Bank of America Colonial

First off I would like to congratulate the London Knights on winning the OHL Title!  As I recall my prediction was for the Knights to win in five games and for once I was right.  I am really looking forward to coming back to my home town for the Memorial Cup and would like nothing more than for the Knights to win the CHL title and finish off a fantastic year!! 

I had the privilege of going up to Vancouver earlier this week to play Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, the site of the 2005 Bell Canadian Open.  I have to say that I was very impressed.  The course is normally a par 73 but they have made some changes to make it tournament ready for September.  I actually feel for all of the members who will be playing there this summer, as it is never fun to have to try and play when the conditions are so difficult!  Three of the par 5's have been shortened into par 4's, the rough is very penal, and I believe Shaughnessy will be one of the best courses we will play all year on TOUR.  It will be a fantastic event this year, with par being a very good score if conditions in September are anything like they were this week.   

Now it is back to the Bank of America Colonial, which is in Fort Worth, Texas and about 50 minutes from my home in Dallas.  It is nice being able to sleep in my own bed while working versus sleeping out of a hotel room, as is usually the case on the road.  Mike and I arrived from Vancouver Monday night and spent some time Tuesday practicing with Mike’s coach Mike Wilson.  They got some good work in and Mike played a few holes at the end of the day.  He is really beginning to feel comfortable with his game which is a great sign coming into the summer months. 

The host course this week is the Colonial Country Club and it holds up to its reputation of always being in fantastic shape this week.  It is as good as I have seen it play.  The bermuda grass has had great conditions to grow over the last while and the course is just perfect.   The greens are nice and smooth and softer than normal which should make for some good scores.   

The Colonial is one of the few old fashion tree lined courses where there is a premium on hitting all kinds of golf shots.  Most courses now on tour are long and guys get to bomb drivers all over the place and not get penalized all that much.  That is not the case here.   The greens are quite small this week therefore it helps to play from the fairway. There are also a lot of holes that dogleg left and right, requiring players to hit different clubs off the tee and not just hitting driver on every hole!   

This is a course that really favors Mike’s game.  The bottom line is that you still have to play great to win but he really likes this course and it really fits his game. 

The most talked about part of the course is called the horseshoe, on holes 3, 4, and 5.   Three is a big dogleg left with a tree right in the middle of the dogleg off the left side of the tee.  Most guys hit a 3-wood and try to hit a high draw off the tee.  The key is to get the ball working right to left on this hole.  Number 4 is a long par three that can play anywhere from a 3 iron to a 3 wood depending on the tee and the wind.  This is a hole where par is a great score.  Number 5 is the best hole on the course, with a slight dogleg to the right.  A hazard guards the right side of the fairway, forcing players to keep the ball up the left hand, tree-lined side of the fairway.    

Overall I am really looking forward to this week.  I’ve got a lot of friends in the area that come out and support us and the excitement of next week is also on my mind!   It would be so great to have a win here this week at the Colonial and then to come home and see the Knights win the Memorial Cup!!  

Thanks for reading, 

Brennan Little