1. Jordan Spieth, United States — Coming off a tie for second 30 miles away last week in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the world’s second-ranked player will be competing right down the road from his home in Dallas. The Masters champion has never won in front of the Texas fans as a pro, and he might be pushing a little harder than usual to break through in the Lone Star State. His best finish in four events in the AT&T Byron Nelson was a tie for 16th in 2010, when he was a 17-year-old amateur. Spieth started with 69-68-67 that year and was tied for seventh, but he closed with a 2-over-par 72.
2. Jason Day, Australia — Scott is enjoying a solid season thus far, with four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, highlighted by his victory in the Farmers Insurance Open. However, in his past two outings, he lost all three of his matches in his title defense in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship before missing the cut in the Players Championship. Even so, the AT&T Byron Nelson might be the place for him to get back on track because he won at the course now known as TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas in 2010 by two strokes despite closing with a 2-over-par 72. Day also finished fifth as defending champion and tied for ninth in 2012 before tying for 27th last year.
3. Dustin Johnson, United States — DJ will try to bounce back from a tie for 69th in the Players Championship, a bump in the road of what has been a strong season. He has five finishes in the top 10, including his ninth PGA Tour victory in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral. There’s a good chance he could be competitive in the AT&T Byron Nelson, where he has a strong record. Johnson’s best result at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas was a tie for fourth in 2009, when he posted four scores of 68 or better, and he tied for seventh the following year and had an identical finish last year.
4. Matt Kuchar, United States — When he tied for second in the Sony Open in Hawaii and tied for third in the Humana Challenge early this year, it seemed he was headed for a typical Kuchar season. However, he has only one top-10 finish since despite leading the PGA Tour with 61 since 2008. Kuchar has not been that far off, as he owns eight results in the top 25 this year. After two weeks off since missing the cut in the Players Championship, he will tee it up for the eighth time in the AT&T Byron Nelson, with his best result a tie for sixth in 2008. Kuchar also tied for seventh last year at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas with four scores in the 60s.
5. Ian Poulter, England — Poulter finished in a tie for first with Rickie Fowler in that anonymous and now infamous Sports Illustrated poll of players who were asked to choose the most overrated players on the PGA Tour. Fowler used it as incentive to win the Wells Fargo Championship, and Poulter came close to doing the same before settling for a tie for fifth in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial last week. This week, the Englishman is playing in the AT&T Byron Nelson for the fourth time, and his best result was a tie for third in 2007, three strokes behind winner Scott Verplank. He last played in the event in 2009, when he missed the cut.
6. Jimmy Walker, United States — The way he has played everywhere else in the last two seasons, with five PGA Tour victories, Walker is likely to figure out how to play TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas one of these years, and this might be it. He played in the AT&T Byron Nelson nine times previously, and his best result and only top-25 finish was a tie for 23rd in 2009, when he finished with scores of 68-69-65 after opening with a 1-over-par 71. Walker, who lives in San Antonio, claimed his first victory in Texas two months ago in his hometown, but last week he could manage only a tie for 52nd in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
7. Charley Hoffman, United States — Ranked seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, Hoffman slipped in the final round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with an even-par 70 that dropped him to a tie for 10th, but it was his fourth top-10 finish of the season. Included was his third PGA Tour victory in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba and a tie for second in the Humana Challenge, and he is a solid bet to keep his strong form going in the AT&T Byron Nelson. Hoffman has three finishes in the top 10 at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas and had a chance to win in 2008, but he closed with a 74 to tie for seventh.
8. Rory Sabbatini, South Africa — The 39-year-old is on a nice run, tying for sixth in the Players Championship earlier in the month and tying for 10th last week in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. This week he tees it up in the AT&T Byron Nelson, which he won in 2009. Sabbatini, who has lived in Texas for several years, shot 6-under-par 64 in the first and third rounds in 2009 to prevail by two strokes over Brian Davis of England for one of his six PGA Tour victories. He has only one other top-10 result in 16 starts at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas, a tie for third in 2007, and he has missed the cut five times.
9. Sangmoon Bae, South Korea — Bae has not played as well since winning the season opener, the Frys.com Open, and finishing in the top 10 in three of his first four events in the 2014-15 season, but returning to the AT&T Byron Nelson figures to give him confidence. He claimed his first PGA Tour victory at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas two years ago, posting three consecutive scores of 4-under-par 66 before closing with a 69 to win by two strokes over Keegan Bradley. Bae shot 73-74–147 last year to miss the cut in his title defense, and he shot 75-67–142 to miss the cut last week in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
10. Keegan Bradley — Still trying to find his way this season, Bradley comes to the AT&T Byron Nelson, where he just might be able to figure things out. He claimed his first victory on the PGA Tour at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas in 2011 by beating Ryan Palmer with a par on the first playoff hole, three months before capturing the PGA Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. Bradley almost won the Byron Nelson again in 2013 after opening with a 10-under-par 60, but he closed with a 72 and wound up two shots behind winner Sangmoon Bae. He has only two top-10 finishes this season, a tie for fourth in the Northern Trust Open and a tie for fifth in the Shell Houston Open.
–Courtesy of The Sports Xchange, TSX Golf Editor Tom LaMarre
