The PGA Tour will make its final stop in the Lone Star State for this season with a trip to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Werth, Texas for the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational. A new sponsor means a name change after the event was called the Crowne Plaza invitational over the last nine years and while the name is new this tournament has taken place here on an annual basis since Ben Hogan won back-to-back titles here in 1946 and 1947.
Event Details
Event: DEAN & DELUCA Invitational
Category: PGA
Date: May 26-29
Location: Colonial Country Club, Fort Werth
Jordan Spieth will be in the spotlight once again this week as he attempts to break out of his funk in his hometown tournament. Spieth has struggled in each of his last two starts since a runner-up finish at The Masters and all eyes will be on the world No. 2 this week as he looks to get back on track.
Past Five Winners
2015: Chris Kirk -12
2014: Adam Scott -9 (Playoff)
2013: Boo Weekley -14
2012: Zach Johnson -12
2011: David Toms -15
What To Know About The Course
The Colonial is a tight, tree-lined course on with small bentgrass greens that usually run at around 11.5 on the stimpmeter. This is another event where what you do off the tee is considered largely irrelevant as illustrated by Chris Kirk’s performance when he won here a year ago. Kirk ranked 40th for Driving Distance last year and only 61st for Driving Accuracy but it was his ability to adjust off the tee that made the difference in his victory. It makes sense to favor accuracy over power here but Scrambling and Greens In Regulation appear to be the more important statistics. The windy conditions could lead to some tougher scenarios but the forecast is calling for clear skies so the weather shouldn’t be a major factor.
The Field
Spieth has followed up his runner-up finish at The Masters with a missed cut at The Players Championship and a poor finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson that dropped him to 18th. The 22-year-old still has four top-10 finishes in 11 starts this season but his performance on the PGA Tour last season has left experts scratching their heads about his struggles at the last two tournaments. Spieth will attempt to get back on track this weekend as the betting favorite to win this event at +600 odds as the most talented player in a relatively weaker field for his hometown tournament. Spieth is followed by Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar at +1200 odds, while Zach Johnson and Charley Hoffman are listed at +2500 odds. Kirk is currently listed at +2800 odds to successfully defend his title.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Matt Kuchar over Adam Scott
Scott won this event two years ago but he has been incredibly inconsistent at this tournament including finishing outside of the top 20 in his three other tries here. Meanwhile, Kuchar has a great course history here and he is in excellent form coming off back-to-back third place finishes at The Players Championship and the Byron Nelson last week. Kuchar posted a runner-up finish here in 2013 and two other top-20’s in his eight career appearances at this event and we like him to edge out Scott in a head-to-head betting matchup this week.
Top Five Pick: Jordan Spieth
The fact that Spieth has been so dominant over the last couple of years combined with his outspoken attitude about his recent play has made his struggles seem like a bigger deal than they really are at this point. Spieth played in the final group at the AT&T Byron Nelson before fading on Sunday and if he can put together a full four rounds he should be in the mix as a legitimate contender this weekend. Spieth has never won in his home state of Texas and this will be his final opportunity to end that drought this season so we fully expect him to come out with a strong performance as the best bet to win this tournament outright and a solid pick to place in the top-five at the very minimum.
Top 10 Odds To Win The DEAN & DELUCA Invitational
Jordan Spieth +605
Adam Scott +1215
Matt Kuchar +1215
Charley Hoffman +2050
Zach Johnson +2050
Chris Kirk +2550
Kevin Chappell +2550
Patrick Reed +2550
Danny Lee +3050
Louis Oosthuizen +3250
