Round 1, Crowne Plaza Invitational

text size

May. 28, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in today's first round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
9:04 am ET No. 1		Rory Sabbatini, Mike Weir, Chad Campbell Sabbatini lives in Fort Worth, won this event in 2007 and is coming off a victory at the HP Byron Nelson last week.
9:16 am ET No. 1		Zach Johnson, Sean O'Hair, Justin Leonard Johnson won the second leg of the Texas Swing; O'Hair earned a title a month ago; Texans will be pulling for Leonard.
1:34 pm ET No. 1		Geoff Ogilvy, J.B. Holmes, David Toms Ogilvy, a two-time winner this season, tied for seventh at Colonial last year. Toms was runner-up at this event in 2002.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent John Maginnes looks ahead to Thursday's first round:

The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will be held without its reigning champion this week. Phil Mickelson's dramatic win a year ago was one of the most exciting finishes on the PGA TOUR in 2008, but he has put his career on hold after last week's news that wife Amy has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The tournament committee, fans of this prestigious event and everyone in the golf community hope for nothing but the best for Amy and the Mickelson family this week and pray for her speedy and complete recovery.

Thursday's forecast

Mostly Sunny
Temp: 87 high/63 low
Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. Winds will blow out of the west at 5 to 10 mph.

Even without the No. 2 player in the world, this installment of the Colonial boasts eight former champions, 17 major championship winners and 11 winners from 2009, including multiple winner and current FedExCup points leader Zach Johnson.

Before the tournament proper yanks us back into the present on the weekend, this tournament is about history and a great man's legacy early in the week. Last week, we honored Byron Nelson. This week, Ben Hogan's memory takes center stage. There are enough Hogan's Alleys around the globe to make a freeway, but this is the original and the one that he called home. The Wall of Champions beside the first tee includes nearly every great name in the modern era of golf, but the first name on that list belongs to the wee iceman, and it is repeated a handful of times.

This is a golf course that requires the best of a player. Narrow fairways and undulating greens force a player to drive the ball accurately and play precise iron shots. In the course of a round, a player will use every club in his bag. Colonial is a complete test of a player's skills. In other words, if you want to do well at Colonial, do your best Ben Hogan impersonation.

Stat of the day

Who leads the TOUR in rounds in the 60s? Charley Hoffman has 27 to sit atop that category. Hoffman also has the longest drive on TOUR this year -- 467 yards on the first hole at the Valero Texas Open.

NOTEWORTHY NUGGETS:

• The Crowne Plaza Invitational is the last of four Texas TOUR events, with Paul Casey having captured the first title with his playoff win at the Shell Houston Open in April. The other events included the Valero Texas Open (won by Zach Johnson) and the HP Byron Nelson Championship (won by Rory Sabbatini). No player has ever won the Texas Grand Slam, but a number of players, many of them Hall of Famers, have won three titles.

• Speaking of Texas, only one native Texan has won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in the last 30 years -- Ben Crenshaw in 1990.

• Phil Mickelson's victory in 2008 marked the seventh consecutive time that the 54-hole leader has gone on to win at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. The last come-from-behind winner at Colonial was Sergio Garcia in 2001, who made up a five-shot deficit to win in the final round against Mickelson.

• In the 61-year history of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the 54-hole leader/co-leader has now gone on to claim victory 34 times.

The Film Room

	Opening Shot Marc Fein and Brian Katrek preview the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and handicap the top contenders in the field. Watch it
	Fantasy Insider Need help with your fantasy picks for the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial? John Swantek and the Fantasy Insider can help.Watch it
	Preview: Colonial The PGA TOUR heads to Colonial Country Club for the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. What can you expect? Watch it