Barbasol Championship 2015: Dates, Tee Times, TV Info, Prize Money
With the world's top players overseas for the 2015 Open Championship, golfers who aren't participating in the year's third major will have greatly improved chances to win the Barbasol Championship.
The tournament will take place at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Opelika, Alabama.
The Grand National's Lake course will be playing host to the event. The track was built just off Lake Saugahatchee, and 12 of its 18 holes run along its coast. The Lake course features a breathtaking backdrop that golf course architect Robert Trent Jones called the "greatest site for a golf complex" he'd ever seen, per RTJ golf's official website.
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While the Lake course is certainly a scenic venue, it's also chock-full of dangerous obstacles. Water comes into play quite often, forcing players to take extra caution on tee shots or on their approaches to the green. The track also features some well-placed bunkers, tricky doglegs, tree-lined fairways and undulating greens.
With this long-awaited Alabama tournament fast approaching, let's take a look at its essential viewing information, prize money and some notable Thursday tee times.
2015 Barbasol Championship
Dates: Thursday, July 16 - Sunday, July 19
Where: RTJ Trail (Grand National's Lake course) in Opelika, Alabama
Purse: $3.5 million (winning share: $630,000)
FedEx Cup Points: 300 to winner
TV Info: 4-7 p.m. ET, daily; Golf Channel
Notable Thursday Tee Times
| Scott Langley | 7:11 a.m. |
| Scott Piercy | 7:44 a.m. |
| Chesson Hadley | 7:44 a.m. |
| Charles Howell III | 7:44 a.m. |
| Chris Stroud | 7:55 a.m. |
| Erik Compton | 7:55 a.m. |
| Kyle Stanley | 8:06 a.m. |
| Patton Kizzire | 8:28 a.m. |
| Peter Malnati | 8:28 a.m. |
| Andres Romero | 12:11 p.m. |
| Alex Cejka | 12:44 p.m. |
| Chad Campbell | 12:55 p.m. |
| Will Wilcox | 12:55 p.m. |
| Martin Piller | 1:17 p.m. |
All tournament tee times courtesy of PGATour.com.
Stars to Watch
The Barbasol Championship will certainly be an interesting test for veteran Alex Cejka. The German has been quite streaky over his career, winning four times on the European Tour—three of which came in 1995—but failing to gain a PGA Tour victory until earlier this year, when he emerged victorious in the Puerto Rico Open.
Cejka hasn't fared well recently against top competition, failing to notch another top-10 finish—his best was a tie for 11th in the Shell Houston Open—while missing four cuts. His form is slowly returning, however, as he managed to shoot 67, 71, 72, 69 in last week's John Deere Classic. That should serve as a bit of a momentum builder heading into a winnable tournament.
Scott Piercy will be among the favorites at Grand National. He began his 2015 campaign with a flourish, earning a runner-up finish in the Sony Open; however, a 10th-place showing in the Shell Houston Open was his only other top-10 finish this year, as he went on to miss six cuts and withdrew once. But things have begun to take a turn for the American.
After his last missed cut in the Memorial Tournament, Piercy began to right the ship, finishing tied for 29th in the Greenbrier Classic after shooting three sub-70 rounds. He improved on that showing the following week in the John Deere Classic, notching a tie for 14th after four consecutive rounds in the 60s. Piercy will look to build on that performance as he enters the Barbasol Championship with some great momentum.
Chris Stroud is a player who is getting hot at the right time. His 2015 campaign got off to a dreadful start with three consecutive missed cuts. Things didn't get better soon after, as he failed to finish better than a tie for 17th in the Shell Houston Open while missing another five cuts. However, following his last cut in the St. Jude Classic, things have started to improve.
Stroud finally earned his first top-10 finish of the season with a tie for 10th in the Travelers Championship. He began the tournament with a blazing 65 and followed it up with a 67 and 68, but he ran out of steam on Sunday, shooting a 70. Two weeks later, he was back at it, notching a tie for fifth in the John Deere Classic thanks to a brilliant 63 in the final round. Now that's what you call a confidence builder.
One international to keep an eye on is the enigmatic Andres Romero. The Argentinian has missed 10 cuts in his 17 starts this season, but he's put together some very nice rounds of late. He notched a tie for 14th in the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay after a 69 and a trio of 71s. He's also coming off a tie for sixth in the Greenbrier Classic after shooting four consecutive sub-70 rounds.
A blend of some recent good form and a weakened field due to The Open Championship gives Romero a solid chance to contend in the Barbasol Championship and salvage his tour card once again.
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