Establishment (Paul Goydos) vs. Youth (Jason Day)

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May. 17, 2011
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

One of the themes for the 2011 PGA TOUR season is the competition involving the younger players and the established ones. How will the veteran players -- those with significant TOUR experience and long-standing championship pedigree -- fare against the hungry up-and-comers who are looking to nudge their way into the TOUR's elite?

Each week, PGATOUR.COM will select two players and analyze their chances heading into the tournament. We'll then track which player has the better score for his team, and keep a running team tally throughout the year.

This week for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, we've selected Paul Goydos and Jason Day. Both are coming off strong performances at THE PLAYERS Championship with Goydos finishing two strokes out of the playoff at 11 under, while Day was two strokes further back in a tie for sixth after closing with a 68.

MORE: Goydos interviewvideo




ESTABLISHMENT
AGE: Goydos will turn 47 on the Monday after the U.S. Open
YEARS ON TOUR: Goydos is in his 19th season on the PGA TOUR. He has won twice, most recently at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii which snapped an 11-year victory drought.
OVERVIEW: Goydos was a substitute teacher in Long Beach, Calif., when he won the 1992 Yuma Open on what is now called the Nationwide Tour. A year later, after tying for 13th at q-school, Goydos was on the PGA TOUR -- and he has been a mainstay ever since. In addition to the two victories, one of his crowning achievements on the PGA TOUR is the 12-birdie 59 he shot in the first round of the John Deere Classic last year. Goydos, whose nickname on TOUR is "Sunshine," is a candid and thoughtful observer of the game and has a self-deprecating sense of humor -- his favorite movie is "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" -- that makes him popular wherever he goes. The native Californian served as an assistant captain for the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team. With the third-place finish at THE PLAYERS last week, Goydos jumped from 112th to 59th in the FedExCup.
HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: Goydos is playing at Colonial this week for the 13th time dating back to 1994. He has three top-10s, including a tie for second behind Olin Browne in 1999.
OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: Goydos is playing his best golf of the season right now. He has finished in the top-10 in two of his last three starts -- including the solo third at THE PLAYERS where he broke par every day and shot 69-69 on a difficult, weather-plagued weekend.
 


YOUTH
AGE: Day turned 23 last November. He is less than three years older than Goydos' oldest daughter
YEARS ON TOUR: Even though he's extremely young, this is Day's fourth full season on the PGA TOUR. He won the HP Byron Nelson Championship last year.
OVERVIEW: Day won the Legend Financial Group Classic on the Nationwide Tour when he was just 19 years, 7 months and 26 days old -- the youngest to ever win a TOUR-sanctioned event. The Aussie went on finish fifth on the Nationwide Tour money list that year and earn his PGA TOUR card. He's improved with each season -- both in the FedExCup and as far as earnings are concerned. He's coming off a career year and will defend his first TOUR title next week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Day battled a lingering sinus infection last year but came back strong during the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup -- tying for fifth at The Barclays and second at the Deutsche Bank Championship where he held a share of the lead for the first three rounds. Day went on to post a career-high finish of eighth in the final FedExCup standings.
HISTORY IN THIS EVENT: This will be Day's third appearance at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. He finished solo fourth in 2009 when he shot 65 in the first three rounds.
OUTLOOK THIS WEEK: Day is playing extremely well with five top-10 finishes this year, including three straight that started with his tie for second at the Masters. Interestingly, since the Crowne Plaza Invitational and HP Byron Nelson Championship have switched dates, this is actually the week Day won his first PGA TOUR event a year ago.
Tee times
Tee Times for Goydos, Day
will be paired with Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan at 1:24 p.m. ET off Colonial's first tee on Thursday. Jason Day will tee off on the first tee at 1:13 p.m. ET with Sergio Garcia and defending champ Zach Johnson.
Here are the results of the previous matchups this year
    Score/Finish Tournament   Score/Finish  
Steve Stricker 20 under (T-4th) Hyundai TOC Dustin Johnson 14 under (T-9th)  
Ernie Els 4 under (T-42nd) Sony Open Jason Day 8 under (T-20th)
Stewart Cink 5 under (MC) Bob Hope Classic Bubba Watson 7 under (MC)
Davis Love III 5 over (MC) Farmers Insurance Open Rickie Fowler 5 under (T20)
Angel Cabrera 7 under (T-49th) Waste Management Phoenix Jhonattan Vegas 2 under (MC)  
  Padraig Harrington 2 over (T63) AT&T Pebble Beach National Dustin Johnson Even (T55)
Jim Furyk 1 under (T35) Northern Trust Open Louis Oosthuizen 3 over (T62)  
  Vijay Singh 9 over (MC) The Honda Classic Anthony Kim 7 over (MC)
Luke Donald 11 under (T6) WGC-Cadillac Championship Jhonattan Vegas 2 under (T31)  
Sergio Garcia 7 under (T15) Transitions Championship Matteo Manassero 6 under (T20)  
Phil Mickelson 1 under (T24) Arnold Palmer Invitational Graeme McDowell 9 over (MC)  
  Fred Couples Even (T60) Shell Houston Open Gary Woodland 10 under (T13)
Tiger Woods 10 under (T4) The Masters Martin Kaymer 6 over (MC)  
Justin Leonard 2 under (T30) Valero Texas Open Anthony Kim 7 over (MC)  
  Jim Furyk 5 under (T21) The Heritage Jason Day 7 under (T9)
David Toms 7 under (T18) Zurich Classic of New Orleans Brandt Snedeker 2 over (MC)  
Phil Mickelson 10 under (T9) Wells Fargo Championship Bubba Watson 3 under (T48)  
  Tiger Woods Withdrew THE PLAYERS Chamoionship Charl Schwartzel 6 under (T26)
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