The Byron Nelson Championship may not have as star-studded a field as we\u2019ve gotten used to over the last month on the PGA Tour, but it\u2019s an important event.<\/p>\n
Date<\/strong>: Thursday May 20 – May 23 The top 10 in 2010 earnings will qualify for the U.S. Open after this week, so a strong showing will do wonders for fringe guys.<\/p>\n Speaking of fringe, you better be well inside it to win at the Byron Nelson. It\u2019s a tournament that rewards shot makers who hit lots of greens in regulation. <\/p>\n Let\u2019s review the best options.<\/p>\n None this week.<\/p>\n Hunter Mahan<\/strong><\/p>\n Byron Nelson Championship odds: +1850<\/p>\n Mahan\u2019s best finish at the Byron Nelson is 42nd<\/sup> but I think that number will improve significantly this week. Mahan leads the Tour in ball striking this season and is sixth in greens hit. <\/p>\n He\u2019s dialled in, with three straight top-20 finishes. The time is right for him to win.<\/p>\n Ben Crane<\/strong><\/p>\n Byron Nelson Championship odds: +2550<\/p>\n Like Mahan, he hasn\u2019t impressed much in this tournament recently but, like Mahan, the peripherals really favor Ben Crane this week. He cracks the Tour\u2019s top 10 in birdies or better on par-4s, fairways hit and greens in regulation. <\/p>\n His fourth-place finish at the Players turned heads as well.<\/p>\n Heath Slocum<\/strong><\/p>\n Byron Nelson Championship odds: +2550<\/p>\n Slocum and Crane are essentially a coin flip. Just like Crane, Slocum\u2019s accuracy numbers are way up, but with one crucial difference; Slocum also leads the Tour in driving accuracy. That probably gives him the tiebreaker over Crane.<\/p>\n Charley Hoffman<\/strong><\/p>\n Byron Nelson Championship odds: +3050<\/p>\n I have a hunch about this guy. Hoffman has flirted with major success of late, posting two straight top-25s and a 13th<\/sup>-place finish at the Valero Texas Open last week. <\/p>\n He ranked first in birdies and fifth in putting last week. Unlike some of the other contenders, Hoffman also has three top-25s in his last four starts at the Byron Nelson. Bo Van Pelt<\/strong><\/p>\n Byron Nelson Championship odds: +3050<\/p>\n Our pick to win last week fell short, finishing 28th<\/sup>, but maybe we were just off by a week. He\u2019s still second on Tour in ball striking and had three straight top-five finishes before the Valero Texas Open.<\/p>\n Rickie Fowler<\/strong><\/p>\n Byron Nelson Championship odds: +3850<\/p>\n Could it be the rookie\u2019s time? He\u2019s 10th<\/sup> on Tour in ball striking and has four top-10s in his first 13 starts. Two of those finishes came in his last three outings. We can never discount jitters if he\u2019s in the hunt on Sunday but the kid sure looks good so far.<\/p>\n Carl Pettersson<\/strong><\/p>\n Byron Nelson Championship odds: +5250<\/p>\n Pettersson finished fourth at the Byron Nelson two years ago and has the right makeup for sustained success here. He\u2019s fifth on Tour in birdies or better on par-4s and he\u2019s been very consistent, making seven straight cuts.<\/p>\n Hunter Mahan looks good but this is a strange week in that very few contenders seem to have a good track record at this tournament. <\/p>\n That\u2019s why I like Charley Hoffman, who is practically the only guy with repeated success at the Byron Nelson. He\u2019s also playing well right now and really attacking the pin, so he\u2019s my play this week.<\/p>\n
\nEvent<\/strong>: HP Byron Nelson Championship
\nCourse<\/strong>: TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas
\nPurse<\/strong>: $6,500,000
\nDefending Champ<\/strong>: Rory Sabbatini
\nFedEX Cup Points Up For Grabs<\/strong>: 500<\/p>\nTHE ELITE<\/strong><\/h3>\n
THE CONTENDERS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SOLID PICKS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nTHE SLEEPERS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
THE PICK<\/strong><\/h3>\n