HP Byron Nelson 2012: Phil Mickelson and More Favorites to Win Tourney

There are three clear-cut favorites at the 2012 HP Byron Nelson. Phil Mickelson is certainly one of them. He has won this tournament twice before, and this will be the first time he has participated in five years. 

It is not surprising that he has skipped this event the past five years. This has never been a favorite stop for the world's best golfers. Coming just one week after the prestigious Players Championship, plenty of golfers decide to skip this event. 

It is held at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas, which is not an overly challenging course—unless the wind is blowing, like it was last year. 

Keegan Bradley took this event amid high winds with a score of 3-under par in 2011. So, with all of that in mind, here are the three favorites for this year's event. 

Phil Mickelson 

Lefty has been playing solid golf all year. He is coming off of a top-25 finish at the Players Championship, and he has four top-10 finishes in PGA events this year. 

Mickelson has been solid with his putter this year—something that has been troubling him the past couple of seasons. He is 13th in strokes gained putting. 

This makes him a contender in every tournament he enters. He has still been erratic off the tee, as he is just 129th in driving accuracy, but his knack for shot-making allows him to play through some wild drives. 

Lefty knows how to play this course, and you can expect him to be in serious contention come Sunday.

Matt Kuchar

Kuchar is coming off of what is easily the biggest win of his career at last week's Players Championship. This would lead to a lot of players taking off the next week's event; not Kuchar. 

Kuchar has always been one of the hardest working golfers on the Tour, and he has been remarkably consistent while doing so. He knows to keep his focus at a high level week after week, and he is dialed in right now. 

He has five top-10 finishes in PGA events this year and is playing at a high level. He is consistently landing his drives in the fairway and nailing greens in regulation at the 16th best rate on the Tour. 

The steady and reliable Kuchar is sure to be a factor again this week. 

Keegan Bradley 

Bradley notched his first win on the Tour last year at this event. Three months later, he was a major champion after taking the PGA Championship. 

Bradley does not have a win yet in 2012, but he does have three top-10 finishes and nine top-25 finishes in PGA events this year. 

He is a talented golfer, but he can still struggle with accuracy off the tee. He is 77th in driving accuracy. He does have great length off the tee, though, and this allows him to make up strokes in a hurry. 

Bradley is also solid with the putter, and he has a game that is well-suited for this course. He will come out firing to defend his title.