar, Chesson Hadley) and Augusta State University (twotime winner Patrick Reed). Reed attended Georgia one season before transferring to Augusta State.
• Todd became the ninth former Bulldog all-time to win on TOUR, with Bubba Watson leading the group with seven career wins. Todd was the first Bulldog to win the HP Byron Nelson.
• Todd has three top-10 finishes in 15 starts this season, led by a fourth-place effort at the RBC Heritage

Local Favorite and Masters Champion Jordan Spieth Dallas native Jordan

• Spieth returns to play in the event where he made his PGA TOUR debut at the age of 16 in 2010, finishing T16.
• The 21-year-old will be playing the AT&T Byron Nelson for the fifth time (T6-2010, T32- 2011, T68-2013, T37-2014).
• Here’s a few of Spieth’s career highlights:
  • With wins at the Valspar Championship and Masters Tournament this year, Spieth became the third different player since 1940 to win three times on TOUR before reaching the age of 22 (Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia).
  • Became youngest PGA TOUR winner since 1931 at the 2013 John Deere Classic, winning less than two weeks before his 20th birthday.  In 2013, earned a Captain’s Pick for the U.S. Presidents Cup Team and was voted Rookie of the Year.
  • So far this season, has eight top-10 finishes in 14 starts.
  • In addition to previously-mentioned wins, has runner-up finishes this year at the Valero Texas Open, Shell Houston Open and Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

“DFW Double”

• Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial champion Chris Kirk is closing on a house this week in Athens and is not teeing it up at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
• He would have been seeking to become just the second player to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and AT&T Byron Nelson in the same year (Ben Hogan/1946) and the first to do so in back-to-back weeks.
• Fifteen players have won the ―DFW Double‖ during their careers: Ben Crenshaw, Roberto De Vicenzo, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Bruce Devlin, Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Tom Watson, Bruce Lietzke, Nick Price, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Rory Sabbatini, Julius Boros and Adam Scott.

FedExCup and the AT&T Byron Nelson

• Twelve of the top 30 in the FedExCup are teeing it up this week, including top-ranked Jordan Spieth, #2 Jimmy Walker, #7 Charley Hoffman, #8 Dustin Johnson, #9 Brandt Snedeker, #13 Jason Day, #19 Sangmoon Bae, #20 Gary Woodland, #24 Brooks Koepka, #26 Daniel Berger, #29 Matt Kuchar and #30 Brendon de Jonge.

A glance at the field

• Ten of the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking, led by #2 Jordan Spieth, #8 Jason Day, #10 Dustin Johnson, #12 Jimmy Walker and #18 Matt Kuchar. \
• Nine TOUR winners this season, accounting for 11 wins: Jordan Spieth (2), Jimmy Walker (2), Sangmoon Bae, Charley Hoffman, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker, James Hahn, Dustin Johnson.
• 12 major champions: Vijay Singh (3), Angel Cabrera (2), Retief Goosen (2), Keegan Bradley, Ben Curtis, Jason Dufner, Zach Johnson, Geoff Ogilvy, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Jordan Spieth, Mike Weir.  Eight past AT&T Byron Nelson winners, including the last six champions: Brendon Todd (2014), Sangmoon Bae (2013), Jason Dufner (2012), Keegan Bradley (2011), Jason Day (2010), Rory Sabbatini (2009), Scott Verplank (2007), Vijay Singh (2003).
• Players with at least seven TOUR wins: Vijay Singh (34), Kenny Perry (14), Zach Johnson (11), Dustin Johnson (9), Geoff Ogilvy (8), Mike Weir (8), Retief Goosen (7), Matt Kuchar (7), Brandt Snedeker (7).

Additional Player Notes

• Nine-time TOUR winner Dustin Johnson owns three top 10s in five AT&T Byron Nelson starts (T63/2008, T4/2009, T7/2010, T20/2011, T7-2014). With his win this year at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, Johnson won for the eighth consecutive season on TOUR (the best current streak).
• 2010 AT&T Byron Nelson winner Jason Day returns for his fifth start at the event. In addition to his win in 2010 (his first TOUR victory), he has added victories at the 2014 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and the 2015 Farmers Insurance Open.
• Keegan Bradley returns for his fifth AT&T Byron Nelson start, winning in 2011, finishing runner-up in 2013 (which included an opening-round 60), T24 in 2012 and T29 in 2014.
• Matt Kuchar has yet to miss a cut in seven starts at the HP Byron Nelson Championship (T39-2007, T42-2008, T39-2009, T6-2011, T15-2012, T33-2013, T7-2014).
• By his lofty standards of late, five-time PGA TOUR winner and Texan Jimmy Walker has found little success at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Despite seven made cuts in nine previous starts, he has yet to crack the top 20, with a T23 in 2009 his best showing. Walker is currently No. 2 in the FedExCup standings, led by wins this season at the Sony Open in Hawaii and Valero Texas Open.
• 11-time PGA TOUR winner Zach Johnson returns to the event for just his third start (and first since 2005). His finishes include a T41 in 2004 and missed cut in 2005.
• Young Gun Justin Thomas will make his first AT&T Byron Nelson start. He enters the week with four consecutive top-25 finishes – T11 at the RBC Heritage, T12 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, T24 at THE PLAYERS Championship and T7 at the Wells Fargo Championship.

Miscellaneous Tournament Notes

• 14 out of the last 20 champions at the AT&T Byron Nelson have recorded all four rounds in the 60s. The exceptions were (Keegan Bradley-2011, Jason Day-2010, Adam Scott-2008, Brett Wetterich-2006, Sergio Garcia-2004 and Jesper Parnevik-2000).
• Three of the last five champions of the AT&T Byron Nelson won in their first start at the event (Jason Day/2010, Keegan Bradley/2011, Sangmoon Bae/2013).
• There have been 12 players that have claimed their first TOUR win at the AT&T Byron Nelson: Don January (1956), Johnny Pott (1960), Charles Coody (1964), Mark Hayes (1976), Neal Lancaster (1994), Robert Damron (2001), Ted Purdy (2005), Brett Wetterich (2006), Jason Day (2010), Keegan Bradley (2011), Sangmoon Bae (2013), Brendon Todd (2014).
• The current course record of 60 was set by Keegan Bradley in 2013. Arron Oberholser also shot 60 when the tournament was contested at Cottonwood Valley in 2006.
• The tournament scoring record of 261 was set by Rory Sabbatini in 2009.
• Only two have won the event in wire-to-wire fashion – Mark Hayes/1976 and Tom Watson/1980. (Note: Complete first-round scores are not available for the inaugural event in 1944, won by Byron Nelson).
• Dating to 2000, there have been eight 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, 2013-Sangmoon Bae).
• 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).
• The 54-hole leader/co-leader has won three times in the last seven years at the AT&T Byron Nelson (Adam Scott/2008, Jason Dufner/2012, Brendon Todd/2014).

Remembering Byron Nelson

• The AT&T Byron Nelson celebrates the life and legacy of Byron Nelson. Above and beyond his accomplishments on the golf course, Nelson (who passed away in 2006) is universally regarded as 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.
• The tournament has several ways of honoring Nelson:
  • 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 include Tom Lehman (2007), Ken Venturi (2008), Arnold Palmer (2009), Tom Watson (2010), Deane Beman (2011), Nancy Lopez (2012).
  • The Byron Nelson International Junior Golf Award recognizes the achievements of junior golfers around the world, with 2015 recipients Sam Burns, Austin Connelly, Brad Dalke and Davis Riley.