? COURSE: Harbour Town Golf Links, 7,101 yards, par 71. Jack
Nicklaus' first venture into course design, in collaboration with Pete
Dye, is one of the shortest layouts on the PGA TOUR schedule but remains
a timeless test. Narrow fairways and small, deftly contoured greens
combine to create a strategic challenge, requiring well-positioned shots
to generate birdie chances. Harbour Town's iconic red-and-white
lighthouse behind the 18th green still helps vessels navigate Calibogue
Sound.
? FIELD WATCH: Defending champion Graeme McDowell and former
FedExCup winners Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker head up a field that
brings together nine of the top 25 in the world rankings. … Davis Love
III, winner of five tartan jackets as Heritage champion, returns after a
two-year absence brought on by injuries. … World Golf Hall of Famer
Ernie Els makes his 15th start at Harbour Town, still seeking his first
victory on the island. He was runner-up to Boo Weekley in 2007. … Hall
of Famer Nick Faldo puts down his TV headset for just his second PGA
TOUR start in the past four years. He last teed it up at Hilton Head in
2006.
? 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Brian Gay (2009).
? 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, David Frost (2nd round, 1994).
? LAST YEAR: Graeme McDowell thrived in gusty conditions to
claim his second PGA TOUR victory, beating Webb Simpson in a playoff
with a par on the first extra hole. McDowell made up a four-shot deficit
with a 2-under-par 69, but missed winning in regulation when his
13-foot par save on No.18 ran past the hole. Simpson had a chance to win
at No.18, but missed a 22-foot birdie try that left him with a 71.
McDowell's victory was his first in a full-field event since the 2010
Valderrama Masters in Europe, though he won the 18-man World Challenge
in 2012. Luke Donald tied for third, his fourth top-3 finish at Harbour
Town in a five-year span.
? STORYLINES: Despite all those top-3 finishes at the Heritage,
Donald continues to seek his first victory on Calibogue Sound. The
English pro came closest three years ago, when a playoff loss to
Snedeker also dropped him from the No.1 spot in the Official World Golf
Ranking … McDowell tries to become the Heritage's fourth back-to-back
winner, joining Payne Stewart (1989-90), Love (1991-92) and Weekley
(2007-08). McDowell missed the cut at Augusta National ? the same setup
that accompanied him to Hilton Head last year. … Other top-25 names
arriving early after missing the Masters cut: No.10 Zach Johnson, No.17
Charl Schwartzel and No.23 Patrick Reed.
? SHORT CHIPS: Since the Heritage moved into the post-Masters
slot in 1983, just six men have won without spending the prior week at
Augusta National. However, four have come in the past decade ? Aaron
Baddeley (2006), Boo Weekley ('07), Brian Gay ('09) and Carl Pettersson
('12). … Despite Harbour Town's lack of length, only 26 men in the
event's 45-year history have managed to break 70 in all four rounds. The
last time it happened was in 2010, when playoff foes Jim Furyk and
Brian Davis did so. … No defending champion has missed the cut at
Harbour Town since Love in 1993 ? a run of 20 consecutive years.
Last week's winner pdubb09. Congrats!
Updated Standings - We have a new leader!
1. Bill - 4348
2. dfs - 4331
3. NMT - 3868
4. Ocala - 3831
5. 2952 - 3765
6. Sea - 3434
7. Bobcat - 3162
8. NiA - 2813
9. Ed - 2487
10. 67810 - 2663
11. DL - 2609
12. Lizard - 2407
13. g2f - 2092
14. pdubb - 852
Good Luck!
This post was edited on 4/20 6:58 PM by DFSNOLE
Field
