Groups we're watching: Crowne Plaza Inv., Rd. 2

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May. 23, 2008

All times are central.

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Johnson Wagner, John Senden, Carl Pettersson
Tee time:
12:57 p.m.
Tee: No. 10
Total TOUR wins: 4
Why you should watch: Johnson Wagner is your No. 1 reason to watch this group. The 28-year-old is a member of the "winners under 30" group that has taken a hold of the 2008 season with killer grip. Wagner won the Shell Houston Open a couple of months ago and shot a spectacular 7-under 63 in the first round. John Senden and Carl Pettersson didn't have quite the Thursday Wagner did -- they both shot a 2-over-par 72 -- but they have both found themselves high up on the leaderboard a few times this year, and this tournament is far from over. Senden tied for second at the PODS Championship and tied for eighth at the Buick Invitational. He also has six top-25 finishes to his name in '08. Pettersson just a few weeks ago tied for fourth at the Wachovia Championship and had a tie for eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. He has recorded seven top-25 finishes to boot.

2008 stat comparison
Player Events played Cuts made 1st 2nd 3rd Top 10 Top 25 Scoring average
Wagner 14 7 1 -- -- 1 1 71.56
Senden 14 11 -- 1 -- 2 6 70.08
Pettersson 14 11 -- -- -- 2 7 70.62
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Phil Mickelson, Scott Verplank, Mark Wilson
Tee time:
8:27 a.m.
Tee: No. 10
Total TOUR wins: 39
Why you should watch: Phil Mickelson is doing what he does best this week -- hanging around without making too much noise, ready to strike. Besides the fact that Mickelson leads this group in wins with 33, he is also only three shots back of the lead -- a deficit that shouldn't be hard for him to make up. Lefty has already one once this year (despite the fact that he is over 30) at the Northern Trust Open. It's probably about time for him to hoist a trophy again. Scott Verplank is certainly in the mix, currently tied for 24th place at 1 under. His best finish this year was alongside Mickelson at the Northern Trust Open -- a tied for fifth. Other than that, Verplank has been a bit quiet. Maybe this is his week to liven things up. Mark Wilson is just behind Verplank after a first-round score of even par. Wilson has had a slow start to the year, with his highest finish coming at the FBR Open, where he tied for ninth place. Can he keep his play steady enough to improve his 2008 record this week?

2008 stat comparison
Player Events played Cuts made 1st 2nd 3rd Top 10 Top 25 Scoring average
Mickelson 11 10 1 1 -- 4 10 69.74
Verplank 11 7 -- -- -- 1 3 71.39
Wilson 13 10 -- -- -- 1 3 70.96
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Brian Bateman, Paul Goydos, Bart Bryant
Tee time:
8:27 a.m.
Tee: No. 1
Total TOUR wins: 6
Why you should watch: Tied in 34th place with aforementioned Wilson,
Brian Bateman also shot even par in the first round at Colonial Country Club. Bateman has had a rough year, making only five of 13 cuts, but if he can play like he did Thursday, he has a good chance to make it to the weekend and improve on his highest 2008 finish -- a tie for 20th at the Masters. Paul Goydos has to be fresh on everyone's minds after his fabulous performance two weeks ago at THE PLAYERS Championship. It was a heartbreaker of a playoff loss, but the Long Beach native is back in contention this week tied for 13th after a first-round 68. Go on, you know you want to root for him. Bart Bryant didn't have a great start Thursday -- coming in at 2-over par -- but the Texas-born 45-year-old is still worth keeping an eye on. He came in second (to Tiger Woods) back in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and finished third in his last Texas tournament -- the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

2008 stat comparison
Player Events played Cuts made 1st 2nd 3rd Top 10 Top 25 Scoring average
Bateman 13 5 -- -- -- -- 2 71.69
Goydos 14 8 -- 1 -- 1 2 71.65
Bryant 11 9 -- 1 1 2 6 69.61
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