|
Tournament Stats:
AT&T Classic
May 15 - May 18, 2008
TPC at Sugarloaf
Duluth, Georgia
Par: 72 / Yardage: 7,343
Purse: $5.4 million with $990,000 going to the winner
Defending Champion: Zach Johnson
Results & Scores 2007 AT&T Classic
Box Score of 2007 AT&T Classic
Tournament facts:
Tournament Record:260 (Phil Mickelson in 2006)
54-Hole Record:
195 (Phil Mickelson in 2006 and Larry Nelson in 1988)
36-Hole Record:
128 (Phil Mickelson in 2006)
Low round of tournament:
61 (Andy Bean in 3rd round, 1979 at Atlanta C.C.)
Sugarloaf record: 63 (Tiger Woods in 3rd round, 1998, Duffy Waldorf in 1st round, 1999, Ben Crane in final round, 2003, Phil Mickelson in 1st round, 2006
Tournament information:
This is the 40th year of the AT&T Classic, formerly known as the BellSouth Classic. The tournament began in 1967 and was played at a then newly built golf course at the Atlanta Country Club. The tournament was hosted at this venue until 1996, when the event became too large for the Club. The tournament then moved to its current location, the TPC at Sugarloaf, a course located in Duluth, GA. Phil Mickelson became the first player to successfully defend his crown in 2006, but with the tournament moving from March to May in 2007 he couldn't fit a possible three-peat into his schedule.
Course information:
The TPC at Sugarloaf is located in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. The property the golf course encompasses was once owned by the Wayne Rollins family, which was famous for its pest control and security businesses. The 1,500 acres of rolling hills filled with meandering streams and several lakes was used as a training ground for the family's championship Tennessee walking horses. There was a full-working stable that housed several horses, as well as a living area for the trainers and the Rollins family while they were visiting the farm.The course was designed by Greg Norman, his first of more than two dozen courses across the United States. Sugarloaf opened in 1997 to critical acclaim in its inaugural year. Most notably, it was ranked as one of the 10 Best New Courses by Golf Digest. Additionally, it is regularly ranked one of the Top 100 Modern Day Courses by Golf Week Magazine. The course itself is comprised of three separate 9-hole courses: The Stables, The Meadows, and The Pines. The AT&T Classic is played on the Stables and Meadows courses. Playing at 7,293 yards (36-36--72), The Stables/Meadows combination is the longest, most difficult 18-hole combination offered at Sugarloaf. The combination has a 75.4 Course Rating and a 146 slope rating from the Championship tees. The course has 64 bunkers and three lakes that come into play on four holes on the back side. The fourth has a stream that runs down the left side. The average greens at SugarLoaf are 6,000 with the grasses consist of Bermuda (tees, fairway, rough) and Bent (greens).
For a more comprehensive look at the courses, look at this Course Overview done by PGA Tour.com
The Buzz:
It's hard to believe that this is the 20th week on the PGA Tour, which means the FedEx Cup schedule is at the halfway mark. Looking down the road, the U.S. Open is just 29 days away, the British Open is 64 days away, the PGA Championship is 89 days away and the end of the Tour Championship is just 137 days away. And just like that the 2009 Mercedes is just right around the corner at 239 days away.For us it seems like time is going by very quickly, but for the folks that run the AT&T Classic time could be slipping away. That's because after this week AT&T will no longer be a sponsor and this event could very easily fold. Finding a company that is willing to spend between $8 and $10 million to sponsor an event is no easy task and there doesn't seem to be anyone willing to take it over. Still, it would be a shame if this event with a pretty good track record would cease to exist. It's been big talked about how players in their 20s have come to the forefront all of a sudden. After a long time of many wondering if any young players were coming along, we have now gone six straight weeks going back to March with Andres Romero's victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a winner in their 20s: Sergio Garcia, Anthony Kim, Adam Scott, Trevor Immelman, Johnson Wagner and Romero. If we get another 20-something winner this week it will be the first time that seven in a row have won on Tour since 2000 when Robert Allenby, Notah Begay III, Tiger Woods, Tom Scherrer and Phil Mickelson won seven straight between the Colonial and the Western Open. In looking at PGA Tour records going back to 1965 it's the longest streak of 20s that we found. So the "buzz" will be if the streak can continue.
Here are some things to look for this week:
Here are some of the secrets that it will take to play well this week at the AT&T Classic:
|
If your looking for a perfect winner, this event is pretty elementary: just look at the winners of seven of the last ten BellSouth's that have been played at TPC at Sugarloaf. What does Scott McCarron, Tiger Woods, David Duval Ben Crane and Phil Mickelson have in common? They are all among the longest hitters on the PGA Tour. Yes that's the secret, hitting the ball long. Also look at some of the others that have had high finishes at Sugarloaf, Zach Johnson last year, Rich Beem and Brandt Jobe in 2005, Hank Kuehne in 1994, Phil Mickelson in 2002, Harrison Frazar in 2000, Stewart Cink and Rory Sabbatini in 1999, Steve Flesch in 1998 and Hal Sutton in 1997. Yes the course is changing, rough will be tougher this year than in past but still feel that driving it pays dividends at Sugarloaf.
-
Key stat for the winner:
Ball striking is also an importance, hitting greens is high on the list of those that have won. Three of the winners at Sugarloaf, including last year's champion Phil Mickelson led that category for the week. - Players that make lots of birdies rule at this event.
- Domination of the par 4s is important. As an example, Zach Johnson last year played the par 5s in 6 under and the par 4s in 7 under. Phil Mickelson in 2006 played the par 5s in 9 under but the par 4s in 17 under. Six of the winners at Sugarloaf played the par 4s better than the par 5s.
- Size of the greens are 6,000 square feet. They have lots of roll and mounds to them so good lag putter and those that avoid three-putts do the best.
- With the change from March to May look for a lusher and greener Sugarloaf. With that the course will play even longer than previous years.
- Course architect Greg Norman has done some tweaks to some of the bunkers on the 10th, 12th, 13th and 17th holes.
- Yes 28 under won the tournament in 2006 but look for a winning score close to half that.
- Six of the eight different champions of Sugarloaf have won a major championship.
