Bank of America Colonial
20 May 2004 - 23 May 2004Colonial Country Club, Ft. Worth, Texas
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This tournament is very significant to Mike, because of the history with the great Ben Hogan. Mike has always been a Hogan fan, ever since he started swinging golf clubs. Mike has also extensively studied Hogan's swing.
Hogan grew up in Dallas playing at the Colonial Country Club, and has won on the course 5 times. There is a statue of him in front of the clubhouse and his original locker has been preserved in the clubhouse.
The course itself is in fantastic shape. Not much rain in the Dallas area lately so the course is playing very hard and fast. This will make the course play a little shorter than usual. The rough at Colonial is usually very long and penalizing but due to the recent dry conditions, the rough is short and very playable if you miss a fairway.
The greens at Colonial are in very good shape and will be challenging this week. They are very hard and fast and it is going to be tough to get the ball close to the hole. There will be a lot of balls rolling over the greens this week as well as a lot of long putts. Old style holes give the course a great energy and feel, especially for the fans who always enjoy this week.
Holes 3, 4, and 5 are the three most difficult holes on the course, named the Horrible Horseshoe. Many professionals have had frustrating experiences on these holes. #3 is 475 yards with a big dogleg to the left. If you miss the fairway you are almost guaranteed to have to lay up and approach with a 3rd shot. The 4th hole is a par 3, where Mike will use either a 3-iron or 5-wood to hit onto this tricky green. It is the hardest hole of the course with a ditch to the left and a river on the right.
The last hole of the Horrible Horseshoe is a dogleg left, par-4, with a hazard on the right side and thick rough on the left. It will be imperative for Mike to hit the fairway on this hole.
To compete for the title, Mike will have to play great golf on this demanding course. He has been practicing hard this week and is extremely focused. I am looking forward to an exciting week of golf in my home state.
My prediction for the winning score is 13 under par.
Thanks for reading,
Brennan Little
