Tag: 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson

Sebastian Munoz breaks course record, becomes first PGA Tour player to shoot 60 or better twice in a season

Using a pair of eagles and a supremely hot putter, Munoz fired his second 60 of the season, grabbing the lead.

McKINNEY, Texas — Much of the talk around the AT&T Byron Nelson focused on the local golf triumvirate of Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris, three players who honed their games in the North Texas region and represent a new guard of Lone Star State golf.

But none of the aforementioned players currently own the course record at TPC Craig Ranch, the site of this week’s PGA Tour event. And none of the aforementioned players have ever shot multiple rounds of 60 or lower in the same season.

To be fair, nobody had ever accomplished the latter until Thursday, when Sebastian Munoz reminded the golf world that the Dallas-Fort Worth golf scene is about more than just Spieth, Scheffler and Willy Z.

Using a pair of eagles and a supremely hot putter, Munoz — who played collegiately at the nearby University of North Texas and currently lives in the DFW — fired his second 60 of the season on his way to grabbing a sizable lead after the early wave of players finished Thursday’s opening round.

Byron Nelson: PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

As he stood in the 18th fairway, preparing to take a crack at his third eagle of the day on the lengthy par-5 closing hole, Munoz had just one thing on his mind.

“Fifty-nine,” he said. “I wanted to give me a chance. I had I think it was 250 to the pin into the wind. I kind of wanted to hit like a bullet, like a little draw. I knew if I wanted to hit it close it had to be a fading, soft-landed shot; I tried to do that. I overdid it and ended up with a 60, which is really good around here.”

Good indeed. Good enough to eclipse Sam Burns’ 62, which marked the best tournament round since the event moved to Craig Ranch from Trinity Forest Golf Club last year. And the best the course has ever seen, as well, edging out a 61 once shot at the Tom Weiskopf-designed course by Ryan Palmer. Although Munoz pushed his second shot well right of the green on 18, he chipped to just inside a dozen feet and then buried the putt, a common theme throughout the day. That gave him a white-hot 28 on the back nine, and his 60 equaled the number he posted in the opening round of the RSM Classic back in November.

2022 AT&T Byron Nelson
Sebastian Munoz plays a shot on the tenth hole during the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Something clearly has clicked with Munoz since the calendar moved to 2022. He started this season (which begins in September) by missing three straight cuts and five of eight. He’s been a top 40 finisher in his last seven events.

He said on Thursday that a new partnership with caddie Jose Campra has helped to solidify his game.

“I feel like ever since he got on the bag, we’ve had good vibes,” Munoz said of Campos. “We understand each other. We kind of speak a language that we can both see our shots and our distances.

“So I felt like that has really helped. Besides that, just a little more consistent. Trying to avoid the big mood swings. I feel like that’s huge. And we’ll see how it goes.”

It went pretty well in the opening round, but that’s nothing new for Munoz, who also finished with a 66 in the first round here last year, using eagles on holes 9 and 12 to write a similar script. He dropped back in the pack on the weekend with rounds of 73 and 71.

“It’s a great feeling whenever everything is clicking,” Munoz said. “You’re hitting the tee shots, the ball is coming out in the window that you imagined … the putts, that you’re reading good the putts. The speed.

“When everything is going, it’s just stay out of the way and just kind of let it happen.”

At the end of the early wave of action, Munoz held a four-stroke lead over Mito Pereira and Peter Malnati. So how would the Colombian native relax, knowing he’d have a healthy lead?

By playing video games. Apex Legends. Maybe Call of Duty.

And do video games come as easily as golf seems to come lately?

“I’m almost a 30-year-old guy trying to play video games,” he said with a smile. “The kids today are really good.”

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A tumbler with a built-in Bluetooth speaker highlights list of merchandise at AT&T Byron Nelson

This tumbler with a built-in Bluetooth speaker is sure to keep you cool (literally and figuratively) this summer.

McKINNEY, Texas — With the PGA Championship up U.S. Route 75 in Tulsa next week, a strong field is in Texas for the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch this week. The Tom Weiskopf-design will play as a par 72 and measure 7,468 yards.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is making just his second start since he slipped on the green jacket at Augusta National and the Texan is sure to feel right at home as he hopes to win for the fifth time in his last eight starts.

Joining Scheffler just outside of Dallas are Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, fellow Texans Jordan Spieth and Will Zalatoris, and Xander Schauffele.

Check out the best merchandise of the week from the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson, including a tumbler with a built-in Bluetooth speaker that’s sure to keep you cool (literally and figuratively) this summer.

AT&T Byron Nelson: Tee times, TV info | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

For Jordan Spieth, a Byron Nelson home game means houseguests Justin Thomas and Jason Dufner

Jordan Spieth loves talking up Texas. And what happens when you talk a place up? Others look to visit.

McKINNEY, Texas — Jordan Spieth loves talking up Texas, whether it’s the sprawling oaks of Hill Country through the soundtrack of his collegiate home in Austin, up to his native Dallas.

And what happens when you talk a place up? Others look to visit.

For example, this week with the PGA Tour’s AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch, Spieth is putting out a fresh welcome mat for a pair of old pals — Justin Thomas and Jason Dufner.

“I got a couple roommates this week,” Spieth joked during Wednesday’s press conference in advance of Thursday’s opening round.

Dufner and his girlfriend and Thomas and his fiancée— and the Thomas’s dog — are all staying at Spieth’s home this week, with the PGA Championship appearing on the horizon. Spieth joked that once Thomas makes the ride to and from the Spieth complex in busy DFW traffic he might reconsider.

AT&T Byron Nelson: Tee times, TV info | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ | Best bets

“I think in an ideal world he would stay closer to the course, but I think he would have felt too guilty not staying at our house since we live here.” Spieth said. “He didn’t say that, but that’s probably how, you know, when he’s driving home at rush hour I think he’s probably like, ‘Man, you know, all right, I guess we got to go back there.’

“But it’s a lot of fun. We stay together probably more than half the tournaments in a season anyways now and so it’s not really much different, other than I get to sleep in my own bed. But it’s nice hanging out at night, get to kind of show him around Dallas a little bit and eat some good food and then we’ll go on next week and do the same thing.”

Spieth is eager to give his local friends and family members a show. The University of Texas product hasn’t played particularly well in this event in the past, but after the tournament moved to TPC Craig Ranch last year he posted his best finish at the Nelson, a ninth-place showing.

And he should be in a positive frame of mind, coming off a victory at the RBC Heritage while knowing a pair of good friends are staying with him, his wife Annie and son Sammy throughout this week’s event.

And as for cleaning up after JT, is Spieth worried about a mess?

“I don’t go into their room. No, he’s very clean, they’re great houseguests,” Spieth said. “I’ve got no complaints thus far, but it’s only Wednesday.

“So ask me later in the week.”

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Can Will Zalatoris become the next Texan to use a home state rally to get on a heater?

See a pattern starting to form? When Spieth and/or Scheffler do something, Zalatoris seems soon to follow.

McKINNEY, Texas — When Will Zalatoris was wrapping up his second Texas high school golf championship in the spring of 2013, a fresh-faced Jordan Spieth  — who also hails from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – had just been given Special Temporary Member status on the PGA Tour as a reward for top-7 finishes in Puerto Rico and at the Tampa Bay Championship.

Just a month later, another Dallas golfer — Scottie Scheffler — won the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

Fast forward to a year later, and Zalatoris captured the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the Club at Carlton Woods, a course just a few hours to the southwest near Houston.

And moving ahead a few notches in the time machine, Zalatoris was given the Special Temporary Member status in 2020 after posting top-8 showings at the U.S. Open and the Corales Puntacana Championship.

See a pattern starting to form? When Spieth and/or Scheffler do something, Zalatoris seems soon to follow.

This only makes one wonder if the skinny blonde who played his college golf at Wake Forest is due for a Texas-sized heater that rivals those Spieth and Scheffler have previously enjoyed. In Spieth’s case, the spans have been numerous and spread out. In Scheffler’s case, the fire is still raging.

And while Zalatoris is playing some spectacular golf — he’s finished in the top half-dozen spots in five of his last eight tournaments if you count the team event in New Orleans — he’s yet to break through with a win on Tour. Of course, Scheffler was in the same boat just a few short months ago.

Will Zalatoris plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the 2021 AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament. Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

So could this week’s home game at TPC Craig Ranch, where Zalatoris says he’s played 35 rounds over the years, finally help get him in the Tour’s winner’s circle?

And if he cracks that goose egg at the AT&T Byron Nelson, could it springboard him to major-winner status next week at Southern Hills in Tulsa?

“I’ve been playing some really nice golf over the last month, month and a half. I really have been putting nicely over the last, really going back to Match Play,” Zalatoris said of the event in Austin where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Kevin Kisner. “I feel like every part of my game is really doing well and I just have to let the win get in the way. I’ve put in a lot of hard work with Josh Gregory and Troy Dunn, especially over the last month and a half, and it’s paid off and I just have to stay patient.

“Obviously, watching guys — like Scottie — going on an absolute tear, he had to kind of wait his turn for a few years and then once the gates opened now it seems like every event he tees up he’s winning. So I’ve just got to keep waiting my turn and I know I’m playing some really nice golf and I know my best golf’s only ahead of me this year.”

All the stats indicate Zalatoris is ready to put a significant stream together. He’s 11th off the tee this season and second in Strokes Gained: Approaching the Green. If he shores up some of the putting woes that have plagued him (he currently sits at 170th in that vital stat), it’s almost certain the victories will follow.

And it’s not just Scheffler who is proving motivation. Will Z has been surrounded by good players for as long as he can remember.

“It kind of goes back to even on our Walker Cup team, eight out of the 10 guys are on the PGA Tour right now and at one point I think three guys had won either on Tour or on the Korn Ferry Tour, and I didn’t have status anywhere,” he said. “So if anything it was motivating because I knew I could do what they were doing, I just had to kind of keep plugging along.

“But at the same time, the part that I love so much about Scottie is he’s just such a good dude. And it tastes like vinegar coming out of my mouth, considering the amount of golf we play together, because I love him to death, it’s really cool to see. And obviously playing the games at home together and him playing well and even the other day I thought I played pretty good at a little event we played here at home, shoot 66 and he comes in with 63 and it’s like … good grief, man, like have an off-day.”

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‘What he’s doing is borderline Tigeresque’: Scottie Scheffler looking to continue dominant play with Dallas home game at AT&T Byron Nelson

“He’s setting the bar pretty high right now and obviously he’s kind of the guy to chase for all of us.”

Scottie Scheffler is on a Texas-sized roll.

He’s won four of his last six individual starts on the PGA Tour, a dominant stretch of victories from Phoenix to Orlando to Austin to Augusta that ballooned his bankroll and shot him to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

The biggest of the four wins was his three-shot win in the Masters which came with a green jacket, which he has enthusiastically put to use as he wore the coveted garment when he threw out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game and dropped the puck at a Dallas Stars contest.

Yet all the recent success – remember he was winless on the PGA Tour on the morning of February 13th – hasn’t change him one iota.

“He’s just the same guy,” Xander Schauffele said. “He’s very playful, practices really hard, you’re always going to see Scottie out there chipping or putting pretty late in the day. So I’m not surprised that he’s been winning so much and playing great golf. I imagine him being very comfortable, which is a dangerous place for the current world No. 1.”

Former Walker Cup teammate and good friend Will Zalatoris played in an event at Preston Trail Golf Club in Dallas with Scheffler and other pros two weeks ago.

Guess who won?

“(I shot) 66 and he comes in with 63 and it’s like, ‘Good grief, man, like have an off day,’” Zalatoris said. “He’s setting the bar pretty high right now and obviously he’s kind of the guy to chase for all of us.

“But what he’s doing is borderline Tigeresque. It’s pretty cool to see.”

And now Dallas resident Scheffler, 25, is eager to play a home game in one of his favorite tournaments of the year this week – the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch near Dallas – and in the 104th PGA Championship next week at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of his favorite golf courses in the world.

“Nice to be sleeping in my own bed this week,” Scheffler said Wednesday at TPC Craig Ranch. “Obviously love the Byron Nelson Championship and look up to Mr. Nelson. I had the pleasure of meeting him a handful of times when I was a kid. Byron Nelson’s always been very gracious with people and he was gracious with me and it was a pleasure to meet him and definitely have some good memories.

“I had the honor of playing in this tournament in high school, so I got a lot of good memories playing this event and I’m looking forward to this week.”

In 2014, Scheffler, the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion, made his PGA Tour debut in the AT&T Byron Nelson at age 17. With his sister, Callie, on the bag, he made the cut, had a hole-in-one in the third round and tied for 22nd.

“We had a ton of fun. We had like half of our high school out there watching, so it was a good time for sure,” said Scheffler, who teamed with Ryan Palmer to tie for 18th three weeks ago in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, his last start. “We have great memories of this event. I’m sad she’s not going to be able to be here this week, she’s going to have a baby here in about three weeks so she’s not allowed to travel, but she will be here in spirit.”

Scheffler has good memories of Southern Hills, too, where he won the 2015 Big 12 Championship while competing for the University of Texas, finished in a tie for fifth in 2018, and tied for 21st in the 2014 Trans-Mississippi Championship.

“I just think it’s a really good test,” said Scheffler, who shot 64 in a practice round at Southern Hills a week ago. “I hadn’t played the new golf course yet. But it looked pretty similar to what it did before a lot of sight lines off the tee were still very familiar to me. It was really nice to go up there and see the golf course again.”

But Scheffler isn’t looking ahead. His mind is on at AT&T Byron Nelson.

“The golf course is in great shape this year. I have a bit of experience around this place but having a golf course where you know it’s going to be in good shape and looks like the weather’s going to be really good this week so it should be a nice test and a fun week,” he said. “Should see a good amount of birdies around this track, which is definitely fun for us.

“We definitely have some friends and family. We got a few people staying at our house this week which is fun. So it’s going to be a great week.”

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2022 AT&T Byron Nelson tee times, TV info for Thursday’s first round

Everything you need to know for Thursday’s first round.

The PGA Tour is bound for the Lone Star State before crossing the Red River into Oklahoma for the year’s second men’s major next week at Southern Hills for the PGA Championship.

TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, hosts this week’s 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson for the second time after its debut last year, with a field of 156 players set to compete including defending champion K.H. Lee, Texas natives Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson. The course plays to a par 72 at 7,468 yards with a whopping $9.1 million up for grabs (with $1.6 million going to the winner).

From tee times to TV and streaming info, below you’ll find everything you need to know for the first round of the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson.

Byron Nelson: Best bets | Sleeper picks

Tee times

1st tee

Tee Time Players
7:50 a.m. Kelly Kraft, Wyndham Clark, Harry Higgs
8:01 a.m. James Hahn, Charley Hoffman, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
8:12 a.m. Ryan Armour, Matt Wallace, Hayden Buckley
8:23 a.m. Sebastián Muñoz, Matt Kuchar, Danny Willett
8:34 a.m. Ryan Brehm, Robert Streb, Brandt Snedeker
8:45 a.m. Seamus Power, Keith Mitchell, Kevin Tway
8:56 a.m. Si Woo Kim, Martin Trainer, Patton Kizzire
9:07 a.m. Hudson Swafford, Michael Thompson, Sung Kang
9:18 a.m. Aaron Wise, Jason Dufner, Jonas Blixt
9:29 a.m. Peter Malnati, John Huh, Hank Lebioda
9:40 a.m. Justin Leonard, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Scott Gutschewski
9:51 a.m. Paul Barjon, Brett Drewitt, Conrad Shindler
10:02 a.m. Ben Kohles, Joshua Creel, John Murphy
1 p.m. Adam Hadwin, Brandon Hagy, Aaron Rai
1:11 p.m. Andrew Putnam, Jhonattan Vegas, Henrik Norlander
1:22 p.m. Charl Schwartzel, Jim Knous, Lee Hodges
1:33 p.m. Cameron Champ, Lanto Griffin, Dylan Frittelli
1:44 p.m. Joaquin Niemann, Marc Leishman, Adam Scott
1:55 p.m. Sam Burns, Tom Hoge, Justin Thomas
2:06 p.m. Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, K.H. Lee
2:17 p.m. Sepp Straka, Ryan Palmer, Francesco Molinari
2:28 p.m. Beau Hossler, Maverick McNealy, Kramer Hickok
2:39 p.m. Pat Perez, Will Zalatoris, Mark Hubbard
2:50 p.m. Greyson Sigg, Callum Tarren, James Hart du Preez
3:01 p.m. Dawie van der Walt, Andrew Novak, Mac Meissner
3:12 p.m. Joseph Bramlett, Justin Lower, J.J. Killeen

10th tee

Tee Time Players
7:50 a.m. Wesley Bryan, Doc Redman, Max McGreevy
8:01 a.m. Scott Piercy, Adam Schenk, Matthew NeSmith
8:12 a.m.
Emiliano Grillo, Bill Haas, Peter Uihlein
8:23 a.m. Luke List, Jim Herman, Luke Donald
8:34 a.m. Talor Gooch, Satoshi Kodaira, Bubba Watson
8:45 a.m. Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Mackenzie Hughes
8:56 a.m. Xander Schauffele, Kevin Kisner, Dustin Johnson
9:07 a.m. Carlos Ortiz, Tyler Duncan, Brendon Todd
9:18 a.m. Ian Poulter, Roger Sloan, Mito Pereira
9:29 a.m. Scott Stallings, Rory Sabbatini, Alex Noren
9:40 a.m. Kurt Kitayama, Austin Smotherman, Cooper Dossey
9:51 a.m. David Lipsky, Seth Reeves, Kyle Wilshire
10:02 a.m. Stephan Jaeger, Michael Gligic, Shaun Norris
1 p.m. Seung-Yul Noh, Patrick Rodgers, Sam Ryder
1:11 p.m. Cameron Percy, Sahith Theegala, Taylor Moore
1:22 p.m. Brice Garnett, Davis Riley, Matthias Schwab
1:33 p.m. J.J. Spaun, Branden Grace, Chez Reavie
1:44 p.m. Richy Werenski, Nate Lashley, C.T. Pan
1:55 p.m. Jason Kokrak, Matthew Wolff, Henrik Stenson
2:06 p.m. Martin Laird, Nick Taylor, Charles Howell III
2:17 p.m. Tommy Fleetwood, Trey Mullinax, Vince Whaley
2:28 p.m. Austin Cook, Chase Seiffert, Brian Stuard
2:39 p.m. Vaughn Taylor, Chesson Hadley, Lee Westwood
2:50 p.m. Brandon Wu, Curtis Thompson, Patrick Flavin
3:01 p.m. Adam Svensson, David Skinns, Joohyung Kim
3:12 p.m. Dylan Wu, Jared Wolfe, Andrew Loupe

TV, streaming, radio information

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. ESPN+ is the exclusive home for PGA Tour Live streaming. All times Eastern.

Thursday, May 12th

TV

Golf Channel: 4-7 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-7 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m.

Friday, May 13th

TV

Golf Channel: 4-7 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-7 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m.

Saturday, May 14th

TV

Golf Channel: 1-3 p.m.
CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday, May 15th

TV

Golf Channel: 1-3 p.m.
CBS: 3-6 p.m.

Radio

SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.

STREAM

ESPN+: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

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