Featured Group: Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Erik Compton

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At each PGA TOUR event this season, a featured pairing will be highlighted prior to the first round. Here is the featured group for Thursday and Friday at the AT&T National.

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To win a golf tournament, a player often times needs a little luck on his side -- something all three players in this week's featured group at the AT&T National know.

Jim Furyk has won 16 times in his 18 years on the PGA TOUR, but he's also finished second 22 times. He's hit great shots to win, to be sure. But sometimes a good bounce or a lipped-in putt has been the difference for the 41-year-old veteran.

Hunter Mahan also understands the importance of good fortune. Ranked as the nation's top collegiate golfer in 2003, he needed more than three years on TOUR to find the winner's circle for the first time.

But Erik Compton truly understands how vital it is to get a good break. He persevered through 95 Nationwide Tour starts and amazingly, two heart transplants before he could claim his first win.

Furyk was the 2010 FedExCup winner and PGA TOUR Player of the Year, but has struggled to regain that form in 2011. He only has two top-10 finishes and has missed six cuts in 16 starts.

Furyk has a good track record at the AT&T National, however. He's played the tournament every year since it began in 2007 and has finished in the top 10 three times. Furyk recently cited an equipment change for his poor iron play this year and has switched back to the set he won with three times in 2010. He should be more comfortable with his old clubs, as well in his native Pennsylvania.

The 29-year-old Mahan has been one of the TOUR's steadiest young players since he joined in 2004. He won twice in 2010, and is having another good year in 2011 with seven top-10 finishes. Despite such strong play, Mahan has somehow managed to stay under the radar -- except for his appearance in the Ben Crane-led boy band, "The Golf Boys." Mahan, coined the "Urban hunter," was wearing leopard pants and a fur coat.

Wardrobe aside, the "hunter" persona makes sense for Mahan. He hunts flagsticks, ranking fourth best on TOUR in greens in regulation. Like Furyk, Mahan has thrived at the AT&T National. He finished second in 2009, tied for 12th in 2008 and tied for eighth in 2007. Mahan didn't play the event last year, however, so Aronimink will be new prey for him.

Compton received a sponsor's exemption this week after winning last week's Nationwide Tour event, the Mexico Open presented by Banamax. The win pushed him to second on the Nationwide Tour money list, virtually assuring him a spot on the PGA TOUR next year. Compton will be a fan favorite this week, even though his last PGA TOUR start came three months ago at the Shell Houston Open where he finished tied for 79th.

Compton was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy as a child and underwent his first heart transplant in 1992. He took up golf as part of his rehabilitation, and became good enough to earn a spot on the University of Georgia's golf team. There, he was a second-team All-American and a First-Team All-SEC selection. After a heart attack in 2008 he was forced to undergo another transplant, yet five months later played in the PGA TOUR's Children's Miracle Network Classic and finished tied for 60th.

Compton may not be the ball striker Furyk or Mahan are, but he surely will be inspired by his first win. His ability to scramble and hole long putts should help him at Aronimink.

EXPERT PREDICTION:: We asked some of our PGATOUR.COM experts to predict which player will fare best this week at TPC River Highlands.

Stan Awtrey: Mahan -- Although this will be his first time at Aronimink, Mahan seems to elevate his game on tougher layouts. Mahan is a good putter, a trait that's especially important on this Donald Ross layout.

Melanie Hauser: Furyk -- Compton is coming off a win, Mahan has the better record over the last couple of months, but . . . this is a home-game of sorts for Furyk, who was born just down the pike in West Chester. A few hoagies and Aronomink are just what he needs to get back to mid-spring form.

FANTASY FORECAST: Rob Bolton has Hunter Mahan in his Power Rankings Plus.
• For more, check out his Fantasy Insider.

PGA TOUR Season Summary

Jim Furyk Hunter Mahan Erik Compton 2011 Top-10s 2 7 0 Current FEC Rank 73rd 19th n/a 2010 FEC Rank 1st 18th n/a 2009 FEC Rank 4th 27th n/a 2008 FEC Rank 5th 18th n/a 2007 FEC Rank 11th 15th n/a Finish Last Week Cut 43rd 1st (Nationwide) Career at the AT&T National Appearances 4 3 0 Wins 0 0 0 Top-10s 3 2 0 Best finish T3 2nd n/a Last Appearance/Finish 2010/T33 2009/2nd n/a Round 1 Scoring Avg. 67.75 69.33 n/a Round 2 Scoring Avg. 69.75 71.66 n/a

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