2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial comes our way from Fort Worth Texas this week after yet another thrilling Byron Nelson. Colonial Golf Club hosts the pros for the 66th straight year for what is regarded as many\u2019s favorite stop on TOUR. <\/p>\n
2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial<\/strong> Hitting fairways will be the key this week \u2013 for once distance is not the be all and end all for the entrants. Greens in regulation, smart and creative shot making and as always a good putter will certainly help this week.<\/p>\n Last week I got it wrong! Adam Scott missed the cut \u2013 brutal. Heck, my five year old daughter called Dufner last week and I didn\u2019t listen.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a look at the field this week and choose who I (and maybe my daughter) thinks will emerge victorious on Sunday.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Matt Kuchar 12\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Kuchar was looking like he was going to make it two in a row last week but had a bad weekend. He is certainly HOT after his win at the PLAYERS and his T15 last week but he himself has admitted that exhaustion may be getting the best of him. He’s 5-for-5 in cuts made at Colonial with a solo ninth in 2008 and a T16 last year. He should contend again but I see him fading down the stretch again this week to a strong field.<\/p>\n Zach Johnson 12\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has finished second in two of his last three events, the PLAYERS and the RBC \u2013 needless to say, he may be due. Johnson has three straight top 10s in this event including a win in 2010 and a fourth in 2011. He’s eighth in driving accuracy and 22nd in Strokes Gained-Putting this year on TOUR \u2013 perfect for Colonial.<\/p>\n Rickie Fowler 16\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Fowler has been incredible of late \u2013 three top 10s in his last three starts with a win at Quail Hollow and a co-runner-up at TPC Sawgrass. Fowler has the distance and the accuracy to contend this week – 36th on TOUR in fairways hit, fifth in total driving and 17th in greens hit. He was T16 last year in this event and was T38 the year before and had a stunning 63 on Day 1 of last year\u2019s Crowne Plaza Invitational!<\/p>\n Jason Dufner 18\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n You just gotta love Dufner and his calm demeanor. He now leads the FedExCup standings and is sixth on TOUR in driving accuracy and 13th in GIR, 5th in ball-striking and 4th in all around \u2013 all perfect traits for Colonial. He missed the cut here last year and his best finish is a T59 but are you betting against him?<\/p>\n Hunter Mahan 25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n He just has to be mentioned based on his terrific ball striking but he has floundered lately with a T53 at Quail Hollow and a missed cut at TPC Sawgrass.<\/p>\n David Toms 28\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Toms comes into this event in fine shape – a T15 at the Wells Fargo and a T10 at The PLAYERS and is the defending Champion of this event. He has seven top 20 finishes in 14 starts at Colonial as well. He ranks second on TOUR in fairways and 34th in greens and should be good to go this weekend \u2013 watch out for Mr. Toms!<\/p>\n Bo Van Pelt 30\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Van Pelt has eleven consecutive rounds in the 60s running at Colonial and he has made the cut all eight times he\u2019s played here. He already has five top 10s this year including a T7 at the PLAYERS and he did finish 3rd here last year and had a T10 the year before.<\/p>\n Bill Haas 33\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has a T13 (2010) and T8 (2011) at this event but really hasn\u2019t shown the FedExCup winning form from last year quite yet.<\/p>\n Jim Furyk 33\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Furyk has been solid so far this year with his worst finish being a T26 at Quail Hollow. He is third on the PGA TOUR in fairways hit and 64th in greens and ranks 12th in Strokes Gained-Putting. Furyk\u2019s game is well suited for this course making him a contender this week.<\/p>\n Sergio Garcia 35\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Garcia is coming off a T5 at the Volvo World Match Play Championship last week in Spain and he is a former winner of this event back in 2001. He finished T16 here last year. Garcia is terrific with his accuracy which will help this week \u2013 unfortunately his putter hasn\u2019t been cooperating so far this year! He should do well but unless his putter is straightened out a win is unlikely.<\/p>\n Kevin Na 50\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has five top 10s already this year and if not for a meltdown on Sunday at the PLAYERS he could be in a much better position. He ranks 18th in fairways hit and he was the best putter in the field at the PLAYERS. The question is \u2013 did his confidence take a blow with his 76 on Sunday at Sawgrass or will he bounce back?<\/p>\n John Senden 55\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n John Senden could surprise this week \u2013 his game is perfect for Colonial. He is first on TOUR in ball-striking, third in GIR and 19th in driving accuracy and he has played fairly well in this event in the past – T8 in ’11, T56 ’10, T18 ’09 [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n Kevin Stadler 100\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n He finished T7 here last year and has seven top 25s of 10 cuts made in 12 starts this season. He\u2019s arguably playing better than last year at this time \u2013 his putter has cooperated unlike years past!<\/p>\n Zach Johnson 12\/1<\/strong> was my pick a couple of weeks ago and he is my pick again this week. After two-second place finishes in his last three starts, something has to give. His game is perfectly suited for this track and he certainly deserves to be hoisting a trophy.<\/p>\n My sleeper is Kevin Na at 50\/<\/strong>1. I am confident that his troubles at the PLAYERS were a good learning experience rather than a detriment. At 50\/1 he\u2019s worth a shot!<\/p>\n CLICK TO BET<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nLocation: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
\nCourse: Colonial Country Club
\nDate: May 24-27, 2012
\nTotal Purse: US $ 6,400,000
\nWinner’s Share: US $ 1,170,000 (18% of total purse)
\nDefending Champion:<\/strong> David Toms ($1,116,000)<\/p>\nThe Favorites:<\/h3>\n
The Contenders:<\/h3>\n
The Sleepers:<\/h3>\n
The Pick:<\/h3>\n
2012 The Players Championship Betting Lines & Future Odds<\/h3>\n