FANTASY PREVIEW: HP Byron Nelson | Sign up for fantasy

Like the decline of U.S. mail following the holidays, emails into FantasyInsider@charter.net were scant after last week’s PLAYERS, at least for relevant submissions in this space. That’s quite all right, however, as it offers great timing for gamers in full-season formats to plan ahead.

Unless you play a one-and-done that requires you to plug in an entire year’s worth of what are basically guesses in early January, you’re always on the hunt for value. The PGA TOUR season is long and it requires patience. Sometimes you just need to let your guys play golf.

Yet there are bubbles throughout the year when pouncing on certain guys makes more sense than during your draft. The first occurs at the end of the West Coast Swing when the Nationwide Tour and q-school graduates reshuffle for the first time. The second bubble falls in line with the second reshuffle following the Shell Houston Open. We are now entering the third bubble.

The top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking following this weekend’s slate of tournaments worldwide will qualify for the field at the U.S. Open. The top 50 will earn exemptions into the British Open. And those are just the cracks in the dam for what will be a deluge of exemptions distributed by both majors in the coming weeks.

Numerous valuable fantasy investments will emerge at the qualifiers. U.S. Open sectional qualifying is contested on May 21 in Japan, May 28 in England and June 4 in the United States. Of the 72 that survived the cut at Congressional in last year’s U.S. Open, 33 gained entry into the tournament through sectional qualifying. (Four started in local qualifying, including 2012 rookie Bud Cauley.)

The remaining International Final Qualifying sites for the British Open are held on May 21 in the U.S. and June 25 in Europe. Twelve berths at Local Final Qualifying on July 3 will also earn exemptions. Last year, 10 of the 71 in the field at Royal St. George’s gained entry via an IFQ. Opening-round co-leader, Tom Lewis, was the lone representative of the dozen LFQers.

If you haven’t already bookmarked my list of all golfers exempt into the four majors, the three World Golf Championships and THE PLAYERS, you can find it by clicking here. Scroll to the bottom to review all remaining qualifying criteria for the events that on tap in the coming months.

Courtesy of Ed Bettross

Vaughn Taylor with his 56-pound, 2-ounce striped bass.

IRVING, Texas – Vaughn Taylor is back on the PGA TOUR this week, playing in the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

He wasn’t in the field at last week’s THE PLAYERS Championship, but nevertheless, it was a productive week, as Taylor caught a 56-pound, 2-ounce striped bass on the Savannah River in Georgia, a record for that species at that river.

“My biggest previous one was 11 pounds, so this was huge for me,” Taylor told the Augusta Chronicle. “I had heard of 20 pounders out there and hoped maybe I’d catch one some day.”

Ed Bettross, the Senior Fisheries Biologist with the Wildlife Resources Division at the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources, did the official weigh-in of the fish and took the above photo.

For more on Taylor’s big catch, click for Augusta Chronicle story

Both players were asked Wednesday on the eve of this year’s HP Byron Nelson Championship about their thoughts on Nelson, who died in 2006. Here’s what they said:

Mickelson

PHIL MICKELSON: “It was a cool relationship that I had to be able to spend time with him, have dinner with him and talk with him, go out to the golf course and spend time with him.

“I think he was one of the highest individuals‑‑ the most moralistic, most ethical man I have ever met, and he treated people well.  He was a credit to the game because he treated people like they should be treated and showed you how to act.  His wife Peggy is such a neat lady and has carried on his great tradition.

“I think it’s just the time spent, you know, the time spent asking questions, learning about what it was like back in the 40s, 50s, learning what it was like for him growing up.  It was the time to talk to him I think that was my biggest memory.

“He was so sharp and mentally with it even to his last days that it impressed me that he would be able to recollect tournaments from 60 years prior, and that always fascinated me. “

Els

ERNIE ELS: “First of all, the start of my career I started in Dallas, back in ’90 and ’91.  I met a lot of great people and went through school from Dallas, and there is a nice connection there.

“I started playing in the early 90s, met Mr.Nelson, and we used to do a clinic on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and I remember in ’95 I had a clinic, and he was sitting behind us and watching us hit balls, and after the clinic was done he came to me and said, ‘You know, I think you swing the club as good as I’ve seen anybody swing the club.’

“And that gave me confidence to know early on, at an early age in my career that I was doing things right.  I went on to win the tournament.  He was always helping me. “

Poroy/Getty Images

Steve Marino hasn’t played since the end of January.

Steve Marino,  who has been sidelined with a knee injury since the end of January, will return to action at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, May 31-June 3 at Muirfield Village.

Marino, who underwent surgery on his right knee last October to repair a torn meniscus, has not played since the Farmers Insurance Open, where he tied for 66th.

“This is one of those injuries that takes time to heal and rehab,” Marino said in a statement Wednesday. “I tried to play in January but I experienced a lot of swelling and pain. If you try to come back too early you can do more damage. So, I had to learn how to be patient. I have done that and I have gone through the necessary rehab and now I am eager to get back out on TOUR.”

Marino made three starts this season before shutting it down. His best finish was a tie for 19th in the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.

The 32-year-old has made 144 starts without a victory on the PGA TOUR, but has come close a handful of times with four career runner-up finishes.

Let us know your memories and thoughts about Nelson, Hogan and Snead

By Ben Crenshaw, Special to PGATOUR.COM

Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead.

What you have are three fascinating and very different players who came along at the same time who possessed higher skills than anyone else at the time. I suppose you classify them collectively picking up the mantle after the Jones era. And that they happened to all three be born in 1912 — at a time when so much was changing — that is fascinating in itself.

Crenshaw

When you stand back and see all three of them, they shaped our game until Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and Gary Player came along.

I suppose there is one argument that’s for the ages — which one of these players impressed you most — and there are always different camps.

Ben Hogan hit the ball better than anybody. Byron Nelson had his camp too. It’s hard to believe that anybody would hit the ball better than what he did. How consistent he was. Consistency, no question, marked his performances. But ability-wise and shot- making they say Sam Snead.

They were just astounding, astounding players. I don’t think there’s any question in my mind that it wouldn’t matter what era they were playing in, they would have made it work despite the equipment. They were that good.

I’ve seen a lot of golfers in my time, but there have never been three players who have impressed me more. Not only in the way they played and their records, but what they meant to the game. They sort of burst onto the scene in the mid 30s and took over for so long — through the late ‘50s when their names were on everybody’s lips.

What they accomplished– individually and collectively — was unbelievable.

CLICK HERE FOR CRENSHAW’S THOUGHTS ON BYRON NELSON

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas — Now that he’s won the biggest tournament of his PGA TOUR career, Matt Kuchar faces the challenge of quickly getting refocused again this week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

It won’t be easy. No player since Tiger Woods late in the 2009 season has won a TOUR event on consecutive calendar weeks. Rickie Fowler came close last week, finishing tied for second two strokes behind Kuchar, just one week after winning the Wells Fargo Championship.

Kuchar

Kuchar, fresh off Sunday’s win at THE PLAYERS Championship, is trying to get back to a normal routine while still having to pinch himself about his success at TPC Sawgrass.

"Didn’t do much sleeping on Sunday (night)," Kuchar said, "got up early Monday and had to read the paper and and watch the highlight reels just to make sure it really did happen. Had to go through a couple of different checklists to make sure it all did happen."

Of his three previous wins on TOUR prior to THE PLAYERS, Kuchar twice played the following week. After his 2002 win at The Honda Classic, he finished T28 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. And after his 2010 win at The Barclays to start the FedExCup Playoffs, he finished T11 the next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

He said the biggest challenge is trying to get his work in while going through the added responsibilities of media and other obligations, along with meeting with friends and fellow TOUR pros looking to congratulate him. He said a normally three- or four-hour practice routine on Tuesday might turn into seven or eight hours.

"The challenges are the extra distractions," he said. "They’re great distractions … They’re fun stuff. I wouldn’t want it a different way. Having your peers and players come up and congratulate you is a great feeling."

Kuchar said winning such a big event as THE PLAYERS might be reason enough to take the next week off. But his swing coach Chris O’Connell is from the area, giving Kuchar a chance to put in extended work on the range. Plus, Kuchar finished tied for sixth here last year, so he’s encouraged about his chances this week.

Plus, his children like making the trip.

"My kids always want to put on their cowboy boots," Kuchar said. "They know that cowboys live in Texas, so when they come here, they want to be cowboys. So they have a good time coming to Texas as well."

Did our experts get it right? Let us know who you think will win this week in the comments section below.

Phil Mickelson/Adam Scott/Ernie Els – This group features three former champions. Ernie Els won the tournament in his 1995 debut while Mickelson, who won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am earlier this year, took the title in 1996 and was runner-up four years later. Scott won in 2008 after tying for third two years earlier.

Jason Dufner/Jhonnatan Vegas/Louis Oosthuizen — Jason Dufner picked up his first PGA TOUR victory in New Orleans, got married the following week and got back into action at THE PLAYERS. Oosthuizen nearly won his second major earlier this year, losing the Masters playoff to Bubba Watson, while Vegas is coming off his best performance of the season, a tie for seventh at THE PLAYERS.

Matt Kuchar/Vijay Singh/Padraig Harrington – Kuchar comes to Dallas with plenty of momentum after winning THE PLAYERS on Sunday, his fifth top-10 in his last seven starts. Singh has missed his last two cuts but he won in Dallas in 2003 while Harrington, a three-time major champion who has two top-10s this season, is making his debut at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

Keegan Bradley/Rory Sabbatini/Jason Day – This group features the last three champions. Bradley beat Ryan Palmer in a playoff last year before winning the PGA Championship in August on the way to PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors. Day made the 2010 tournament his breakthrough PGA TOUR victory. Sabbatini’s 2009 victory gave the Fort Worth resident the Metroplex Slam after winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial two years earlier.

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

IRVING, Texas — Some players are made for certain courses. Keegan Bradley and the TPC Four Seasons Resort course might very well be one of those perfect marriages.

It’s a course that benefits solid performance off the tee, the dog legs requiring precision and the 7,166 yards — often into tricky winds — requiring length. Bradley, the defending champ of the HP Byron Nelson Championship, is one of the TOUR’s best players with driver in his hand.

Bradley

"I’ve always said on the PGA TOUR, driving the ball is so important because it sets you up for the whole rest of the course," Bradley said Tuesday. "It’s a course that’s demanding off the tee and precise shots that need to be hit."

Bradley won his first TOUR event here last year and eventually added the PGA Championship and TOUR Rookie of the Year honors to his resume. One of the strengths is his game is his ability off the tee.

Last year, he ranked 20th in driving distance and 96th in driving accuracy. Those two categories are combined to make up the total driving statistic, of which Bradley ranked 12th.

He’s even better this year. He ranks 16th in driving distance and 77th in accuracy, which puts him 10th in total driving.

"I like to drive the ball well," Bradley said. "Any course that’s demanding off the tee, like Akron or the PGA, I like them.

"I’m not a player that likes wide-open golf courses. I like ‘em tight."

Although he’s yet to return to the winner’s circle this year, Bradley’s been knocking on the door, with a playoff loss at the Northern Trust Open and two other top-10 finishes. Don’t be surprised if he breaks the drought here this week.

“I feel like my game is in a good spot,” Bradley said. “I feel comfortable, more fit than I ever have in my whole career. Everything seems to be coming together really well.”

Growing up in Texas, Rusty Wilson loved watching one of the state’s favorite sons tee it up each year. As the superintendent at TPC Four Seasons Resort, host of this week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship, he’s now fulfilling a boyhood dream.

“It’s the reason I took the job,” said Wilson, who is in his ninth year at TPC Four Seasons Resort. “I grew up watching the Byron Nelson and Colonial and feel lucky and privileged that I’m now in charge of prepping the course for this event with a rich history.”

The tournament course was fortunate to avoid any damage from the Texas twisters that touched down in the Lone Star State back in March. But Texas was not so lucky last summer when it was hit with one of the worst droughts in the state’s history.

The Bermudagrass fairways (which the course converted to from a traditional winter ryegrass between 2008 and 2009) suffered. With irrigation restrictions, the turf didn’t get enough water. Thankfully, this year’s warmer winter — and early spring — brought it back just in time for the tournament.

According to Wilson, good planning and a long-range plan that is strictly followed are the keys to getting the course ready. He’s got an experienced crew to help meet this plan, with his employees having anywhere from 10 to 25 years at the club.

“They know where the course needs to be,” he said.

Leading up to the event, the turf is fed with growth regulators and additional applications get the rough to the right height, which this year is set at 2 inches.

“We test the soil regularly to ensure we’ve achieved the right nutrient levels for the plant on the fairways, tees and in the rough,” Wilson explained. “We also create a custom-blended fertilizer to apply to the greens.”

Since 2011, only a couple of minor changes have been made to the TPC Four Seasons course. Some new trees were added on the right side of the rough at the eighth hole and on No. 14, some smaller trees were planted.

Wilson likens the task of preparing the turf prior to a TOUR event to the care and precision a pharmacist takes to make sure he has the right dose for his patient.

“It’s like filling a prescription,” he said. “You get it down to a science and do only what you truly need to do. There is a lot of science involved. It’s not just mowing grass. The part I love is creating conditions that test the players.”

Lyons/Getty Images

Matt Kuchar, despite his tall frame, employs one of the flattest swings on TOUR.

Kuuuuuuuuutch!  I’m not sure if there could be a better start to the PGA TOUR season as yet another young American found the winner’s circle.  There was no question Matt Kuchar was the most consistent player over four days at THE PLAYERS Championship. All week, Kuchar showed the game and patience needed to navigate the difficult Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

At the TOUR Academies, we get a lot of questions about Kuchar’s golf swing.  It is certainly a bit unusual  seeing that its shape is more around the body and flat as compared to most swings you see on the PGA TOUR. However, it is certainly a swing that can help so many amateurs when understood.

TRAVIS’ TIP

One of the things I like about Kuchar’s swing is the path of his hands during the backswing.  Matt does a great job of keeping his upper left arm attached to the side of the body while his shoulders turn.  This allows his hands to travel to the inside and not away from his body. One of the most common errors during the backswing is the lead arm becomes immediately disconnected from the body during the backswing.  This movement is usually countered with the club head moving behind the hands, which results in a faulty plane and eventually compensation on the downswing and/or impact.

What’s important to understand here is that your hands and the clubhead should be viewed as two separate components during the backswing.  Now everything is always relative, but most amateurs need to feel a combination where the hands stay close to the body as described above and over the toe-line with the clubhead working up and slightly to the outside of the hands.

Kuchar does a great job of blending these two components during the initial backswing.  A good checkpoint is when the shaft reaches parallel to the ground — it should also be parallel and over your toe-line. Again, at this point your upper lead arm should be attached to the body with the toe of the clubface pointing slightly toward 11 o’clock. This is a great position to get your swing started just like Kuchar does.

Travis Fulton is the Director of Instruction at the TOUR Academies at TPC Sawgrass and the World Golf Village. For more information on the TOUR Academy, click here.

Getty Images

Patrick Reed is 3-for-3 in cuts made on the PGA TOUR in 2012.

INSIDE THE FIELD: Field updates from the HP Byron Nelson Championship

By Michael Curet, Special to PGATOUR.COM

Patrick Reed earned his third straight Monday qualifier berth on the PGA TOUR this year, firing a 64 at Lantana Golf Club to secure a spot in this week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship field.

The 21-year-old native of San Antonio, Texas and former Augusta State golfer is trying to make his fourth consecutive cut on the PGA TOUR. He finished T35 in the Valero Texas Open, T23 in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and T32 at the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago at Quail Hollow.

Shooting 5-under 67 to join Reed in the field as qualifiers were PGA teaching professional Stuart Deane of Arlington, Texas and former PGA TOUR member Todd Demsey of Scottsdale, Ariz.. Three-time PGA TOUR winner Robert Gamez shot 4-under and earned the final spot in the field in a playoff with Samuel Cyr, Cole Moreland, and Chris Thompson.

Deane will be returning to his home course at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Las Calinas, where he made the cut in 2008. The 40-year-old Australian spent a number of years on the Australasian Tour before settling in Texas.

Demsey, who turns 40 later this month, was a member of the PGA TOUR in 1997 and 2008, in addition to playing nine straight years on the Nationwide Tour, coming back after two surgeries to remove a brain tumor in 2002 and 2003. He tied for second on the in the 1996 Nike Monterrey Open and at the Buy.com Virginia Beach Open. In his only Nationwide Tour start in 2012, he missed the cut at the Chitamacha Louisiana Open.

The 43-year-old Gamez won twice in 1990 on TOUR (Northern Telecom Tucson Open, Nestle Invitational) and came back in 2005 to win the Valero Texas Open. The TOUR veteran has eight runner-up finishes and has made 271 cuts in 529 events played during his career.

This year, Gamez has played in four PGA TOUR events, with his only cut made coming at the Puerto Rico Open (T58). His most recent top-10 finish on PGA TOUR came two years ago, when he tied for fifth at the Reno-Tahoe Open.

Halleran/Getty Images

Dustin Johnson has missed nearly two months of competition.

Dustin Johnson, who has been plagued by back pain for the better part of the last two months, plans to return to the PGA TOUR at the Memorial Tournament.

Johnson has not played since he tied for 35th at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship the second week in March. He had posted top-10 finishes in his three starts prior to Doral.

“Obviously, I can’t wait to get back out and compete,” Johnson said in a statement released by his management company. “I came into this year with some big goals, including making our Ryder Cup team, so I’ve got some serious ground to make up this summer.”

The Memorial Tournament will be played May 31-June 3 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Johnson finished fourth in the event hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus a year ago.

Johnson had arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage to his right knee last November. In his first start of 2012, he withdrew from the Humana Challenge after the second round, citing back pain, and later did the same prior to the Arnold Palmer Invitational March in hopes of being ready for the Masters.

The Friday prior to the start of the Masters, though, Johnson was trying to lift a jet ski near his home and severely strained his lower back muscles. He has been resting and rehabbing ever since.

“I’m feeling better every day and working hard, so I plan to be 100 percent ready by the time the Memorial rolls around,” Johnson said. “I’m still a little rusty, but it’s falling off in chunks.”

The five-time PGA TOUR champion had hoped to play in the HP Byron Nelson Championship this week. But he decided to wait two more weeks to be completely ready.

“It will be great to get back out there and I can assure you I’ll be plenty motivated," Johnson said.

The third-year tournament announced Woods’ commitment in a press release on Monday. According to the schedule on his website, Woods will play the Memorial Tournament, U.S. Open, AT&T National, The Greenbrier Classic, British Open and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods is coming off a disappointing two-week stretch where he missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship and tied for 40th at THE PLAYERS Championship. Woods also tied for 40th at the Masters, two weeks after breaking a 30-month victory drought at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. 

“We are pleased and excited to have one of the all-time greats in the game join The Greenbrier Classic’s 2012 field,” said Jim Justice, chairman and owner of The Greenbrier. “Tiger is one of the biggest stars in all of sport and he brings significant attention to any event he enters. All involved with The Greenbrier Classic look forward to hosting Tiger on The Old White TPC Course as one of the professionals in this year’s field at America’s resort on America’s birthday.”

The Greenbrier Classic will be held July 2-8 at the Old White TPC Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.

Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: The best images from THE PLAYERS Championship

Kevin Na made an amazing recovery on the 72nd hole at TPC Sawgrass by nailing a hybrid from the cart path. Write your best caption (and note the Rickie Fowler look-alike on the right). 

Write your answer below — and please, keep it clean!

Participants have until 6 a.m. ET Thursday to make their picks. Log on to the PGA TOUR Facebook page and click the Matchups link to make your picks for this week, or to sign up.

GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE TO PLAY MATCHUPS GAME

Ernie Els is writing a blog for PGATOUR.COM this year and this is his most recent installment. For more information on Els, visit www.ernieels.com.

As I was saying in my previous update THE PLAYERS Championship is one of those tournaments where I’ve not really had much success, just four top-10s in my previous 18 appearances. Well, my 19^th appearance didn’t set that record straight. I don’t know. It’s a wonderful golf course but there is something about it that I just can’t seem to get to grips with. I didn’t play too badly, but after a pair of 74s that was me done for the week. If I had to put my finger on one thing it was my driving. I didn’t hit enough fairways, which makes it tough to score here. Very disappointing, but there you go.

On a brighter note, it was wonderful to be there on Wednesday night with my fellow South African golfers Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini to celebrate the career of Gary Player who was receiving the PGA TOUR’s Lifetime Achievement Award. It was a fun night and of course it is a richly well-deserved honor for Gary. He’s one of golf’s true legends, a hero of mine when I was growing up and a man I am now proud to call a great friend.

This week’s tournament in many ways celebrates the life of another legend of the game, Byron Nelson. I won the Byron Nelson in 1995, the first time I’d ever teed it up in this tournament, but this will be the first time I’ve played it since 2006.

This year would have been Byron’s 100^th birthday and it says a lot about the man that his legacy still endures on the PGA TOUR today. He was a real gentleman and I count myself blessed to have got to know him and enjoyed his company over dinner a few times. Winning the tournament all those years ago and talking to Byron afterwards is still one of the standout memories of my professional career.

As many of you golf fans will know, the HP Byron Nelson Championship used to be played on two golf courses the first couple of days – the TPC Four Seasons Resort, the tougher of the pair, and Cottonwood Valley where I shot a course record 61 on the way to winning the tournament 17 years ago. Then at the weekend we’d play TPC both days. They changed that format in 2008 and now all four rounds are on the TPC layout.

When I think back over the years my record in this tournament has been pretty strong. As I said, I won here in 1995 and I’ve got quite a few top-10s under my belt. The TPC is a good test of golf and has statistically one of the most demanding opening stretches of holes on the PGA TOUR. Hitting fairways is very tough, so I’ll have to step it up a bit from my performance at Sawgrass last week. The rough tends to be quite severe here as well, so fairways and greens is really the name of the game.

If it’s calm then players will go pretty low this week. But this is Texas, remember, and it can get windy. That means playing conditions become more challenging. You need to be able to hit a lot of different shots, use the wind or hold shots up against it. You have to use your imagination and I’ve always kind of liked that.

Let’s see how we go.

Carroll/Getty Images

This week, the PGA TOUR is at the TPC Four Seasons Resort for the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Here are some of the features you can expect to see on PGATOUR.COM:

DORMAN COLUMN

PGATOUR.COM featured columnist Larry Dorman will take a final look at last week’s THE PLAYERS Championship, the flagship event of the PGA TOUR.  Coming Tuesday

To access previous columns written by Larry Dorman, click here.

CRENSHAW ON LORD BYRON

Two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, also one of the game’s great historians, offers his perspective of Byron Nelson, namesake of this week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship. PGATOUR.COM is honoring Nelson as part of its Century Celebration series that also includes Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, as all three legends were born 100 years ago this year. Coming Wednesday

TOP 10 TUESDAY

With the first half of this PGA TOUR season now in the books, we’ve got video highlights of the top 10 shots from the first half. Coming Tuesday

DIRECT CONNECT

This week’s guest is Erik Compton, whose inspirational story as a double heart transplant recipient has made him one of the TOUR’s most intriguing players to follow. Compton will be fielding questions from PGATOUR.COM readers. Coming Wednesday

KEEGAN’S BACK

Keegan Bradley broke through with his first PGA TOUR win a year ago at the TPC Four Seasons Resort, then went on to claim the PGA Championship later in the year. Now he’s back to defend his first title. Coming Wednesday

COMPLETE TOURNAMENT COVERAGE

HP BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP: We’ll have on-site coverage from Dallas at this week’s PGA TOUR event, including live updates on our TOUR Report.

BMW CHARITY PRO-AM PRESENTED BY SYNNEX CORP.: Scores and recaps from this week’s Nationwide Tour event from three different courses in the Carolinas.

DOWN THE STRETCH ON GOLF CHANNEL

Get an exclusive look behind the scenes with the leaders before and during the final round of THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP. Watch on Golf Channel on Monday night at 8 p.m.

Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient, has had a respectable rookie season, with eight cuts made in 12 starts. This will be his first start in the HP Byron Nelson Championship at the TPC Four Seasons Resort.

Direct Connect video will be posted each Wednesday afternoon on PGATOUR.COM.

Tuesday, May 15
Nancy Lopez — 11:15 a.m. ET
Keegan Bradley — 11:40 a.m. ET
Matt Kuchar — 2 p.m. ET
Erik Compton — 3 p.m. ET

Wednesday, May 16
Adam Scott – TBD
Ernie Els – TBD

Immelman

An integral part of that fantastic finish is the island-green par-3 17th hole. The middle of a stretch of holes that comprise the par-5 16th, the 17th and the demanding par-4 finishing 18th hole, the 17th is only 137 yards long — a short iron for most competitors — but the capricious spring winds and the nature of the hole make it the perfect setting for both triumph and tragedy. Much like the Coliseum in Rome, galleries surround the hole and the players enter it just as the gladiators would. In reality the short par-3 should really be a doddle for the competitors and I am convinced that if the hole were not surrounded by water it would probably have an under-par tournament stroke average. But that is not the case and each and every player breathes a sigh of relief if he leaves the 17th en route to the 18th tee with a par on the card.

The 18th tee saw an event unfold on Saturday afternoon that caused a lot of chatter from the galleries, the announcers and some of the players. Clearly struggling with emotional and mental challenges, Kevin Na took more than his regular number of pre-shot waggles before he stepped out of the shot and took a violent practice swing as he chided himself with “Pull the trigger, Kevin!”

Inasmuch as it was unbearable to watch, there is a lot to learn from Kevin Na’s travails. I often see clients who struggle with the same challenge of clearing their minds and pulling the trigger and the advice I offer them is simple. Don’t fret the situation and develop a swing trigger.

Too often when one becomes concerned with starting the swing or hitting the shot, the event begins to become bigger in the individual’s mind than what it really is. In a sense, the player becomes a victim of his/her own alternate reality. So get back to the truth and remind yourself that it is fine to take a little extra time (as long as you have not dawdled en route to the shot). Remind yourself also that the shot that you are over is only as good as the next one. Indeed Ben Hogan described the “next shot” as the most important one.

Secondly, develop a swing trigger. A great example of a swing trigger is the right knee “kick-in” as used by Gary Player. Before Player swings the club back he kicks the right knee in and this move forms a brace for the backswing and creates enough flow and movement to trigger the backswing. In my opinion the knee kick is the best trigger for the golf swing. If that does not work for you other triggers that could be employed are: a turn of the head to the right (see Jack Nicklaus); a slight turn of the hips in the opposite direction of which they would turn in the backswing. Even a blink of the eyes (as if you were clicking a picture of the ball with your eyes) to start would help. Anything that makes the start rhythmical and less cerebral will go a long way to helping you to get that club swinging back smoothly.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team.  For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution available on iTunes/iBooks. 

Lyons/Getty Images

Matt Kuchar’s old putting prowess returned at THE PLAYERS Championship.

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Matt Kuchar had not enjoyed a good putting year – until this week at THE PLAYERS Championship. In 2010 he was eighth on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained-Putting. In 2011 he slipped to 26th, and this season Kuchar is 132nd. This week the Kuchar of old returned with a renewed putting stroke, and rounds of 27, 26, 26 and 31 putts. He finished second this week in SGP.

Waggles: Kevin Na played poorly on Sunday, shooting 4-over 76. It happens. Na still earned the admiration of the press and his fellow competitors for the way he handled Saturday’s spotlight. When Na could not pull the trigger on shots, he did not hide his problem. Instead he apologized and tried to explain his affliction. What’s curious to me is Na having to hit only after an even number of waggles. If he doesn’t swing at two, he has to take four waggles, then six and then a back off. Why only even-numbered waggles?

Press room: One of the delights of working THE PLAYERS Championship is the array of foreign press. The tournament attracts worldwide coverage, which can make for a lively press room. Early Sunday morning, all eyes were watching the soccer match between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers. Manchester City scored twice in stoppage time to clinch its first league title in 44 years. Oh, the excitement.

Rickie: Rickie Fowler received a terrible break with a bad lie on the fifth hole, which led to double bogey, yet he persevered in the tournament. Fowler battled to the end and had a putt on 18 to finish 12 under. Just before stroking the putt, the gallery groaned when a video board showed Kuchar making bogey at 17. Fowler had to back off, go through his routine again and then pushed the putt to the right. If Kuchar plays the 18th with a one-shot lead as opposed to a two-shot margin, the hole becomes much more difficult. It takes some good luck along with good shots to win.

Double free: Playing a hard golf course in sometimes windy conditions, Kuchar went 72 holes without a single double bogey. It’s the doubles that are so debilitating in a round, sapping momentum. Kuchar never followed up a mistake with another mistake. He pounded greens in the final round, hitting 15 of 18.

Tiger: There seems to be a feeling that Tiger Woods is lost and playing terrible golf. That’s just wrong. He did not have a good week, finishing 40th at 1 under. The big picture shows Woods is ranked 13th in FedExCup standings, 13th on the money list and seventh in the world. That is a career year for most players.

Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and inside the ropes this week at THE PLAYERS Championship. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.