Short Iron Sparks Right Over Event

Golf Betting Lines

Avenel was developed over 220 acres in Potomac, Maryland's rolling countryside, just minutes away from famed Congressional Country Club. The course is a perfect stadium golf facility, designed for hosting a PGA Tour event.

Beginning in 1987, the PGA Tour began its run at Avenel with the Kemper Open, where former U.S. Open champion Tom Kite was a runaway winner by seven over Chris Perry and Howard Twitty. The following year, Kite lost in a playoff to Morris Hatalsky, as Mo-Cat sank a five-foot par putt for the win. The 1980s were completed with a Tom Byrum five-shot win over three players for his first and only PGA Tour title.

Two shots behind Bobby Wadkins with one round to play, Mark Brooks carded his fourth straight round in the 60s to clip Wadkins and D.A. Weibring by three shots in 1994. Lee Janzen defeated Corey Pavin with a 12-foot birdie on the first extra hole to capture the 1995 tournament. Janzen, who shot four rounds in the 60s, won the last playoff in the event's storied history.

One shot off the pace with one round remaining, Steve Stricker carded his fourth straight round in the 60s to post a three-shot victory over four players in 1996 with his wife Nicki on the bag. Justin Leonard won for the second time in his career when he captured the 1997 Kemper Open. Leonard, who opened with three straight 69s, closed with 67 to defeat Mark Wiebe by one. Nick Faldo, Nick Price and Greg Norman finished three behind.

Tied for the lead after three rounds with Bob Burns, Bob Estes carded a Sunday 71 to edge 1999 champion Rich Beem by one shot for his fourth career title in 2002. Burns, who aced the 11th hole during the final round, finished tied for third after a one-over 72. Estes carded 17 pars and one birdie, but trailed by one with three holes remaining. Burns, who held the lead, would relinquish the advantage with a costly double-bogey on 16 while Estes parred the final two holes for victory. Beem carded four rounds in the 60s, including back-to-back 69s over the weekend.

Rory Sabbatini returned to the winner's circle for the first time in three years, as he closed with back-to-back 68s for a four-shot win. With his victory, Sabbatini became the fourth player in the last five years to either hold or share the 54-hole lead and go on to victory. The 2003 event changed names to the FBR Capital Open.

The 2006 event returned to Avenel and Ben Curtis, three years removed from his British Open title, endured six days of inclement weather to capture his second career title. Curtis' total of 264 was one shy of the tournament record and he won by five shots over four players. Rain and lightning plagued the event from start to finish, as this event was the first Tuesday climax since the 1980 Tucson Open. Curtis, who hit 83.3 percent of the fairways for the week and led from start to finish, had a chance to break the tournament mark, but a bogey-bogey finish ended his chances.

REVIEW: The opening hole at the TPC at Avenel is a sharp, dogleg-right par four of just 393 yards. However, don't be misled, as the tee shot plays uphill to a fairway that is protected on either side by long bunkers. A medium to short iron will remain after a successful tee ball to one of the smallest greens on the course, just 32 paces deep. Any shot offline and to the right will be gobbled up by a difficult bunker. An opening par is not a bad way to start.

Aesthetically, the fourth is one beautiful hole, with a lake left and tall trees right. Scoring-wise, you better be on your toes. Although the fairway is very wide, it slopes from right to left and any ball hit towards the left will most certainly end up wet. A play down the right will set up a medium iron to a well-guarded green. The putting surface slopes from back to front, with sand left and deep and a grass hollow to the right. Talk about pinpoint accuracy.

A love-hate relationship will certainly develop with the par-five sixth. Just 520 yards in length, the sixth is a severe dogleg-right hole with tall trees and water all along the right. As a par five, the hole is quite simple, as evident by the 2006 stats from the Booz Allen Classic, where the hole played as the easiest on the course at 4.619 with 23 eagles and 198 birdies. The biggest problem lies with the green. Although quite wide at 35 yards, it's just six paces deep with water and a rock wall fronting the putting surface. Two bunkers deep will snare all long shots. Quite a daunting target.

comments

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•    @andytoots I jest, of course. Been in France with only a dog for a few days. She's unappreciative of my brilliant gags.

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•    @badprocess bâclé, en retard, avec des évolutions débarquées par l'integrateur himself ? C'est déjà le cas chez nous. Mais c'est politique…

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•    @mmitchelldaviss oh and you would pic the one day I'm never at Ceasar's Creek to go there. #Fail

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•    @oc_esthi no I don't, I WISH I did. We have a creek behind my office with ducks, and I love them.

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•    just got my birthday gifts!! i got psp and a flat iron for short hair... LOL haha

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•    Can't believe iron head heyward is playing short stop for the giants, unbelievably talented isn't he?

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•    @extrabaggs in the event that the Giants win the World Series, does Jose Guillen get a ring?

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•    #Nap :) ? after #TheGame ends of course

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•    ei meninas Que ficaram sem Par mande . #iNDICAdii vo indicar .

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•    #f1 10min delay!@jlegand 'surface akin to a golfer putting on marble' You know??

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•    Don't really feel like goin out. But life is short. Yoiu never know what's gon happen who u gon meet. So ima iron my shirt

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•    @showalasomelove yes!! He tht dumb nigga.. It'll be short lived... He runnin to fast with tht iron.

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