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Nike Golf Youth Clinic, concert set for May 24 during Colonial tournament

Officials at Nike Golf and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial will host a youth clinic and concert on May 24 as part of tournament week activities during Fort Worth’s annual PGA Tour event.

David Duval, winner of the 2001 British Open, will host the Nike Golf Youth Clinic at 4:15 p.m. on the driving range at Colonial Country Club. Hank Haney, golf instructor for Tiger Woods, also is scheduled to appear at the clinic.

The youth clinic will be followed by a youth concert featuring Anna Maria Perez, from Disney Channel’s Camp Rock, and The Wannabes. Admission is free to the youth clinic and youth concert on May 24.

_ Jimmy Burch
 

Deadline approaching for Byron Nelson pre-qualifer

The deadline is May 7 -- one week from today -- for golfers to enter the pre-qualifier tournament to try and land one of four spots in the field for the HP Byron Nelson Championship, May 20-23 in Irving. The pre-qualifier will be May 11 in McKinney and is open to professional and amateur golfers with a handicap index of two or less. Top competitors at the pre-qualifier will advance to a qualifying event on May 17 to determine the final four participants in the Nelson field. For more information, visit www.ntpga.com.
_ Jimmy Burch

Networks expand Colonial TV window during turnament week

Television executives have expanded coverage plans for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, giving Fort Worth’s annual PGA Tour stop a combined 17 hours of live coverage during tournament week.

The expanded windows for the May 24-30 event will occur on The Golf Channel, tournament director Peter Ripa said today. As things stand, The Golf Channel will show four hours of live coverage for Thursday-Friday rounds _ up by one hour from original plans _ during a time window of 1-5 p.m. During weekend rounds, The Golf Channel will have 90 minutes of live coverage, from noon to 1:30 p.m., before the three-hour CBS telecast begins each day at 2 p.m.

“We’re excited. Having the players we do in our field, I think they’re looking at anticipated (strong) ratings,” Ripa said.

Colonial has commitments from four of the top six players in the world golf rankings, as well as all four of the reigning major champions. Top-rated players on the commitment list include No. 2 Phil Mickelson, No. 3 Steve Stricker, No. 5 Jim Furyk and No. 6 Ian Poulter. Stricker is the defending champ and Mickelson won the event in 2008 and 2000.

The reigning major champions in the 2010 Colonial field include Mickelson (Masters), Lucas Glover (U.S. Open), Stewart Cink (British Open) and Southlake resident Y.E. Yang (PGA Championship).

Ripa said he expects to land “at least six of the top 10” from the world rankings by the time the final field is set.

_ Jimmy Burch

Nelson tournament to honor junior golfers

Officials at the HP Byron Nelson Championship will honor three junior golfers during next month’s PGA Tour event, May 17-23 in Irving. Dallas resident Jordan Spieth will join Yaroslav Merkulov of Penfield, N.Y. and Bobby Wyatt of Mobile, Ala. as 2010 recipients of the Byron Nelson International Junior Golf Awards.

Spieth, the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion, also has received a sponsor’s exemption to compete in the tournament.

_ Jimmy Burch

Golden Gloves charity golf tournament

Officials at the Golden Gloves Athletic Association are holding a fund-raising golf tournament to benefit area youth. The association, which stages the local and state Golden Gloves boxing tournaments each year in Fort Worth, is a non-profit organization that has served area youth since 1936.

This year's golf tournament will be May 15 at Southern Oaks Golf Club. Cost is $90 per golfer. Entry fee and donations are tax deductible.

For tournament information, vist www.texasgoldengloves.com or call 817-336-1313.

_ Jimmy Burch

Pavin joins field for 2010 Byron Nelson

Corey Pavin, a Dallas resident and captain of the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team, has committed to play in the HP Byron Nelson Championship, May 17-23 in Irving. Tournament officials announced Pavin’s addition to the field today. Pavin, 50, has won 15 PGA Tour events, including the 1995 U.S. Open and two Colonial titles (1985, 1996).

_ Jimmy Burch

Colonial field has 92 commitments

After today's latest round of commitments to the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, tournament officials have 92 confirmed pledges to participate May 24-30 in Fort Worth.

The list includes commitments from all four reigning major champions: Phil Mickelson (Masters), Lucas Glover (U.S. Open), Stewart Cink (British Open) and Southlake resident Y.E. Yang (PGA Championship). Other notable names in the field include defending champ Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Ian Poulter, Angel Cabrera, John Daly, Kenny Perry and 11 other players with Tarrant County ties: Mark Brooks, Chad Campbell, K.J. Choi, Ben Crane, Jason Day, Martin Flores, J.J. Henry, Hunter Mahan, Ryan Palmer, John Rollins and Rory Sabbatini, the 2007 Colonial champ.

Commitments are not official until May 21. As things stand, here is the full list of names: 

Robert Allenby, Stephen Ames, Byeong-Hun An*, Woody Austin, Briny Baird, Ricky Barnes, Cameron Beckman, Jason Bohn, Michael Bradley, Mark Brooks, Jonathan Byrd, Angel Cabrera, Chad Campbell, K.J. Choi, Stewart Cink, Tim Clark, Keith Clearwater, Ben Crane, John Daly, Brian Davis, Jason Day, Jason Dufner, David Duval, Matt Every, Steve Flesch, Martin Flores, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Brian Gay, Lucas Glover, Paul Goydos, Nathan Green, J.P. Hayes, J.J. Henry, Tim Herron, Charley Hoffman, Yuta Ikeda, Ryuji Imada, Trevor Immelman, Fredrik Jacobson, Dustin Johnson, Jerry Kelly, Jeff Klauk, Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird, Derek Lamely, Marc Leishman, Justin Leonard, Hunter Mahan, Steve Marino, Troy Matteson, Billy Mayfair, George McNeill, John Merrick, Phil Mickelson, Bryce Molder, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, Sean O’Hair, Ryan Palmer, Rod Pampling, Pat Perez, Kenny Perry, Tim Petrovic, D.A. Points, Ian Poulter, Alex Prugh, Brett Quigley, John Rollins, Rory Sabbatini, John Senden, Michael Sim, Webb Simpson, Jeev Milkha Singh, Heath Slocum, Brandt Snedeker, Kyle Stanley, Henrik Stenson, Kevin Streelman, Steve Stricker, Kevin Sutherland, Vaughn Taylor, David Toms, Bo Van Pelt, Scott Verplank, Nick Watney, Boo Weekley, Matt Weibring, Mike Weir, Charlie Wi, Mark Wilson, Y.E. Yang.
* _ denotes U.S. Amateur champion

_ Jimmy Burch

Daly accepts sponsor's exemption to Colonial

John Daly, a two-time major champion and subject of a reality TV show, has accepted a sponsor’s exemption to compete in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, May 24-30 in Fort Worth.

It will mark the first Colonial appearance since 1999 by Daly, winner of the 1991 PGA Championship and 1995 British Open.

Tournament officials said today that Daly also has agreed to play in the Monday pro-am during tournament week.

“Obviously, there’s a Q-rating there,” said Peter Ripa, Colonial tournament director. Indeed, Daly is the only non-exempt member of the PGA Tour with his own reality TV show: Being John Daly, which airs on The Golf Channel.

Other sponsor’s exemptions announced today went to Martin Flores, a PGA Tour rookie and Mansfield High School graduate, and Matt Every, winner of the 2006 Ben Hogan Award. With the latest round of commitments, which inculdes pledges from Robert Allenby, Billy Mayfair and Yuta Ikeda, the Colonial field stands at 92 players.

Included are commitments from all four of the reigning major champions: Phil Mickelson (Masters), Lucas Glover (U.S. Open), Stewart Cink (British Open) and Southlake resident Y.E. Yang (PGA Championship). The last time the Colonial field included all four major champions was in 1995.

Chuck Scherer, Colonial tournament chairman, said he was “very excited” to extend a sponsor’s exemption to Daly, 43, who has five career victories at PGA Tour events but none since 2004.

“I think his book of work absolutely deserves it,” Scherer said. “This is a guy that brings a lot of excitement to the crowd. He’s won two majors. He’s won multiple other tournaments. So we thought, ‘What can we do to help him get back on track?’ We decided to give him an exemption.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Three players from Big 12 schools among 2010 Hogan Award semifinalists

Three players from Big 12 schools have been selected among the 10 semifinalists for the 2010 Ben Hogan Award, given to the nation’s top college golfer.

Texas’ Dylan Frittelli joins two players from Oklahoma State, Kevin Tway and Peter Uihlein, among the semifinalists announced today by award organizers. The winner will be announced May 24 in Fort Worth as part of tournament week activities at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Other semifinalists include Alabama’s Bud Cauley, Stanford’s David Chung, Georgia’s Harris English, Georgia’s Russell Henley, Wake Forest’s Brendan Gielow, Augusta (Ga.) State’s Patrick Reed and Washington’s Nick Taylor. Kevin Tway is the son of Champions Tour competitor Bob Tway.

The list of candidates will be thinned May 11 to three finalists. All three finalists will attend the live announcement of the winner, May 24 at Colonial.

For more information about the Hogan Award dinner in Fort Worth, call 817-840-2219.

A list of the semifinalists (in alphabetical order):

Bud Cauley, Alabama
David Chung, Stanford
Harris English, Georgia
Dylan Frittelli, Texas
Brendan Gielow, Wake Forest
Russell Henley, Georgia
Patrick Reed, Augusta State
Nick Taylor, Washington
Kevin Tway, Oklahoma State
Peter Uihlein, Oklahoma State

_ Jimmy Burch

Colonial lands all four reigning major champions for 2010 field

Y.E. Yang, a Southlake resident and winner of the 2009 PGA Championship, added his name to the commitment list Monday for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

By doing so, the field for Fort Worth’s annual PGA Tour event achieved a distinction it has not seen in 15 years. Yang became the fourth, and final, reigning major champion to pledge to participate in the May 24-30 event at Colonial Country Club.

The last time a Colonial field featured all of golf’s reigning major champions was in 1995.

“Whatever your measure of success is for an elite field, we’re getting it,” said Peter Ripa, Colonial tournament director. “For this to be the first time in 15 years (to get all four major champions) … I’ll take it. It’s great. We’re very grateful.”

Yang, who defeated Tiger Woods in a head-to-head Sunday showdown to claim last year’s PGA title, joins a Colonial field that already included Masters champion Phil Mickelson, U.S. Open champ Lucas Glover and British Open champ Stewart Cink.

Yang is among a recent wave of Colonial commitments that includes Henrik Stenson, last year’s winner at The Players Championship, and 2009 Masters champ Angel Cabrera, who will be making his Colonial debut. Other recent additions among the 86 players who have committed to compete in Fort Worth include Stephen Ames, Ricky Barnes, Trevor Immelman, Matt Kuchar, Steve Marino, Scott Verplank, Nick Watney and Boo Weekley.

In addition to Yang, other recent inclusions among Tarrant County residents include Chad Campbell, K.J. Choi and J.J. Henry.

In the wake of this week’s updated world rankings, the Colonial field features four of the world’s top six golfers: Mickelson (No. 2), defending champ Steve Stricker (No. 3), Ian Poulter (No. 5) and Jim Furyk (No. 6).

The reigning major champions in the 1995 Colonial field were Ben Crenshaw (1995 Masters), Ernie Els (1994 U.S. Open) and Nick Price (1994 British Open, 1994 PGA).

_ Jimmy Burch