The Biggest Storylines Ahead of the 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson

We've arrived at the final leg of the PGA Tour's Texas Swing: the AT&T Byron Nelson from TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas. 

Last week's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial came to a rolling boil Sunday afternoon in a wild couple of hours when it looked like seemingly 10 different golfers were going to win the tournament. The victor, Chris Kirk, isn't in the field this week. However, a pair of golfers who finished just behind him are teeing it up, and they likely feel they have things to prove. 

What other storylines of interest are out there as the AT&T Byron Nelson gets underway?

Read on to find out. 

Hometown Boy Jordan Spieth

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Twenty-one-year-old sensation Jordan Spieth tees it up in his hometown this week. He'll be the axis around which fan interest and TV coverage revolve during the tournament. 

And if that weren't enough, the Texas Longhorn is fresh off coming up one stroke short at last week's Crowne Plaza Invitational. So you know he's both on form and motivated as he readies himself for Lord Byron's tournament. 

Spieth made his PGA Tour debut at the Nelson at just the age of 16 in 2010. Impressively, he finished tied for 16th. This will be his fifth appearance at the event. His best finish: tied for sixth in 2010. He tied for 37th at TPC Four Seasons last year. 

Dustin Johnson Playing for the 1st Time Since the Players

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Nine-time PGA Tour winner Dustin Johnson returns to action in Irving, Texas, this week for the first time since The Players Championship earlier this month, where he finished tied for 69th.

DJ has notched one win (WGC-Cadillac Championship) and five top-10 finishes in 10 starts in his return to the tour this season. He's played well at the Nelson, finishing inside the top 10 in three of his last four starts, and he tied for seventh at last year's event.

Johnson, who is leading the tour with an average of 316.5 yards per drive this year, is expected to contend this week. PGATour.com's fantasy expert, Rob Bolton, has Johnson pegged third this week behind Jason Day and (surprisingly) Marc Leishman. 

Troll-Blasting Ian Poulter Coming in Hot

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Ian Poulter could dust off his patented Ryder Cup bug-eyed stare and win this week in his continued bid to show that, like Rickie Fowler, he isn't overrated.

Additionally, the controversial Englishman could be heckled for boasting to a Twitter troll who accused him of choking at Colonial last week that the only thing he was choking on was his $220,350.00 tie-for-fifth paycheck. 

Poulter arrives in Irving having made nine consecutive cuts. He hasn't competed in the AT&T Byron Nelson since 2009, as he's usually overseas for the BMW PGA Championship at this point in the season. So how he plays and how fans receive him will be worth keeping an eye on this week. 

Zach Johnson, Boo Weekley Going for 'DFW Double'

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Zach Johnson and Boo Weekley, both past Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial champions, are each hoping to become the 16th man to win both Dallas-Fort Worth events with a win at the AT&T Byron Nelson this week. 

Last year, Adam Scott joined the elite Texas fraternity with his win at Colonial. The victory made Scott the king of Texas golf and the first to complete the Texas Grand Slam—winning all four legs of the PGA Tour's Texas Swing (2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 AT&T Byron Nelson, 2009 Valero Texas Open, 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial).

The other men to capture the DFW Double: Ben Crenshaw, Roberto De Vicenzo, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Bruce Devlin, Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Tom Watson, Bruce Lietzke, Nick Price, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Rory Sabbatini and Julius Boros.

Johnson hasn't teed it up in this event in 10 years and has struggled with his putting this season. Boo Weekley, for his part, finished tied for fifth at TPC Four Seasons last year. 

The Chambers Bay Issue

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Does the USGA have a Chambers Bay problem? Such was the question posed by Golf World in this week's digital. With the U.S. Open slated to begin June 21, doubt and player discontent are swirling. 

As Golf World's Jaime Diaz writes: 

"

It’s hard to deny a faint-but-growing sense of foreboding about the upcoming U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. First, the USGA felt compelled to strongly suggest spectators remain in grandstands rather than walk the rugged terrain that will offer some poor viewing from ground level.

Then Ian Poulter reported that players who did early scouting on the remote Pacific Northwest site generally found the course “a complete farce.”

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Diaz also mentioned USGA Executive Director Mike Davis' suggestion that players will have to make multiple trips to the course to digest its nuances and bone up on local knowledge.

It's a suggestion that likely hasn't gone over well with the guys who compete on the tour week in and week out, and it's one that smacks of the blue-blazered cluelessness and negative elements of amateurism that dog the venerable guardians of the game.