What’s the Future for the Byron and the Colonial?

The Texas two-step is about to change on the PGA Tour. The tradition of staging the venerable EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the Colonial Invitational during consecutive weeks in May is now history. In 2007 with the advent of Commissioner Tim Finchem’s NASCAR-style “FedEx Cup” rescheduling gamble, the Dallas and Fort Worth events will be split. The Nelson will be held April 23-29 next year, with the Colonial four weeks later from May 21-27.

Golfers who previously teed it up here for both weeks with only one hotel unpacking/packing hassle may now skip one or the other North Texas tourneys.

The Nelson may suffer from its position preceding the Wachovia Championship and the so-called “5th Major,” The Players Championship. All of the marquee players show up at Sawgrass, and the pampering in North Carolina is quickly becoming the Tour benchmark (Mercedes courtesy cars, for example, and flying the wives on day trips all around the East Coast). The Nelson also follows the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, which has become a Tour goodwill poster child, so Dallas becomes the event most likely to be skipped in that four-week stretch.

The Colonial is just in front of Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament in 2007, and just after the BellSouth in Atlanta (which lost its pre-Masters slot to Houston). BellSouth is close to The Players venue in Jacksonville, Florida, so some players will be inclined to stop in Atlanta, skip Colonial, then head to Ohio.

Another sensitive factor affecting field quality will be the inevitable passing of Byron Nelson. Some players admittedly show up in Irving out of respect for the 94-year-old legend (although that wasn’t enough this year for Phil Mickelson). Will the game’s elite continue to make the pilgrimage after Byron has gone on to his heavenly reward? Certainly the golf course, considerably shorter than many tracks now on Tour, is not a premier draw either in terms of length or classic design.

The TPC Four Seasons has a contract with the PGA Tour to stage the event through 2018. But once Byron is out of the loop, might they consider moving it? Would it be all that difficult for the PGA Tour, which owns or franchises all of the TPC courses, to shift the Nelson event from one to the other?

The new TPC at Craig Ranch in McKinney is yearning for a significant event, and almost snagged a Champions Tour date when it was preparing to open two years ago. But Tour officials reportedly felt there was too much risk in the zoysia-grass fairways being ready. (The Metroplex hasn’t had a Champions Tour event since the demise of the Bank One Championship in 2000.)

Craig Ranch doesn’t yet have the infrastructure that’s in place at the Four Seasons, most prominently a large on-site hotel to cater to the players and well-heeled sponsors. And it’s certainly not as convenient to the DFW airport (although you wouldn’t have jumbo jets taking off directly over the course as in Irving).

The Tom Weiskopf-designed TPC at Craig Ranch is a superb tournament test and stretches over 7400 yards. It’s initial 77.0 rating and 152 slope was the toughest in Texas. This year it will hold a stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School.

Moving the Nelson, maybe rotating it between Four Seasons and Craig Ranch, might inject some new life into the event. McKinney-Frisco is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation, and a rotation would stimulate golf fans on the East side of the Metroplex. Need a second course for the early rounds (as with Cottonwood)? The nearby Stonebridge Ranch Pete Dye layout would present a worthy test, especially if the broad fescue rough is up.

The Colonial course also suffers from lack of length to accommodate today’s 350+ yard drives. On the once-feared 18th (433 yards), for example, Tim Herron drilled his tee shot to less than 80 yards from the green in the playoff. If something is not done to rein in the golf ball, are we rapidly approaching the point where Hogan’s Alley can only be played with a hybrid and six wedges?

As a spectator, I love the Colonial course. Built at a time when golfers still walked, the holes are close together. It’s easy to move around to different vantage points to watch various players in action. It also has a few shade trees if you prefer to camp in one spot and let all the players come to you.

The Colonial is the oldest continuous regular event on the Tour, 60 years now, predating even the Bing Crosby clambake (now AT&T) at Pebble Beach. PGA officials reportedly love the event and have expressed an indefinite commitment to keeping Colonial on the schedule. It would be a shame to see it relegated to a field of nondescript journeyman players who bear scant resemblance to the great Ben Hogan.

-- Rick Adams

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