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

Curtis’ surprise win last month at TPC San Antonio put him back among the TOUR’s elite, and he’s followed it up with top-five finishes at the Wells Fargo Championship and the THE PLAYERS Championship. He is also in the field this week at the the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance.

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

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Phil Mickelson has always had an interest in baseball, and in 2011 took batting practice before a Yankees-Red Sox game.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

Phil Mickelson, who is the second-leading career money leader on the PGA TOUR with more than $66 million in earnings, is interested in owning a piece of his hometown San Diego Padres, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“I’ve had the opportunity to invest in other sports franchises, and I’ve turned it down in the past,” Mickelson told the newspaper on Monday. “This was a unique opportunity with families that had done this before and know how to do it right and want to get involved in the community.”

Mickelson is part of a group of investors that includes the four of the grandchildren of former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley. They are one of five known parties interested in John Moores’ controlling interest in the Padres, according to the newspaper.

Three years ago, Mickelson turned down an opportunity to own a piece of the baseball franchise.

“When we met with Phil we were inspired by his commitment to San Diego and his passion for the Padres,” Kevin O’Malley said in a prepared statement. “He is a world-class person, athlete and businessman with a strong history of charitable leadership and he will be an ideal partner for many years in San Diego.”

Mickelson added that he would put “a lot” of his own money in the deal, according to the newspaper, and that, “given the price tag, it’s a significant amount.”

A price has yet to be disclosed, though last month the Padres’ neighbors to the north, the Los Angeles Dodgers, fetched $2.1 billion.

Earlier this month, Forbes magazine ranked Mickelson No. 6 on its list of top earners in sports with an estimated $48 million in prize money, endorsements and other income between May 2011 and May 2012. Over the eight years of its “Fortune 50” rankings, the magazine estimates that Mickelson has earned more than $378 million.

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Rory McIlroy is coming off back-to-back missed cuts in his last two starts.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

In a departure from his usual routine of not playing the week before a major championship, Rory McIlroy will play the FedEx St. Jude Classic June 7-10 in Memphis, Tenn., before defending his U.S. Open title at the Olympic Club in San Francisco the following week.

“In Heathrow about to go to the US. Excited about the next 3 weeks! Memorial, Memphis and then defend the US Open in San Fran,” McIlroy tweeted before departing for the U.S. on Monday.

McIlroy, who will also play in this week’s Memorial tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, is coming off missed cuts in his last two starts and admitted to “taking his eye off the ball” with his recent preparation.

“Maybe just not practicing as hard as I might have been,” McIlroy said after a second-round 79 to miss the cut at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last week. McIlroy also missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship two weeks earlier. “I’ll just have to go and really work hard and try and get it back to the level that it was at earlier in the year.”

Asked after missing the cut Friday at Wentworth if he would consider changing his schedule, McIlroy said he didn’t think the concern had gotten to that stage yet. Between then and Monday, however, McIlroy changed his mind.

“I just feel like I’ve lacked competitive rounds a little bit,” McIlroy said last week. “I’m still confident in my abilities. It’s just a matter of working hard and trying to bring it up a level from where it has been the last couple of weeks.”

McIlroy last played in the FedEx St. Jude Classic two years ago, tying for 29th before missing the cut at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach a week later.

“The news of Rory’s commitment made this a memorable day for sure,” tournament director Phil Cannon told the Commercial Appeal. “Lots of hard work by a few individuals paid huge dividends.”

In six starts on the PGA TOUR this season, McIlroy has a win, two runner-up finishes and a third. He also has a pair of top-5 finishes on the European Tour and has traded places with Luke Donald atop the Official World Golf Ranking before losing his No. 1 spot following Donald’s victory last week at Wentworth.

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: The best images from Crowne Plaza Invitational, Senior PGA Championship

What is eventual champion Roger Chapman doing in the final round of the Senior PGA Championship? Write your answer below — and please, keep it clean!

Tuesday, May 29
11 a.m. ET: Branden Grace
1 p.m. ET: Bubba Watson
2:30 p.m. ET: Dustin Johnson
3:30 p.m. ET: PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem     

Wednesday, May 30
11 a.m. ET: Jack Nicklaus
Following 8:30 a.m. pro-am: Luke Donald
Following 8:30 a.m. pro-am: Steve Stricker
Following 8:30 a.m. pro-am: Rickie Fowler

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Jack Nicklaus greets first-time winner Justin Rose at Muirfield Village in 2010.

This week, the PGA TOUR is at Muirfield Village Golf Club for the the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance. 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 look at the one man who really challenged Jack Nicklaus on the PGA TOUR during the 1970s. Coming Tuesday

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

2013 PRESIDENTS CUP ANNOUCEMENT

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem will have a special announcement regarding the 2013 Presidents Cup. PGATOUR.COM will stream the announcement live at 3:30 p.m. ET, with post-announcement coverage afterwards. Coming Tuesday

TOP 10 TUESDAY

Paul Azinger’s holed bunker shot to win the 1993 Memorial — over close friend Payne Stewart, no less — remains one of the best shots in PGA TOUR history. We’ve got video highlights of the top 10 bunker shots ever seen on TOUR. Coming Tuesday

THE BOMBERS RETURN

Bubba Watson is back to work for just the second time since his breakthrough victory at the Masters. How will Bubba respond to the layoff? In nine starts this season, he’s been in contention nine times, with four top-10s.

Also returning is Dustin Johnson, who has been out with injury since the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. He finished solo fourth at the 2011 Memorial. Coming Wednesday

COMPLETE TOURNAMENT COVERAGE

THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE INSURANCE: We’ll have on-site coverage from Columbus at this week’s PGA TOUR event, including live updates on our TOUR Report.

REX HOSPITAL OPEN: Scores and recaps from this week’s Nationwide Tour event from TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh.

PRINCIPAL CHARITY CLASSIC: Scores and recaps from this week’s Champions Tour event from Glen Oaks in Des Moines.

Fresh off a top-10 finish, Ernie Els heads to the Memorial Tournament.

Editor’s note: Ernie Els is writing a blog for PGATOUR.COM in 2012 and here is his most recent installment. For more information on the World Golf Hall of Fame, visit www.ernieels.com.

Lots to talk about from the recent BMW PGA Championship. Obviously it was great to be back on what is virtually home turf for me. To be honest, it’s hard to think of a nicer place than Wentworth when the weather is as good as it was last week. It was my first time there this year and I’ve missed the place, I really have.

From the feedback and reactions I was getting in the tournament build-up there’s no question the players have appreciated the few tweaks that we’ve made to the West Course since the original renovation. If you play well then you can score well, but if you’re marginally off then the golf course will penalize you. I think we all agree that’s how it is meant to be with championship golf. I have so much passion for this event and for this golf course that I just want everything to be perfect for everyone.

Anyway, I want to focus today on what was a really fantastic week for European golf and for Wentworth Club. We had amazing weather and more than 95,000 spectators through the gates, which is a record for this tournament. And, of course, we had a fine and worthy winner in Luke Donald. I predicted at the start that a score of around 16 under might win and Luke was only one shot shy of that mark. He played great.

My week started with Sam Torrance caddying for me in the pro-am. He’d paid for the privilege at a charity auction in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. I didn’t know that until he walked on the first tee, which was a surprise to me but obviously a very nice one! Sam and I have been great friends for a long time. He must have been a good omen for me as well, because we won the pro-am on 24 under, which was some going. Ricci doesn’t have to worry, though. He’ll stay on the bag!

I’ve had a few slow starts in this tournament over the years, which has put pressure on me from the get-go. Not this year, though. My first round was almost perfect. Up to the 14^th tee it was a beautiful round of golf. I made a couple of soft bogeys, which was a shame, but I got lucky on No. 18 to get out of there with a par, so that kind of balanced the books a little bit. I went out wanting to shoot something under 70 so all in all I was happy with the way I played and happy with a 68.

Overall I was pretty happy with the way I played all week. The course got somewhat tougher as the week went on, especially on Friday and Saturday when the breeze picked up. The way the wind swirls around those big old trees, and with the course playing pretty firm, you had to be precise with your shots. But as I’ve always said, if you play good golf this course rewards you and some of the guys at the top of the leaderboard proved that. I shot 2 under on Saturday and got myself into a decent position going into the final round. I was maybe a bit too far back to challenge Luke, especially as solid as he tends to be these days, but there was plenty to play for.

I just didn’t quite get it going on Sunday, but a 5-under aggregate and tied-seventh was a solid performance in a tournament where I’ve really not had the best record in the past 10 years. I’ll take some positives over to Muirfield Village where this week I’ll be playing in another of my favorite tournaments, the Memorial.

Winning here in 2004 was definitely one of the highlights of my career. How much would I love to repeat that? A lot, obviously! I’ve loved this golf course since I first started coming here in the mid-1990s. Jack has done a fantastic job with the design. In my opinion, it’s one of the best golf courses that we play on the PGA TOUR and the way the guys set it up is perfect. Jack obviously has a world of experience as a golf course architect, but he’s also in the position of having been a great player and therefore he can see things through a professional player’s eyes.

Jack wants the players to feel challenged by the course and, because he prides himself on quality, he also wants it to be in perfect shape. And this golf course is perfect in every way – the greens, the fairways, the bunkers, the way the tees are mown; basically everything. It’s one of the best-conditioned courses that we play on all year and it is a joy to play on. The practice facilities are superb, as well.

Design-wise I think it suits my eye and the way I see my shots. It’s funny how some courses do that to you and then there are others where it’s the total opposite. One of the things I really like about Muirfield Village is the fairways are quite generous, so I feel I can be fairly aggressive off the tee. Actually, my driving this year has been one of the real strengths of my game. The Callaway RAZR Fit driver that I’m using is working seriously well for me and that is backed-up by my stats. I’m most improved player this year on the PGA TOUR for ‘total driving’ compared to 2011.

Going into the greens is where you can be quite creative at Muirfield Village, shaping your shots depending on the wind or the pin position. If you can give yourself plenty of opportunities, you can make some putts here because the greens are flawless. I had one of the best putting weeks of my life when I won in 2004; just 100 putts for four rounds, which I think is still a record for this tournament.

Anyway, I feel good about my chances every time I tee it up here. I just need to make a good start to this tournament – kind of establish myself early and then be in a good position going into the weekend’s play. Can’t wait to tee it up!

• Collects 500 FedExCup points and moves from No. 18 to No. 3 in the latest standings. He trails leader Jason Dufner by 349 points.

• Extends his fully-exempt status through the 2015 season.

• Earns his fourth victory in the Lone Star State. Johnson’s first three victories came in the state of Georgia. Now he’s won four of his last five in Texas.

• Records multiple victories at his third tournament: 2004/2007 AT&T Classic, 2008/2009 Valero Texas Open and 2010/2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

• Becomes the fourth-consecutive come-from-behind winner at Colonial, and the fifth since 2001. He joins Sergio Garcia (2001), Steve Stricker (2009), Zach Johnson (2010) and David Toms (2011).

• Loses his streak of 15 consecutive rounds in the 60s at Colonial with his final-round 72.

This victory is Johnson’s 8th in 226 career starts on the PGA TOUR. Here’s a list of all of Johnson’s TOUR victories:

2004: BellSouth Classic
2007: Masters Tournament, AT&T Classic
2008: Valero Texas Open
2009: Sony Open in Hawaii, Valero Texas Open
2010: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
2012: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

Halleran/Getty Images

Tommy Gainey had a game third-place finish, leading in two statistical categories.

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

FORT WORTH, Texas — What a strange 72nd hole. It started on the tee when Zach Johnson hit first, playing out of order. There is no penalty for that breach of etiquette but there was a two-shot penalty on the green, when Johnson moved his ball and did not properly replace it. PGA TOUR officials informed him of the penalty as he left the green and Johnson doubled over in disbelief before doing the arithmetic and realizing he still won by a single shot. Just a bizarre ending.

Shot of the day: Johnson’s birdie on the 14th hole gave him a one-shot lead but it was Jason Dufner’s errant 9-iron on the 15th hole that might have decided the tournament. From 142 yards, he hooked a 9-iron into the water hazard and made triple bogey. I thought the air went out of the balloon at that point in the tournament. Dufner’s energy was clearly drained as he limped home.

Wrong time: Dufner can look at his errant drives in the final round and understand why he struggled to score. He hit just three of 14 fairways and took 31 putts. Dufner entered the final round having hit 30 of 42 fairways and is ranked sixth on TOUR hitting 69 percent of his fairways in regulation. Just a bad day off the tee at a bad time. To me, he looked tired at times having won twice and gotten married all in the last month.

Double play: Tommy Gainey pulled off a rare double win in the stats. He led the tournament in driving, averaging 318.5 yards, and he led the tournament in Strokes Gained-Putting. He rode his distance and SGP to a third-place finish.

Remembrance: Johnson wore a green ribbon attached to his cap all week in honor of the Reverend Douglas Green. The father of Damon Green, Johnson’s longtime caddie, passed away last Thursday. The Reverend was 88 years old and founded the Bellview Assembly of God in Pensacola, Fla.

Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and inside the ropes this week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.

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QUICK RECAP: FINAL ROUND

FORT WORTH, Texas — In a two-man Sunday showdown, Zach Johnson outplayed Jason Dufner to win his second Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial title. But even after the final putt was dropped, the drama ensued.

Johnson was hit with a two-stroke penalty for failing to replace his ball at the proper mark prior to making his final putt at the 72nd hole. As a result, Johnson’s apparent three-stroke win was reduced to a single stroke.

But in the end, he still won the title, his second at Colonial in three years. His 2-over 72 left him at 12 under, one shot ahead of Dufner, who struggled off the tee most of the day and shot a 4-over 74.

With the win, Johnson moves to third in the FedExCup standings. Dufner remains the points leader.

Dufner was bidding to become the first player to ever win the two North Texas tournaments in back-to-back weeks, having claimed the HP Byron Nelson Championship a week ago. Instead, he will have to settle for two wins and one runner-up finish in his last four starts on TOUR.

“I didn’t have it today. I didn’t play very well. I couldn’t get the ball in the fairway,” said Dufner,who hit just 3 of 14 fairways after hitting 30 of 42 fairways in the first three rounds.

Johnson wins for the first time since claiming the 2010 Colonial. The win is the eight of his career, and fourth in the state of Texas.

“In some respects, I kind of feel like I took down a lion,” Johnson said about beating Dufner in what was essentially the stroke-play version of match play on Sunday. “He’s been at the top of his game.”

Dufner started the day one shot ahead of Johnson, and eight shots ahead of the rest of the field. Dufner and Johnson then traded the lead throughout the round — there were four two-shot swings.

Through 13 holes, the two were tied at 14 under. But Johnson birdied the 14th to go up by one stroke, then Dufner suffered a triple-bogey at the 15th when his approach shot from the fairway bunker rolled into the water hazard. It was the second during his round that he had found the water.

With Johnson leading by three shots going into the 72nd hole, both players appeared to make routine pars. But Johnson — left with a 5-foot par putt to finish his round — moved his ball mark out of Dufner’s line and failed to move it back, and thus placed the ball in the wrong spot.

He was informed after his round that he had violated rule 20-7. Johnson took full responsibility for the mistake that cost him a double bogey on the final hole.

“I’m sure I’ll get grief about it back home,” Johnson said.

DUFNER & JOHNSON: Follow via Shot Tracker | Dufner scorecard | Johnson scorecard

MORE FROM COLONIAL: Final-round scores | Shot Tracker | Live FedExCup projections

LIVE UPDATES: FINAL ROUND (all times ET)

6:30 p.m. – In addition to the two-stroke penalty at the 18th green, Zach Johnson also said he hit out of turn at the 18th tee box. Jason Dufner had the honor but Johnson hit first. There is no penalty stroke involved.

5:59 p.m. – Officially, Zach Johnson violated Rule 20-7 in playing the ball in the wrong place. He said his caddie Damon Green alerted him to the violation after his round. “You can come up with a number of adjectives for that,” Johnson said. “I can think of a number in my head.” But it didn’t cost him the win. “No harm, no foul,” Johnson said.

5:46 p.m. — HOLE 18: The par-4 hole appeared to be anti-climatic with Zach Johnson having such a large lead. Johnson did find the greenside bunker but managed to get up and down for par – or so it seemed. But in marking his ball, then moving the marker out of Dufner’s line, Johnson failed to return it to its proper spot. He was alerted to it after his round, and thus had to add a two-stroke penalty. Fortunately for Johnson, that still left him with a one-stroke victory. Officially, he shot a 2-over 72 for 12 under, one shot ahead of Dufner, who shot 74. Johnson wins by 1 stroke

5:34 p.m. — HOLE 17: Jason Dufner drops his club after his tee shot on this par-4 hole as his tee shot finds the rough down the right side of the fairway. Zach Johnson’s tee shot is perfect, leaving him with a good angle to the pin. Dufner’s approach barely finds the green, but he’s 67 feet away. Johnson aims at the flag and his ball just dribbles out of the thick rough, allowing him to use his putter. Dufner saves his par from 8 feet. Johnson also pars. Johnson leads by 3 strokes

5:29 p.m. – Despite a bogey at the final hole, Tommy Gainey will finish in solo third at 7 under. Jim Furyk (with four rounds in the 60s) has solo fourth at 6 under. Rickie Fowler, John Huh, Ryan Palmer, Chris Kirk and Harris English will finish tied for fifth.

5:20 p.m. — HOLE 16: Both players found the green with their tee shots at this par-3 hole but are not close to the pin. Johnson’s putt rolls 5 feet past the pin; he misses the par-saver coming back. Dufner makes his 3-foot putt for par to pick up one stroke. Johnson is now even par on his round; he’s in danger of seeing his consecutive sub-par streak end at 15 rounds – not that he’s worried about that at the moment. Johnson leads by 3 strokes

5:12 p.m. — HOLE 15: Zach Johnson’s tee shot at the par-4 hole is perfect; Jason Dufner’s is not. Dufner finds the fairway bunker on the left side. Aiming at the pin on the left side, Dufner’s shot hits the green but rolls into the water hazard — the second time in the last six holes he’s found the water. Johnson’s approach leaves him inside 4 feet. Dufner’s chip shot is a poor one — it runs off the green, forcing him to chip back. That sets up a 4-footer for double bogey … but he misses that one. His triple bogey to Johnson’s par gives Johnson plenty of breathing room down the stretch. “This has turned into sudden disaster for Jason Dufner,” said CBS’ Peter Kostis. Johnson leads by 4 strokes

4:54 p.m. — HOLE 14: Jason Dufner’s tee shot at this par 4 splits the fairway. Zach Johnson follows on a similar line. Johnson’s approach leaves him a 10-footer for birdie. Dufner can’t match that; his approach is 26 feet away. Dufner two-putts for par. Johnson follows by rolling in his birdie putt to take the lead. It’s his ninth one-putt hole of the day. Johnson leads by 1 stroke

4:45 p.m. – A double bogey by John Huh and a a birdie by Tommy Gainey has Gainey in solo third at 8 under. Huh doubled the 14th hole to fall to 6 under.

4:40 p.m. — HOLE 13: Jason Dufner’s tee shot at the par 3 finds the center of the green, 37 feet from the pin. Zach Johnson’s tee shot lands dangerously close to the water guarding the front of the green, but stays dry. Dufner nearly holes his birdie putt but both players end up with par. Dufner, Johnson share lead

4:31 p.m. — HOLE 12: Zach Johnson’s tee shot at the par-4 hole finds the left fairway bunker. Jason Dufner’s tee shot is just short of the bunker on the right side. Johnson’s shot from the bunker hits the lip and almost comes back to hit him. Johnson escapes from the bunker with his third shot but is short of the green. Dufner’s approach finishes inside 9 feet.  A nice chip for par sets up a tap-in for bogey. Dufner follows by draining his birdie putt.Johnson’s two-shot lead is a brief one. There have now been four two-shot swings in this final twosome. Dufner, Johnson share lead

4:18 p.m. — HOLE 11: Zach Johnson’s tee shot at the last par-5 hole drifts to the right and hits the trees. The ball bounces back in the fairway but he loses quite a bit of distance. Dufner, who has hit just two of his first eight fairways on Sunday, misses another one. His tee shot takes the same line as Johnson’s but does not kick out; it lands in the rough under the trees. Both players are forced to lay up. Johnson finds the green with his third shot but Dufner, using a sand wedge, lands in the bunker. He splashes out well past the hole and bogeys the hole — it’s his second 6 in his last three holes. Johnson’s birdie putt from 18-1/2 feet falls in from the backdoor. A key two-shot swing on the back nine. Johnson leads by 2 shots

4:11 p.m. – Rookie John Huh is now in solo third at 8 under. He’s a bogey-free 3 under on his round. Tommy Gainey and Jim Furyk are tied for fourth at 7 under.

4:01 p.m. – HOLE 10: Two nice two shots at the par-4 hole were followed by two approaches that were not as good. Zach Johnson’s approach found the bunker on the left side of the green; Jason Dufner’s approach landed on the opposite side of the green, leaving him 54-1/2 feet for birdie. Dufner’s proximity to that hole in the first three rounds was 26 feet. Johnson got up-and-down for par. Dufner has a nice lag putt to set up an easy par. Johnson, Dufner share lead.

3:49 p.m. — HOLE 9: At the par-4 hole, Jason Dufner finds the first cut short of the right-side bunker. Zach Johnson’s drive rolls near the left-side bunker and leaves him an awkward stance. But he hits a nice approach that carries the water. Dufner, however, is not as fortunate. His wedge from 107 yards hits the bank in front of the green, with the ball bouncing back into the water. Instead of replaying the shot from its original position, Dufner opts to drop in the rough on the right side of the green. He chips on the green and has a 16-footer for bogey. He misses the putt and settles for a double bogey, his first double in his last eight rounds (147 holes) on the PGA TOUR. Johnson’s 14-1/2 footer for birdie hits the right lip; he settles for par but gets a share of the lead. Johnson, Dufner share lead

3:36 p.m. – Tommy Gainey suffered a double bogey at the par-4 12th  and now drops into a tie for third with Jim Furyk, John Huh and Ryan Palmer at 7 under, nine shots off the lead held by Jason Dufner.

3:33 p.m. — HOLE 8: At the last par-3 hole on the front side, Jason Dufner’s tee shot finishes inside 10 feet. Zach Johnson misses the green. Johnson then follows with a poor chip that comes up short of the green; a surprising result given Johnson’s short-game success this week. His next chip for par rolls past the pin. Dufner misses his birdie attempt but still adds to his lead after Johnson’s bogey. Dufner leads by 2 strokes

3:26 p.m. – Checking on others –Tommy Gainey remains in solo third at 9 under through 10 holes; he’s 5 under for the day … Rickie Fowler, Ryan Palmer, John Huh and Jim Furyk are each 2 under for the day and are inside the top 10 on the leaderboard … Chris Kirk is headed for his best result since a T7 at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions … Past major winners Geoff Ogilvy and Trevor Immelman both finished at 1 under for the tournament.

3:23 p.m. — HOLE 7: Jason Dufner’s tee shot at the par-4 hole finds the fairway; Zach Johnson’s tee shot rolls into the lone fairway bunker down the right side. Johnson’s approach out of the bunker lands on the fringe left of the pin. Dufner’s approach also misses the green and in the fringe near Johnson’s ball; his ball is near a drain cover; he’s given relief and allowed to drop his ball. Johnson’s chip just rolls past the hole and he settles for par. Dufner opts to putt from off the green and comes up short; he also settles for par. Dufner leads by 1 stroke

3:08 p.m. — HOLE 6: Jason Dufner’s tee shot at the par-4 hole finishes down the left side on the first cut; Zach Johnson’s tee shot splits the fairway. Dufner’s approach leaves him 34-1/2 feet from the pin; Johnson gives himself a more makeable birdie opportunity from 12-1/2 feet. But Dufner rolls in his long putt for birdie. It’s the first putt Dufner has made outside 20 feet since the first round. Johnson misses his birdie putt. Dufner leads by 1 stroke

2:56 p.m. — HOLE 5: In the final hole of Colonial’s Horrible Horseshow, both players hit excellent tee shots at the par-4 hole. Zach Johnson’s approach goes past the pin and finishes on the fringe, 37-1/2 feet away. Jason Dufner’s approach is an excellent one, avoiding the frontside bunker and leaving him inside 8 feet for birdie. Johnson two-putts for par. Dufner makes his first birdie of the day at the hole that has ranked the most difficult this week. Of the 31 birdies that the fifth hole has yielded this week, Dufner has three of them. Dufner, Johnson tied for lead

2:44 p.m. — HOLE 4: Zach Johnson’s tee shot on the par-3 hole  finds the green, 36-1/2 feet from the pin. Jason Dufner’s tee shot misses the green, coming up short and to the right. It’s the fourth consecutive day he has missed this green. With a tough lie, Dufner hits a terrific chip to inside 2 feet to save par. Johnson two-putts for par. Johnson leads by 1 stroke

2:34 p.m. – HOLE 3: Both players landed in the same area just off the fairway on this par-4 hole. Zach Johnson’s approach shot found the fringe of the green and was lucky not to trickle into the bunker. Jason Dufner’s approach finished 12 feet from the pin. Johnson got up and down for par; it’s his second consecutive one-putt green. Dufner thought his birdie putt was in but veered right at the end. He taps in for par. Johnson leads by 1 stroke

2:26 p.m. – Tommy Gainey is 4 under through his first seven holes and is now in solo third place at 8 under. Gainey has already made three putts outside 16 feet.

2:22 p.m. — HOLE 2: Jason Dufner found the left fairway bunker with his tee shot. Zach Johnson’s tee ball also missed the fairway but came up short of the right fairway bunker. Dufner’s second shot leaves him with a 28-foot birdie putt. Johnson, with a better angle to the pin, saw his approach shot stop inside 11 feet. Dufner’s birdie putt rolled 5 feet past, an aggressive putt and too firm. Johnson followed by rolling in his birdie putt. Dufner then missed his par putt. That’s his first three-putt of the week. A two-shot swing and a new leader. Johnson leads by 1 stroke

2:10 p.m. – HOLE 1: Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson both failed to take advantage of the par-5 opening hole. After perfect tee shots, both players missed the green with their second shots. Dufner pitched to 11 feet but missed the birdie putt. Johnson opted to putt from off the green for his eagle attempt but came up 14 feet short and missed the birdie putt. For Dufner, it’s the first time this week he’s failed to birdie the opening hole. Dufner leads by 1 stroke

1:55 p.m. – Just minutes before their final-round tee time, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson were both practicing putts on the nearby putting green adjacent to the first tee. Dufner made two of his first six practice putts outside 10 feet.  Once they got on a tee, it was a quick shaking of hands. Both players received nice applause when announced; no apparent rooting interest, at least from the first tee gallery. Both players then hit tee shots that found the fairway.

1:40 p.m. – Who might get the early jump on Sunday? Consider this: Jason Dufner is a bogey-free 9 under through the first five holes this week. Zach Johnson is 6 under through the first five holes, with one bogey. But he also has an eagle, that coming at the par-5 opening hole in the second round.

1:30 p.m. – With the final group set to tee off in 25 minutes, none of the players with earlier tee times have made a serious move. Kevin Na is already in the clubhouse with the lowest round of the day thus far, a 4-under 66 that leaves him at 2 under. Chris Kirk is 3 under through 10 holes.  Of the first 16 players who completed their final rounds, none shot par or better.

Jason Dufner chases several milestones Sunday at Colonial.

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- Jason Dufner will retain the FedExCup points lead no matter what happens today. He can take a massive 540-point lead over Hunter Mahan with a win.

- If Dufner wins, he would become the season’s first three-time winner, and the first to win three times in a season since Jim Furyk achieved the feat in 2010. Furyk, however, didn’t win his third until THE TOUR Championship in September.

- Should Dufner win, he would become just the second player to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and HP Byron Nelson Championship in the same year (Ben Hogan/1946), but the first to do so in back-to-back weeks.

- With a win, Dufner would become the 15th player to win both the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial during their career. Others who have completed the “DFW Double” are Ben Crenshaw, Roberto De Vicenzo, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Bruce Devlin, Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Tom Watson, Bruce Lietzke, Nick Price, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Rory Sabbatini and Julius Boros.

- With a win, Dufner would crack the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.

- Zach Johnson’s tournament scoring record (259, 21 under, 2010) appears to be safe. Dufner would have to shoot 63 or better to break it.

Last week the HP Byron Nelson Championship. This week The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Ben Hogan’s back yard. Two weeks, two legends of golf, two of Texas’s favorite sons, one giant helping of championship golf, history, and lessons for one and all to learn.

Whilst Lord Byron was known for his kind and gentle persona and is all-round game, the Hawk, Ben Hogan, was notorious for his steely determination, the mystique of his icy glare, his unparalleled focus and his powerful and repetitive swing.

Immelman

A man of fierce resolve, Hogan built a very successful career from nothing and by sheer hard work and grit became one of the leading players in the game. He then suffered a broken collarbone, a smashed rib, a double fracture of the pelvis and a broken ankle in what many thought was a career-ending car-wreck while en route back home from a tournament. Nevertheless, in typical Hogan fashion, he rebounded stronger than ever and completed his Hall of Fame resume, winning thirteen more tournaments including five of six tournaments with three majors in 1953. In total Ben Hogan won 63 tournaments and 9 majors.

Alongside Herbert Warren Wind, Hogan also penned one of the most widely read and referenced books on the golf swing. Highly acclaimed and a must-have for any golfer, Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is a wealth of information and certainly one of my favorite golf instruction reads. I hence would like to share a lesson from Mr. Hogan and Modern Fundamentals with you; a lesson I feel that would benefit golfers of all skill levels.

To quote the Hawk: “The grip is the heartbeat of the action in the golf swing.”

Further, as Hogan pointed out in his masterpiece, “The player’s only contact with the ball is through the clubhead, and his only direct physical contact with the club is through his hands.”

For this reason it would make logical sense that any player should take real care whilst setting his/her hands on the club. So, with complete deference to Mr. Hogan, I wish to list a couple of things that I feel are important to pay attention to when gripping the club:

1.) Make sure that you grip the club predominantly in the fingers as you wrap the palm of the lead hand around the club.

2.) Mold the hands together by holding the club so that the thumb of the lead hand fits neatly into the palm of the trail hand. Focus on maintaining that connection as it helps to ensure that both hands work together as a unit during the swing.

3.) Retain even pressure on the handle of the club but not too much as that will immobilize the wrists.

Remember, without a heartbeat there is no life. So, bring life to your swing by ensuring that your grip is fundamentally sound. Mr. Hogan, a man revered for his ball-striking and control, felt it so important that he listed a fundamental grip as the first of his five fundamentals to success.

Good luck.

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.

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Zach Johnson was nearly flawless on the front nine in Round 3.

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

FORT WORTH, Texas — Zach Johnson is in contention because of the way he played his first nine holes in the third round at Colonial. He hit four fairways, three greens and took eight putts in shooting 31. Johnson one-putted every green with the exception of the second hole, where he chipped in for birdie. He leads the tournament in fewest putts, taking 76 strokes for 54 holes.

Fortunate: Jason Dufner has played brilliantly. He’s fourth in fairways in regulation, fourth in greens in regulation and fourth in total putts. Even with those numbers, a golfer can always use some good luck. At the 12th hole, Dufner drove into the left fairway bunker and the ball ran through the sand, took a strange hop and funneled into the middle of the fairway. He made birdie.

Bunker play: Tournament officials were not happy with the bunkers following the 2011 competition, so they changed the consistency of the sand. Players have raved about the change, getting up and down at a rate of 57.44 percent. Matt Kuchar is 9 for 9 in sand saves this week. There is more sand in the bunkers and that leads to the occasional plugged lie, but players are able to get up and down at a remarkable rate.

Par 3s: Tournament officials gave the field a different look on par 3s for the third round. The tee was moved up at the fourth, eighth and 16th holes, while the extreme right tee box was used at the 13th. Even with the change, the fourth hole still gave up just nine birdies on Saturday and ranks as the sixth most difficult hole of the week.

Pregame: How did Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson spend Friday night, preparing for their grouping on Saturday? Dufner threw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers game, a delivery he described as a “high strike off a changeup.” Meanwhile, Johnson played LEGOs with his kids. Golf was not discussed.

Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and inside the ropes this week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.

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MORE FROM COLONIAL: Third-round scores | Shot Tracker | Live FedExCup projections

QUICK RECAP: THIRD ROUND

FORT WORTH — Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson separated themselves from the pack during Saturday’s third round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Unless things go horribly wrong for both players on Sunday, one will become the next champion at Colonial.

Dufner’s 4-under 66 puts him at 15 under, one stroke ahead of Johnson, who shot a 65. The next closest player is Tom Gillis at 7 under, meaning Dufner and Johnson will essentially be in match play for the final 18 holes.

Dufner has now held or shared the lead for the 11th time this season. If he wins Sunday, he would become the first player in PGA TOUR history to win both North Texas events in consecutive weeks. Last week, he won the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

Dufner started the day with a two-stroke lead over Johnson and it became apparent early that the tournament would be a two-man race. Johnson caught Dufner at various points on Saturday, and Dufner even extended his lead to three strokes on occasion.

But some rare loose shots coming in cost Dufner a couple of strokes while Johnson posted birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to close the gap.

Johnson, the 2010 champ at Colonial, now has posted 15 consecutive sub-par rounds at Colonial. He needed just eight putts in his first nine holes and 23 putts for the day.

LIVE UPDATES: THIRD ROUND (all times ET)

5:44 p.m. – Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson are done with their third rounds, both parring the 18th hole. Dufner’s 4-under 66 leaves him at 15 under for the tournament and the 54-hole leader. Johnson’s 5-under 65 puts him one stroke behind. The next closest player is Tom Gillis, who is eight shots off the lead.

5:26 p.m. – Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson both birdie the par-4 17th from nearly the same spot, 8-1/2 feet from the hole. Johnson’s approach shot landed next to Dufner’s ball on the green and nudged it slightly, with Dufner allowed to put the ball back in its original spot. Dufner is back to 15 under, Johnson at 14 under.

5:20 p.m. – Rickie Fowler salvaged a so-so day with a couple of late birdies to shoot even-par 70 – his 15th consecutive round at par or better on TOUR, the longest active streak. Fowler is 4 under for the tournament. Playing partner Harris English started well but suffered a triple bogey at the par-4 15th to finish with a 73, 2 under for the tournament.

5:15 p.m. – Key two-shot swing at the par-3 16th. Jason Dufner bogeyed after missing the green with his tee shot and failing to save par from 7-1/2 feet. Meanwhile, Zach Johnson rolled in a birdie putt of 16 feet, 9 inches. Dufner now leads by just one shot.

4:58 – Jason Dufner’s consecutive par-or-better streak has ended at 38 holes, as he bogeyed the par-4 14th, which is playing as the most difficult hole on the course Saturday. Dufner missed his par-saving putt from 6 feet after having to chip onto the green following an errant approach shot. That drops him to 15 under – but he still has a three-shot lead, as playing partner Zach Johnson also bogeyed with a three-putt. It’s the first three-putt Johnson has suffered this week and ends his three-putt avoidance streak at 52 holes.

4:35 p.m. – Jim Furyk birdied the 18th hole and has moved inside the top 10 of the leaderboard at 4 under. Furyk’s 68 on Saturday included 15 of 18 greens in regulation. He’s hit 81.5 percent of his greens this week, tops in the field.

4:30 p.m. – Good note from CBS: At the start of the day, 10 players were within seven shots of Jason Dufner’s lead. Now just one player is – Zach Johnson, who’s three back.

4:25 p.m. – Make it three straight birdies for Jason Dufner. Another great approach shot at the par-4 12th left him with a 4-foot putt. He’s now 16 under, three shots clear of Zach Johnson. By the way, Johnson holds the Colonial 72-hole record at 21 under. Kenny Perry has the 54-hole record at 18 under.

4:11 p.m. – Jason Dufner with another birdie, this one at the par-5 11th. After laying up with his second shot, he hit a wedge shot for 108 yards to within 4-1/2 feet. After Zach Johnson missed his 6-foot putt on a similar line, Dufner rolled his in to move to 15 under, two shots ahead of Johnson and at least seven shots ahead of everyone else. Dufner has now gone 36 holes without a bogey.

4 p.m. – Solid 3-under 67 for PLAYERS champ Matt Kuchar, who hit 15 of 18 greens and was perfect in two sand-save opportunities. Kuchar is 2 under for the tournament.

3:50 p.m. – Jason Dufner’s now at 14 under and regains the solo lead after rolling in a birdie putt from 19 feet, 10 inches at the par-4 10th. That puts him at 14 under. Meanwhile, Zach Johnson recorded his first two-putt of the day and remains at 13 under.

3:37 p.m. – Interesting note about Zach Johnson – he needed just eight putts in his first nine holes Saturday. He one-putt eight greens and holed out from the fringe for birdie at the second. His prowess on the greens allowed him to shoot 4 under through the first nine holes despite missing six of nine greens.

3:36 p,m. – The final twosome has made the turn, and it’s a tie for the lead. Zach Johnson rolled in a putt of 26-1/2 feet for birdie at the ninth hole after a terrific approach shot from the rough. Meanwhile, Jason Dufner saw his birdie attempt from 15 feet come up short. That leaves both players at 13 under for the tournament, five shots clear of the rest of the field. By the way, Dufner has now gone 34 straight holes without a bogey.

3:30 p.m. – Bo Van Pelt has made the turn at 1 under for his round and 8 under for the tournament. Van Pelt has not made a putt longer than 12 feet in his first 45 holes this week.

3:16 p.m. – Jason Dufner has regained the solo lead with a 17-foot birdie putt at the par-4 seventh. He’s now at 13 under, one ahead of playing partner Zach Johsnon.

3 p.m. – Kelly Kraft on his 6-under 64: “I started out and made a bunker shot on one for eagle. Then the putter started rolling and it seemed like everything went in.”

Zach Johnson

2:55 p.m. – Zach Johnson has birdied No. 5 to reach 12 under to tie Jason Dufner atop the leaderboard at Colonial. Johnson’s ball-striking hasn’t been great today; he’s hit just two of five greens. But he converted birdies on both greens he did hit and added a chip-in for birdie on No. 2.

2:43 p.m. – Rookie John Huh is 4 under through his first eight holes and has moved into a tie for third at 8 under. Huh has suffered just two bogeys thus far this week, fewest in the field.

2:40 p.m. – FedExCup champ Bill Haas shot even-par 70 on Saturday. Since winning the Northern Trust Open in a playoff in mid-February, Haas has played 23 rounds in stroke-play events, and has only broken 70 one time (a first-round 68 at THE PLAYERS Championship). This week at Colonial, he’s shot 72-71-70 and is 3 over for the tournament.

2:30 p.m. – Scoring conditions seem to be good on Saturday. With about half of the field having finished their third rounds, the scoring average is currently 70.205. That’s more than a stroke better than Friday’s second-round average (71.295) and more than a half-stroke better than Thursday’s first-round average (70.919).

1:57 p.m. – Corey Pavin is a machine at Colonial. The two-time champ, who’s now a regular on the Champions Tour, carded a 3-under 67 that leaves him at 2 under for the tournament. For Pavin, it’s his 11th round in the 60s in his last 15 rounds at Colonial.

1:50 p.m. – 36-hole leader Jason Dufner has birdied the first three holes at Colonial in each of his first two rounds this week. “I feel pretty good on that starting stretch,” Dufner said. “I would assume that 1 and 2 are probably some of the easier scoring holes on the golf course, so they kind of give you that chance to maybe pick up one or two birdies early. That third hole is really tough but I’ve been fortunate to be in the fairway on both occasions and have a perfect number.” Dufner will try to keep the streak going, as he has just teed off to start his third round. Click here to follow Dufner’s third round

1:20 p.m. – One reason Jason Dufner has a two-shot lead going into Saturday? His iron play. No player in the field this week has been hitting approach shots closer to the pin this week than Dufner, whose proximity to the hole average is 23 feet, 9 inches. That’s 3 feet closer than the next best player (Bo Van Pelt) and 13 feet closer than the field average.  Dufner and playing partner Zach Johnson tee off in the final twosome in 30 minutes.

1:10 p.m. – In his first 16 holes at Colonial this week, Louis Oosthuizen carded three bogeys and no birdies. Since then, he’s a bogey-free 8 under in his last 23 holes. Oosthuizen, the Masters runner-up, has started Saturday with three consecutive birdies and is now 5 under for the tournament. Click here to follow the rest of Oosthuizen’s round

1:05 p.m. – PLAYERS champ Matt Kuchar is moving up the leaderboard. He’s a bogey-free 4 under through his first 12 holes and is now 3 under for the tournament. Kuchar, by the way, is paired with Kevin Na on Saturday; those two were paired together in the final round at TPC Sawgrass. Na is even through 12 holes and 1 over for the tournament.

1 p.m. – Rickie Fowler, who tees off in 20 minutes, has shot par or better in his last seven rounds on the weekend. At 4 under and seven strokes off the lead held by Jason Dufner, he’ll need to make a serious move today. “He’s firing at sticks out there and hitting a lot of good putts,” Fowler said of Dufner. “I’ve just got to go out and try and do the same thing and see if we can chase him down.”

12:50 p.m. – Kelly Kraft, the 2011 U.S. Amateur champ who turned pro this year after the Masters, has the low round of the early finishers. He shot a 6-under 64 and is now at 4 under for the tournament. That puts him inside the top 10 of the leaderboard at the moment. Kraft grew up in the North Texas area and went to school at SMU, but has missed the cut in his only two professional starts, in San Antonio and Dallas.