DEAN & DELUCA Invitational Preview

2016 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational Preview

Dates: May 23-29, 2016
Where: Colonial Country Club; Fort Worth, Texas
Par/Yards: 35-35—70/7,204
Field: 122; Defending Champion: Chris Kirk
Purse: $6,700,000; Winner’s Share: $1,206,000; Format: 72-hole stroke play
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How the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational was won in 2015

• With a final-round, 4-under 66, Chris Kirk finished 12-under 268 at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational to edge local favorite Jordan Spieth, Jason Bohn and Brandt Snedeker by one stroke.
• Despite a wayward drive on the 72nd hole, Kirk drained a 7-foot par putt to barely edge the threesome for his fourth PGA TOUR victory.
• The dramatic final round included Snedeker’s birdie putt on the final hole narrowly missing the cut, Bohn closing with a stellar 63 (including six consecutive birdies on the front nine) and Spieth making a Sunday charge capped off by a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 5-under 65.

More on Chris Kirk and the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational

• Kirk is seeking to join Ben Hogan as the only players to win back-to-back DEAN & DELUCA Invitationals, with Hogan performing the feat twice (1946-47 and 1952-53).
• Kirk won in his 132nd TOUR start, collecting his fourth victory at the age of 30 years and 16 days.
• Kirk’s TOUR victories: 2011 Sanderson Farms Championship, 2013 McGladrey Classic, 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2015 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational.
• With his win, Kirk (who began the day trailing Kevin Na by three strokes) became the seventh-consecutive player to come from behind in the final round at Colonial Country Club to win, joining Steve Stricker (2009), Zach Johnson (2010), David Toms (2011), Zach Johnson (2012), Boo Weekley (2013) and Adam Scott (2014). Prior to Stricker, Sergio Garcia (2001) had the last comeback victory at Colonial.
• Kirk’s victory was his second in come-from-behind fashion (2014 Deutsche Bank Championship).
• With the win in 2015, Kirk became the first player to win the Ben Hogan Award (2007) and DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. The Ben Hogan Award annually recognizes an amateur player who combines academic excellence with an equally respectable amateur golf pedigree and is awarded each year at Colonial Country Club.
• Won in his sixth start at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (2015-Won, 2014-T14, 2013-T35, 2012-T5, 2011-T16, 2008-T74).

Reigning FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth

• Dallas native Jordan Spieth returns for his fourth DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, with an impressive record consisting of three top-15 finishes (T2-2015, T14-2014, T7-2013).
• Has yet to win a PGA TOUR event in his native Texas, but owns runner-up finishes at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (2015), Valero Texas Open and Shell Houston Open.
• Youngest winner of the FedExCup and of the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola (22 years, 2 months).
• Owns seven PGA TOUR wins: 2013 John Deere Classic, 2015 Valspar Championship, 2015 Masters Tournament, 2015 U.S. Open, 2015 John Deere Classic, 2015 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, 2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
• Most wins on TOUR by a player 22 and younger: Horton Smith (14), Tiger Woods (7), Jordan Spieth (7).
• With his win at the 2013 John Deere Classic, became youngest PGA TOUR winner since 1931, 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

2014 champion Adam Scott

• Adam Scott enters the 2016 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational with 13 PGA TOUR victories, including two this season (The Honda Classic, World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship).
• He is currently No. 2 in the FedExCup standings.
• With his win in 2014, became the first player to win the Texas Grand Slam, winning the 2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 AT&T Byron Nelson, 2010 Valero Texas Open and 2014 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational.
• Scott’s victory in 2014 was the first by an international player since Rory Sabbatini in 2007.
• Has four Colonial starts (T64-2009, T65-2011, Won-2014, T24-2015).
• Scott entered the week of his 2014 victory needing a T13 finish or better to retain the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, having moved into the top spot on Monday (May 19, 2014) of that week, supplanting Tiger Woods. He was the first World No. 1 to play Colonial since Nick Price in 1995.

FedExCup and the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational

• Ten players inside the top 20 in the FedExCup standings are in the field, led by Adam Scott (No. 2), Brandt Snedeker (No. 4), Kevin Chappell (No. 5), Jordan Spieth (No. 7), Kevin Kisner (No. 8), Patrick Reed (No. 9), Kevin Na (No. 11), Smylie Kaufman (No. 14), Jason Dufner (No. 17), Charley Hoffman (No. 18).
• Past FedExCup champions: Jordan Spieth (2015), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Bill Haas (2011), Jim Furyk (2010), Vijay Singh (2008).
• Chris Kirk (2015) is the only past champion of the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational during the FedExCup era (since 2007) who failed to qualify for the season-ending TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

A glance at the field

• Eleven of the top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are in the field, including Jordan Spieth (#2), Adam Scott (#7), Patrick Reed (#12), Louis Oosthuizen (#13), Brandt Snedeker (No. 16), Zach Johnson (No. 18), Charl Schwartzel (No. 21), Matt Kuchar (No. 23), Kevin Kisner (No. 24), Jim Furyk (No. 26), Kevin Na (No. 29).
• Past champions: Chris Kirk (2015), Adam Scott (2014), Boo Weekley (2013), Zach Johnson (2010, ’12), David Toms (2011), Steve Stricker (2009), Tim Herron (2006), Steve Flesch (2004), Keith Clearwater (1987).
• 15 PGA TOUR winners during the 2015-16 season: Emiliano Grillo, Smylie Kaufman, Peter Malnati, Kevin Kisner, Jordan Spieth, Fabian Gomez, Jason Dufner, Brandt Snedeker, Vaughn Taylor, Adam Scott (2), Charl Schwartzel, Tony Finau, Jim Herman, Charley Hoffman, Brian Stuard.
• Double-digit TOUR winners: Vijay Singh (34), Davis Love III (21), Jim Furyk (17), Adam Scott (13), David Toms (13), Zach Johnson (12) Steve Stricker (12).
• 2015 Masters champion and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth headlines a group of 14 major championship winners, including three-time winner Vijay Singh, Angel Cabrera (2), Zach Johnson (2), Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Lucas Glover, Davis Love III, Geoff Ogilvy, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, David Toms.

Texas Grand Slam

• The DEAN & DELUCA Invitational is the final event of four legs of the Texas Swing on the PGA TOUR (annual stops not counting WGC-Dell Match Play), with Jim Herman winning the Shell Houston Open and Charley Hoffman winning the Valero Texas Open.
• Adam Scott is the only player to win the Texas Grand Slam (2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 AT&T Byron Nelson, 2009 Valero Texas Open, 2014 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational). A number of other players, many of them Hall of Famers, have won three titles.
• 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
Phil Mickelson	Valero Texas Open
Byron Nelson	Crowne Plaza Invitational At Colonial
Corey Pavin	HP Byron Nelson
Arnold Palmer	HP Byron Nelson
Nick Price	Shell Houston Open
Sam Snead	Shell Houston Open
Mike Souchak	HP Byron Nelson

“DFW Double”

• Ben Hogan, in 1946, is the only player to win the AT&T Byron Nelson and DEAN & DELUCA Invitational in the same year. No player has performed the feat in back-to-back weeks and that streak will remain intact as last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson champion Sergio Garcia is not in the field.
• 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.

Additional Player Notes

• 12-time PGA TOUR winner Zach Johnson has finished outside the top 30 just once in 10 starts at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, including five top-10 finishes: T19-2015, T73-2014, 3-2013, 1-2012, 4-2011, 1-2010, T9-2009, T30-2006, T26-2005, T14-2004.
• Ryan Palmer, who plays out of Colonial Country Club, has finished inside the top 15 three out of his last four starts at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (MC-2015, T5-2014, T14-2013, T5-2012). This week will mark his 13th start at the event.
• Bryson DeChambeau will make his seventh start of the season, including amateur starts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (T27) and Masters Tournament (T21). He made his professional debut with an impressive T4 finish at the RBC Heritage, but has missed his last three cuts at the Valero Texas Open, Wells Fargo Championship and AT&T Byron Nelson. While competing for nearby Southern Methodist University in 2015, DeChambeau became just the fifth golfer in history to win both the U.S. Amateur Championship and NCAA Division I golf championship in the same season.
• Texan Jimmy Walker returns for his fourth start at Colonial (T65-2015, T10-2014, T56-2011).
• 2009 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational champion Steve Stricker, who will serve as the Captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2017, will make his 10th start at Colonial
• Dallas resident Danny Lee will throw out the first pitch at Saturday night’s Texas Rangers’ game.

Miscellaneous Tournament Notes

• Zach Johnson set the 72-hole tournament (65-66-64-64—259) at the 2010 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational 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 2015, three holes played as the second toughest (4.124), fourth most difficult (3.041) and the toughest (4.263), respectively.
• The Colonial has featured seven straight come-from-behind winners: Steve Stricker (2009), Zach Johnson (2010 & 2012), David Toms (2011), Boo Weekley (2013), Adam Scott (2014) and Chris Kirk (2015). Prior to those, the last comeback winner was Sergio Garcia in 2001, who came back from five to beat Mickelson.
• In the 68 playings of the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, the third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to claim victory 35 times.
• In 2012, Zach Johnson became the 12th multiple winner of the DEAN & DELUCA 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 others who have performed the feat are Keith Clearwater (1987), Dave Stockton (1967), Clayton Heafner (1948) and Ben Hogan (1946).
• Here’s a list of players who recorded their first PGA TOUR victory at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational:
  • 1957 Roberto De Vicenzo (1957)
  • Dave Stockton (1967)
  • Rod Curl (1974)
  • Dan Pohl (1986)
  • Keith Clearwater (1987)
  • Ian Baker-Finch (1989)
  • Sergio Garcia (2001).

“Champions Choice” Invitation

• Every year, past champions of the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational 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 Bryson DeChambeau and Kramer Hickok.

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 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational in 1946.
• 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

• Together, Anything’s Possible at the DEAN & DELUCA Invitationa
• The DEAN & DELUCA Invitational remains a leader in giving back to communities, raising over $8 million in 2015 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.

Ben Hogan Award Presentation

• The DEAN & DELUCA Invitational will once again h st the Ben Hogan Award ceremony, a black-tie event on Monday, May 23 to recognize the top collegiate golfer of the year. The Heisman Trophy-like ceremony will honor three finalists (Beau Hossler, Maverick McNealy, Jon Rahm), with the winner revealed at the end of the ceremony.
• Past recipients of the award include
  • D.J. Trahan (Clemson, 2002)
  • Ricky Barnes (Arizona, 2003)
  • Hunter Mahan (Oklahoma State, 2003)
  • Bill Haas (Wake Forest, 2004)
  • Ryan Moore (UNLV, 2005)
  • Matt Every (Florida, 2006)
  • Chris Kirk (Georgia, 2007)
  • Rickie Fowler (Oklahoma State, 2008)
  • Kyle Stanley (Clemson, 2009)
  • Nick Taylor (Washington, 2010)
  • Peter Uihlein (Oklahoma State, 2011)
  • Patrick Cantlay (UCLA, 2012)
  • Chris Williams (Washington, 2013)
  • Patrick Rodgers (Stanford, 2014)
  • Jon Rahm (Arizona State, 2015).