A preview and key stats ahead of this week's PGA Tour event - the AT&T National at Congressional.
A preview and key stats ahead of this week's PGA Tour event - the AT&T National at Congressional
Among America's finest courses, the Blue at Congressional is the venue for this week's visit to Maryland.
Built in 1924, the course has enjoyed the respect of every professional to have teed up in Bethedsa.
Congressional's Blue, with its rolling terrain and tree-lined fairways, has hosted four Major championships in its time - three US Opens and the PGA.
The most recent of these was the 2011 US Open, won in scintillating style by Rory McIlory, who isn't in the field this week due to playing in the Irish Open.
Congressional, situated approximately 10 miles from the White House, has undergone a number of modifications during its illustrious history.
These include the revamping of all 18 greens in 2009, when the Poa Annua putting surfaces were switched to Bentgrass.
A number of holes were also altered, adding yardage and a modicum of difficulty to some tee shots.
SELECTED PLAYERS with GOOD to REASONABLE FORM at CONGRESSIONAL
Since 2005
Player: '05 / '07 / '08 / '09 / '11 / '12
Robert Allenby: 13 / 6 / 3 / MC / MC / MC
Stuart Appleby: 7 / 3 / 60 / 16 / - / -
Kevin Chappell: - / - / - / - / 3 / 58
KJ Choi: - / Won / 49 / MC / MC / MC
Ben Crane: 2 / - / 63 / - / MC / 22
Jason Day: - / - / MC / MC / 2 / 8
Jim Furyk: 37 / 3 / 3 / 7 / MC / 34
Robert Garrigus: - / 30 / 27 / 25 / 3 / 4
Lucas Glover: MC / 12 / 54 / 5 / 42 / MC
Bill Haas: - / 30 / 36 / MC / 23 / -
Charley Hoffman: - / 19 / MC* / 48 / 45 / 22
Freddie Jacobson: 29 / 40 / 2 / - / 14 / -
Marc Leishman: - / - / - / 25 / 51 / 32
Davis Love: 2 / MC / 27 / 16 / 11 / MC*
Hunter Mahan: MC / 8 / 12 / 2 / MC / 8
Bryce Molder: - / - / - / 4 / - / 42
Seung-Yul Noh: - / - / - / - / 30 / 4
Sean O'Hair: MC / 25 / MC* / 35 / - / 22
Jeff Overton: - / - / 9 / Wd / 63 / 22
Ryan Palmer: 47 / MC / MC / 22 / 21 / 15
Pat Perez: Wd / 3 / 12 / MC / - / 29
Justin Rose: MC / 30 / - / 16 / MC / -
Rory Sabbatini: 6 / - / - / - / 30 / 61
Adam Scott: 2 / MC / - / - / MC / 3
John Senden: MC / 40 / 18 / 44 / 30 / -
Vijay Singh: 29 / 12 / - / 7 / - / 49
Brandt Snedeker: - / 8 / MC / 5 / 11 / -
DJ Trahan: - / 30 / 22 / - / - / 44
Bo Van Pelt: 41 / 54 / 12 / 54 / 14 / 2
Yong-Eun Yang: - / - / - / 22 / 3 / 61
Note: Congressional did not host a PGA Tour event in either 2006 or 2010. The US Open was staged at the course two years ago.
MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut
SELECTED PLAYERS with POOR to MEDIOCRE FORM at CONGRESSIONAL
Since 2005
(No Top-35 Finishes from three or more starts since 2005)
Player: '05 / '07 / '08 / '09 / '11 / '12
Jonathan Byrd: 67 / MC / 54 / - / MC / -
James Driscoll: 58 / - / MC* / 76 / - / 61
JJ Henry: Wd / - / 54 / 44 / 54 / MC*
Trevor Immelman: MC / - / MC / - / MC / 61
Jeff Maggert: 41 / MC / 36 / 73 / - / MC
Vaughn Taylor: Wd / 72 / 49 / MC / - / MC*
Camilo Villegas: - / MC / 36 / - / MC / MC
Charlie Wi: - / - / MC / MC / - / 49
TOP-20 Finishers at CONGRESSIONAL in 2012 (Not Already Listed Above)
Nick Watney: (10th)
Brendon de Jonge: (T-11th)
Brian Harman: (T-11th)
Martin Laird: (T-11th)
Chez Reavie: (T-15th)
Sang-Moon Bae: (T-17th)
Greg Chalmers: (T-17th)
John Huh: (T-17th)
Greg Owen: (T-17th)
Daniel Summerhays: (T-17th)
LOWEST 15 STROKE AVERAGES at CONGRESSIONAL
(Last Four Tournaments)
Average (Rounds)
69.00: Freddie Jacobson (8)
69.21: Hunter Mahan (14)
69.63: Robert Garrigus (16)
69.75: Stuart Appleby (8)
69.80: Brandt Snedeker (10)
69.88: Bo Van Pelt (16)
70.21: Jim Furyk (14)
70.25: Bryce Molder (8)
70.25: John Senden (12)
70.40: Davis Love (15)
70.50: Jason Day (12)
70.60: Bill Haas (10)
70.60: Pat Perez (10)
70.60: Mark Wilson (10)
70.71: Ryan Palmer (14)
Min. No. of Rounds = 8
LOWEST ROUNDS at CONGRESSIONAL SINCE 2000
62: Anthony Kim (2009)
62: Hunter Mahan (2009)
63: Matt Gogel (2005)
63: Tom Pernice (2008)
63: Peter Lonard (2008)
64: Nine times
Congressional: Par 71; 7,569 yards
Winning Totals (Last Three Events):
2012: 276 (Tiger Woods)
2011: 268 (Rory McIlroy - US Open)
2009: 267 (Tiger Woods)
Summary
Two things stand out when looking at past winners of this event.
They were all rated as leading players at the time but, not only that, they were very much in form as well.
The six winners were KJ Choi, Anthony Kim, Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Nick Watney and Woods again last year.
Each had already won a PGA Tour earlier that season and a recent one at that so let's list all those who have posted a win in America in the last two months:
Justin Rose, Harris English, Matt Kuchar, Boo Weekley, Sang-Moon Bae, Tiger Woods, Derek Ernst, Billy Horschel.
Rose, Woods, Kuchar and Weekley aren't playing here while it's hard to see shock Wells Fargo winner Ernst coming up trumps again.
Bae has gone off the boil (76-MC-MC-MC) since his victory at the Byron Nelson although he was 12th after round three in this event last year so could have an each-way chance.
It's perhaps a bit of a stretch to say that English or Horschel are leading players yet but the way the latter played in the US Open, hitting all 18 greens in round two, suggests he could get there soon. Perhaps Kim was seen in a similar mould ahead of his win here in 2008.
Horschel played here in 2009 and missed the cut but a 70 in round two was decent and he's improved dramatically since then.
With recent form of 2-3-9-1-MC-41-10-4 he's in superb form and is worth a go at 20/1 to win an event where ball-strikers thrive.
As for English, he may be a better bet for first round leader.
He's eighth in Round 1 scoring on Tour this year and in his last 11 starts he's been day one leader once and in the top three on three other occasions.
He's 50/1 to have his head in front after round one and has the benefit of a nice early tee-time (7.27am) on Thursday.
Best bets
2pts e.w. Billy Horschel at 20/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt e.w. Harris English to be first round leader at 50/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)
