Crowne Plaza Invitational Tournament Notes - 2014

Dates: May 19-25, 2014

Where: Colonial Country Club; Fort Worth, Texas

Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,204

Field: 124; Defending Champion: Boo Weekley

Purse: $6,400,000; Winner’s Share: $1,152,000; Format: 72-hole stroke play

Twitter: @CrownePlazaInv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Colonial

How the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial was won in 2013

• Boo Weekley carded a final-round 4-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over third-round leader Matt Kuchar and a two-shot win over defending champion Zach Johnson at the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
• Putting was the key for Weekley in 2013, who made seven putts over 20 feet in length for the week, including a final-round birdie on No. 13 from 21 feet, 5 inches.More on Boo Weekley and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
• Weekley’s third PGA TOUR victory came in his 189th TOUR start at the age of 39 years, 10 months and 3 days. His win came in his 124th start since his previous victory in 2008.
• Weekley’s victory, as well as his wins at the 2007 and 2008 RBC Heritage, earned him a plaid jacket.
• Became the first champion at Colonial with four rounds in the 60s since Zach Johnson in 2010.
• Became the fifth-consecutive come-from-behind winner at Colonial (and sixth since 2001), joining Sergio Garcia (2001), Steve Stricker (2009), Zach Johnson (2010), David Toms (2011), Zach Johnson (2012).
• Weekley played Colonial Country Club’s ―Horrible Horseshoe‖ in even-par in 2013. He was 2-under on No. 3, 1-over on No. 4 and 1-over on No. 5.
• Weekley is seeking to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win back-to-back Colonials, with Hogan performing the feat twice (1946-47 and 1952-53).HP Byron Nelson Championship winner Brendon Todd seeking “DFW Double”
• HP Byron Nelson Championship winner Brendon Todd will seek to become just the second player to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and HP Byron Nelson Championship in the same year (Ben Hogan/1946). He would be the first to do so in back-to-back weeks.
• Fourteen players have won both the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial during their careers. Players who have won the ―DFW Double:‖ 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 and Julius Boros.FedExCup and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
• Eight players inside the top 10 in the FedExCup standings are in the field, led by Jimmy Walker (No. 1), Matt Kuchar (No. 3), Dustin Johnson (No. 4), Jordan Spieth (No. 6), Harris English (No. 7), Chris Kirk (No. 8), Zach Johnson (No. 9) and Jim Furyk (No. 10).
• A glance at the field
  • Eight of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are in the field, including new World No. 1 Adam Scott. The 2013 Masters champion is joined by Matt Kuchar (No. 4), Jordan Spieth (No. 9), Jim Furyk (No. 12), Zach Johnson (No. 13), Dustin Johnson (No. 14), Jimmy Walker (No. 17) and Jason Dufner (No. 22).
  • Eight past champions: Boo Weekley (2013), Zach Johnson (2010, ’12), David Toms (2011), Rory Sabbatini (2007), Tim Herron (2006), Steve Flesch (2004), Olin Browne (1999), Corey Pavin (1985, ’96).
  • Fifteen PGA TOUR winners during the 2013-14 season: Jimmy Walker (3), Steven Bowditch, Harris English, Matt Every, Chesson Hadley, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Matt Jones, Chris Kirk, Matt Kuchar, Seung-Yul Noh, John Senden, Kevin Stadler, Scott Stallings, Brendon Todd.
  • Double-digit PGA TOUR winners, led by Vijay Singh (34), Davis Love III (20), Jim Furyk (16), Corey Pavin (15), David Toms (13), Justin Leonard (12), Zach Johnson (11).

    New World No. 1 Adam Scott late entry to Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial field

  • Adam Scott moved into the top spot of the Official World Golf Ranking Monday (May 19, 2014), supplanting Tiger Woods. He becomes the second Australian to hold the No. 1 ranking, joining Greg Norman, who held the top spot for 331 weeks and most recently January 4, 1998.
  • Since the OWGR began in 1986, Adam Scott becomes the 17th player to hold the top spot.
  • Scott is the first World No. 1 to play Colonial since Nick Price in 1995 (finished T12).
  • Scott will be making his third start at Colonial (T65-2011, T64-2009).
  • Scott’s best round came in round one in 2011 (66).Adam Scott seeking to become first player to win the Texas Grand Slam
  • The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is the final event of four legs of the Texas Swing on the PGA TOUR, with Matt Jones winning the Shell Houston Open, Steven Bowditch winning the Valero Texas Open and Brendon Todd winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
  • No player has ever won the Texas Grand Slam, but a number of players, many of them Hall of Famers, have won three titles, including Adam Scott.
  • Here are the players who have won three of the four events along with the missing link:
    

    Player	Missing Tournament Victory
    Bruce Crampton	HP Byron Nelson Championship
    Ben Crenshaw	Shell Houston Open
    Roberto De Vicenzo	Valero Texas Open
    Bruce Devlin	Valero Texas Open
    Ben Hogan	Shell Houston Open
    Gene Littler	HP Byron Nelson Championship
    Phil Mickelson	Valero Texas Open
    Byron Nelson	Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
    Corey Pavin	HP Byron Nelson Championship
    Arnold Palmer	HP Byron Nelson Championship
    Nick Price	Shell Houston Open
    Sam Snead	Shell Houston Open
    Mike Souchak	HP Byron Nelson Championship
    Adam Scott	Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

    Additional Player Notes

  • Jim Furyk will be making his 19th career start at the Colonial. A solo-fourth-place finish in 2012 was his seventh top 10 at the event, with runner-up finishes in 1998 and 2007. He is making first start since back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Wells Fargo Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship.
  • Zach Johnson has five-consecutive top 10s at Colonial and has never finished outside of the top 30 in eight starts: 3-2013, 1-2012, 4-2011, 1-2010, T9-2009, T30-2006, T26-2005, T142004. In all, he owns 25 rounds in the 60s out of 32 overall at the Crowne Plaza Invitational, including 19 out of the last 20.
  • Matt Kuchar will be making his eighth start at the event and is coming off a runner-up finish in 2013. He has yet to miss a cut in seven starts at Colonial (T36-2007, 9-2008, T27-2009, T56-2010, T16-2011, T26-2012, 2nd-2013).
  • Local favorite Jordan Spieth finished T7 in his first start at the 2013 Crowne Plaza Invitational. Spieth owns runner-up finishes this season at the Hyundai Tournament of the Champions and the Masters Tournament. He also recently finished T4 at THE PLAYERS Championship.
  • Dustin Johnson returns to Colonial for just the second time (T74-2008). Johnson leads a list of seven players currently under the age of 30 who have at least three PGA TOUR wins: Johnson (8), Rory McIlroy (6), Webb Simpson (4), Keegan Bradley (3), Anthony Kim (3), Scott Stallings (3) and Patrick Reed (3).
  • Corey Pavin will be making his 31st career start (just five missed cuts) at the Crowne Plaza Invitational this year, with wins in 1985 and 1995. He has played the event every year dating back to his first start in 1984 and owns eight top 10s at the event, while Ben Hogan leads in all-time top 10s with 15.
  • Ryan Palmer, who plays out of Colonial Country Club, cracked the top 10 in his ninth Colonial start, in 2012, finishing T5. Last year, he finished T14.
  • Rickie Fowler will make his fourth Crowne Plaza Invitational start (T38-2010, T16-2011, T5-2012, T54-2013).
  • Web.com Tour and Colonial CC member Franklin Corpening posted the best final round at Colonial in 2013 with an 8-under 62. He is back for his second start, hoping to top last year’s T14 effort.Miscellaneous Tournament Notes
  • Zach Johnson set the 72-hole tournament (65-66-64-64—259) at the 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial to finish at 21-under-par. The previous tournament record was set by Kenny Perry, who shot 261 in both his victories in 2003 and 2005. The four-round score of 259 is also a personal best for Johnson, who shot 261 to win the 2008 Valero Texas Open.
  • The Colonial CC course record is 61, set by Chad Campbell (2004), Justin Leonard (2003), Kenny Perry (2003), Greg Kraft (1999), Keith Clearwater (1993) and Lee Janzen (1993).
  • Colonial Country Club shows its teeth over the stretch of holes from Nos. 3-5, known as the ―Horrible Horseshoe.‖ Cumulatively in 2013, No. 3 played as the second-most difficult on the course (4.160), with No. 4 the third-hardest (3.114) and No. 5 the most difficult (4.176).
  • The Colonial has featured five straight come-from-behind winners: Steve Stricker (2009), Zach Johnson (2010 & 2012), David Toms (2011) and Boo Weekley (2013). Prior to those, the last come-from-behind winner was Sergio Garcia in 2001, who made up a five-shot deficit to defeat Phil Mickelson.
  • In the 66-year history of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the 54-hole leader/co-leader has gone on to claim victory 34 times.
  • In 2012, Zach Johnson became the 12th multiple winner of the Crowne Plaza Invitational. Ben Hogan leads with five wins, while Johnson joined two-time winners Billy Casper, Julius Boros, Al Geiberger, Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Lietzke, Lee Trevino, Corey Pavin, Nick Price, Kenny Perry and Phil Mickelson.
  • The last player to win the event in his first start at Colonial was Sergio Garcia in 2001.
  • The top 60 players in the Official World Golf Ranking through the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial are eligible for the U.S. Open.<b
    “Champions Choice” Invitation
  • Every year, past champions of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial select two deserving young players to compete in the event, who otherwise would not have been eligible.
  • It’s a unique TOUR tradition known as the “Champions’ Choice” invitation.
  • Pros who made their first start at Colonial as a Champion’s Choice include Tom Weiskopf, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Mark O’Meara, Paul Azinger and Davis Love III.
  • Dave Stockton won the event as a Champions Choice in 1967 and five other choices have eventually won the event during their careers.
  • This year’s recipients are Kevin Tway and Jeff Curl, with the latter the son of PGA TOUR legend Rod Curl, who beat Jack Nicklaus by one stroke to win at Colonial in 1974.
  • Tway is the 25-year-old son of former PGA TOUR player Bob Tway, a former top-10 Colonial finisher. Bob Tway and Rod Curl both last played at the Crowne Plaza Invitational in 2007, with 2014 marking the first start for their sons at the event.Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial one of the TOUR’s longest running events
  • The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial dates back to 1946 and holds the distinction of being the longest-run event on the PGA TOUR to be contested on the same layout, and the 10th oldest overall.
  • Since its inception in 1946, the Invitational has produced an impressive list of champions that few other events can match, with such legends as Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer having donned the Scottish royal tartan plaid jacket.
  • The TOUR’s oldest events are as follows:
    

    Rank	Event	Established
    1.	BMW Championship (Western Open)	1899
    2.	RBC Canadian Open	1904
    3.	Valero Texas Open	1922
    4.	Northern Trust Open	1926
    5.	Waste Management Phoenix Open	1935
    6.	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	1937
    7.	Wyndham Championship	1938
    	Zurich Classic of New Orleans	1938
    9.	HP Byron Nelson Championship	1944
    10.	Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial	1946
    	Shell Houston Open	1946

    History Abounds at Colonial Country Club

  • Colonial Country Club is a traditional layout that was built in 1936.
  • Its fame skyrocketed after hosting the 1941 U.S. Open, marking the first time the USGA had hosted their premier event south of the Mason-Dixon Line. That tournament, won by Craig Wood, was such a success that it spawned the creation of what is now the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 1946. Among the highlights of the famed club are:
  • Colonial Country Club celebrated its jubilee 75th anniversary in 2011.
  • Hometown favorite Ben Hogan won the first two Invitationals on his way to a career-total five wins at the event, earning it the nickname ―Hogan’s Alley.‖
  • No other course has hosted a U.S. Open (1941), PLAYERS Championship (1975) and annual PGA TOUR event (1946-present).
  • The Wall of Champions, located on the first tee, honors the name and score of each champion dating back to the 1941 U.S. Open. The Wall was erected in 1975 prior to THE PLAYERS.Miscellaneous 2013-14 Notes
  • Jimmy Walker (3), Patrick Reed (2) and Bubba Watson (2) are the only multiple winners, with Chesson Hadley the lone rookie to win.
  • Through the HP Byron Nelson Championship, 21 of the 27 TOUR wins have come from U.S.-born players, with six international winners hailing from South Korea (Seung-Yul Noh/Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Australia (Jason Day/World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, John Senden/Valspar Championship, Steven Bowditch/Valero Texas Open, Matt Jones/Shell Houston Open) and Germany (Martin Kaymer/THE PLAYERS).
  • First-time winners include Jimmy Walker, Kevin Stadler, Chesson Hadley, Matt Every, Steven Bowditch, Matt Jones, Seung-Yul Noh and Brendon Todd.
  • Low final rounds for winners this year have included a 63 (Jimmy Walker/Sony Open in Hawaii), a 64 (Bubba Watson/Northern Trust Open; Matt Kuchar/RBC Heritage) and a 65 (Harris English/OHL Classic at Mayakoba).
  • Through the HP Byron Nelson Championship, 12 of the 23 different winners in 2013-14 have been under the age of 30: Webb Simpson/Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Chris Kirk/McGladrey Classic, Dustin Johnson/WGC-HSBC Champions, Harris English/ OHL Classic at Mayakoba, Patrick Reed/Humana Challenge and WGC-Cadillac Championship, Scott Stallings/Farmers Insurance Open, Jason Day/WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Russell Henley/The Honda Classic, Chesson Hadley/Puerto Rico Open, Seung-Yul Noh/Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Martin Kaymer/THE PLAYERS and Brendon Todd/HP Byron Nelson Championship.
  • Seven players currently under 30 have at least three PGA TOUR wins: Dustin Johnson (8), Rory McIlroy (6), Webb Simpson (4), Keegan Bradley (3), Anthony Kim (3), Scott Stallings (3), Patrick Reed (3).Together, Anything’s Possible at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
  • The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial remains a leader in giving back to communities, raising a record $7.8 million in 2013 alone for Tarrant County charities.
  • Over 100 Tarrant Charities benefit from Fort Worth’s most charitable event, with Cook Children’s Hospital its primary beneficiary.
  • Tracing its roots back to 1918, Cook Children’s embraces an inspiring promise – to improve the health of every child in its region through prevention and treatment of illness, disease and injury.Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial joins forces with Birdies for the Brave
  • The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will extend a warm welcome to our nation’s military members and their families through a variety of Birdies for the Brave military outreach and appreciation activities during the week.
  • Highlighting the festivities, the tournament – in partnership with Humana and Birdies for the Brave – will provide all active duty and retired military members and up to four dependents each with complimentary daily grounds tickets from Wednesday through Sunday.Astellas Presents Executive Women’s Day
  • More than 200 female business leaders are expected to gather on Tuesday, May 20th at the 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial for the Astellas Presents Executive Women’s Day.
  • The PGA TOUR and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. (―Astellas‖) is currently in the middle of a three-year agreement in which Tokyo-based Astellas will champion the TOUR’s commitment to its new Women’s Initiative, designed to provide women with information that promotes their overall well-being, including informing women about important health and wellness issues, encouraging discussion on those topics and creating opportunities to learn about them.Hole-in-One Promotion
  • At this year’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, fans can take advantage of the Crowne Plaza brand’s “Lucky 13 Million Dollar Charity Challenge.”
  • Crowne Plaza will donate one million dollars for the first hole in one hit on No. 13 on Saturday and Sunday, with the money split as follows: 1/3 to Shelter in a Storm (charity of Crowne Plaza’s parent company, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), 1/3 to charity of choice of the golfer who made the ace, 1/3 split among 13 lucky fans (12 fans onsite who have logged on to wireless internet provided by Crowne Plaza at No. 13 and one lucky fan at home.