Leader board at EDS Byron Nelson full of surprises

Little-known players provide excitement to annual PGA tournament

By Jason Joyce
Staff Writer

When it comes to professional golf in Texas, there really are only two tournaments that matter — the Byron Nelson and the Colonial. Of the two, the EDS Byron Nelson is favored by many golfers, simple for the involvement of its namesake’s status as a legend of golf.

This year’s tournament is the first without “Lord” Byron, as he was affectionately known by fans. As might be expected, the general theme revolves around honoring the legacy left by Nelson. Few eyes in the crowd were dry on April 24 after a moving chorale tribute to Nelson performed by children from the J. Erik Jonsson Community School in Dallas.

Moving tributes and ceremonies aside, the actual performance on the golf course has been something of a surprise this year, as is the condition of the course. Some may remember that the greens on the Tournament Player’s Course weren’t in the best of shape last year. They’re in even worse shape this year; while the large brown spots of dead grass look bad, according to tournament officials, they aren’t affecting play.

Looking at the tournament standings through the second round, it’s hard to believe that the shape of the greens isn’t having some sort of negative impact on play. With the possible exception of last year’s champion, Brett Wetterich, who was currently in a three-way tie for second place at press time on Friday, the current tournament leaders are relative unknowns.

Luke Donald’s currently in first. Fredrik Jacobson and Sean O’Hair are dead-even with Brett Wetterich. I wouldn’t have put my money on obscure players having a lead over big name tour players like Vijay Singh or Phil Mickelson. Even local favorite Corey Pavin’s struggling. Pavin only managed to finish out the second round tied for 84th. It’s a far cry from his performance earlier this season.

Sure, it surprises me to see little known players on top of the leader board, but it doesn’t mean the EDS Byron Nelson hasn’t been exciting or riveting to watch.

In fact, having obscure names on top provides a visceral sense of excitement – as an average weekend “hack” golfer, it’s hard not to watch these seemingly unknown golfers beat out the big names like Mickelson or Singh and think ‘Hey, if this guy can do it, I could have a shot at it’. Sure, there’s not a chance it could ever happen, but the fantasy is nice while it lasts.

And when you get down to it, isn’t that fantasy really what the game’s all about? Sometimes it’s nice to see the little guy bring down the giants of the game.