AT&T Byron Nelson 2017: 5 groups to watch in Rounds 1 & 2
By Luke Norris
2. Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker, Jordan Spieth
Round 1: 10th tee, 7:50 a.m. CT
Round 2: 1st tee, 12:50 p.m. CT
Normally, I would have probably put Dallas’ own Jordan Spieth in the number one group at the Byron Nelson but there’s still the defending champion to get to so that takes precedence. But rest assured, Jordan Spieth will play a major part in how this tournament goes down. First making a name for himself here as a 16-year-old amateur in 2010 (he finished in 16th place by the way, which is incredible), the now-23-year-old world No. 6, much like Brooks Koepka, has to have redemption on his mind. Spieth played in the final group a year ago but stumbled with a final-round 74 on a day that just about everyone else was going low and finished five shots out of the playoff with Koepka and Garcia. Look for the crowd to be really behind him when he tees off at the 10th on Thursday morning.
Oh yeah, Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker are here as well. Kuchar, currently ranked 20th in the world, didn’t have THE PLAYERS that he would have liked, missing out on the final day of action (I always seem to forget about that second cut) after a disastrous third-round 81 left him in last place for those that made it through the first two days. Much like J.B. Holmes, it will be interesting to see how he recovers but Kuchar is a pretty calm and collected individual and should be just fine.
Brandt Snedeker was one of just two of the top 50 players in the world at the time to miss THE PLAYERS, due to a hand injury suffered at The Masters, but he’s back for the Byron Nelson and will look to continue his good play. He’s made eight of 10 cuts in 2017 and has three top-10 finishes in that span, his best being a solo-fourth at Pebble Beach. We’ll see how that left hand holds up as the week moves along.