Champions Tour pros on favorite Colonial moments

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A view of the 13th hole at Colonial CC, the home of the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

This week's PGA TOUR stop is the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, which is being held for the 62nd time at the historic Colonial CC in Ft. Worth, Texas. Here's what some current Champions Tour players, who are also former winners at Colonial, remember most about this tournament:

Lanny Wadkins, winner of 21 PGA TOUR events, including the 1988 Colonial, and a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee.

"The thing I most remember about the year that I won at Colonial was coming from five strokes back on the last day. It was very windy on that particular Sunday and John Mahaffey and I were both about in the same position after three rounds. As we were walking across the parking lot to the clubhouse, I told John that, with the windy conditions, I thought we both might have a chance to do something. I went out and played probably as good a front nine as I could ever play in that kind of wind to move into contention. I ended up making birdie on the 18th hole to beat three players by a shot. It was certainly one of the most memorable birdies of my career."

Wadkins' Colonial stats

Events 21 Rounds 72 1st 1 2nd 0 3rd 0 Top 10 1 Top 25 5

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Ben Crenshaw, winner of 19 PGA TOUR events, including the 1977 and 1990 Colonial, and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

"I played three times as an amateur there and early on, I stayed at Marvin Leonard's daughter's house with her and her husband. Marvin Leonard was instrumental in the start of the tournament and built the golf course. I was fortunate to win in 1977, shooting 31 on the back nine. It was a windy day and I completely lucked out to beat John Schroeder. Colonial was always one of my favorite tournaments. If you didn't play the wind well, you just weren't going to do very good at Colonial. The greens were so well bunkered that you had to move the ball around quite a bit and hit it the right distance. It's a classic test."

Crenshaw's Colonial stats

Events 32 Rounds 103 1st 2 2nd 2 3rd 0 Top 10 8 Top 25 15

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Lee Trevino, winner of 29 PGA TOUR events, including the 1976 and 1978 Colonial, and 29 Champions Tour events. Trevino is also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

"I won there in 1976 and 1978. In my opinion, you always won at Colonial on the front nine. In our day, if you had the lead on Sunday and could shoot par or 1-under on the front nine, you could win the tournament. We played the tournament later in the year than they do today and the Bermuda rough was very difficult. It penalized you. For instance, if you drove the ball left on No. 5, you had to lay up and if you were out of the fairway at No. 9 off the tee, you had to lay up short of the water. I remember people winning that tournament without being very many under par."

Trevino's Colonial stats

Events 20 Rounds 73 1st 2 2nd 1 3rd 0 Top 10 7 Top 25 12

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Dave Stockton, winner of 10 PGA TOUR titles, including the 1967 Colonial, and 14 Champions Tour events.

"At Colonial, the past winners select two Champions choices each year and Tom Weiskopf and I were the two selected in 1967. I ended up winning the tournament. In fact, I think I'm the only Champions choice ever to go on and win. I remember having a 10-shot lead at one point in the third round and lost it all. That actually was to my benefit because, even though Weiskopf and I were tied going into the last round, he had to play with Ben Hogan. I think he birdied the first two holes on Sunday to take the early lead but ended up shooting 81. I shot 73 and won by two strokes over Charles Coody.

Stockton's Colonial stats

Events 26 Rounds 87 1st 1 2nd 0 3rd 1 Top 10 2 Top 25 6

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Tom Lehman, winner of five PGA TOUR events, including the 1995 Colonial

"I'm typically someone who doesn't change things. I've always been one to stick with what I have and don't mess with it. However, when I won at Colonial, I did something I had never done before. I completely changed the way I gripped my putter. My normal putting grip was with both of my index fingers pointing down the shaft. That week, I held it more like a baseball bat with all 10 fingers on the shaft. Somehow or another I rolled the ball great that week. I putted extremely well and I think I one-putted the last four or five holes to win the tournament."

Lehman's Colonial stats

Events 14 Rounds 46 1st 1 2nd 0 3rd 0 Top 10 3 Top 25 6

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Tom Watson, winner of 39 PGA TOUR events, including the 1998 Colonial, and 12 Champions Tour events. Watson is also a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame

"I remember how generous they were when I first played there in the early 70s. It might have been the first place I ever went as a pro where they served us breakfast, lunch and dinner at no charge. It was much appreciated."

Watson's Colonial stats

Events 23 Rounds 83 1st 1 2nd 0 3rd 2 Top 10 10 Top 25 13

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Nick Price, winner of 18 PGA TOUR events, including the 1994 and 2002 Colonial, and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame

"Colonial is such a shotmaker's paradise. The thing that stands out for me was in 1994 when I came from seven strokes back in the final round to win there. It was the biggest comeback I ever made in my career. I made up the ground on Scott Simpson and then beat him in a playoff. It was probably one of the few times I ever felt like Arnold Palmer."

Price's Colonial stats

Events 17 Rounds 65 1st 2 2nd 1 3rd 0 Top 10 5 Top 25 9