While it’s not a loaded field this week as the PGA Tour heads to the mountains of West Virginia, there are a pair of southpaws sure to draw plenty of attention from the local fans. Here’s a look at some of the marquee, early-round groupings at The Greenbrier as Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson look to add to their recent trophy hauls (all times ET):
7:40 a.m. Thursday, 12:40 p.m. Friday: Xander Schauffele, Austin Cook, Aaron Wise
Schauffele earned his first career win at this event a year ago, a watershed that propelled him to Rookie of the Year honors. He’ll defend his title alongside a pair of current rookies who have both won this season, as Cook notched his maiden victory at the RSM Classic in the fall while Wise outlasted Marc Leishman to win the AT&T Byron Nelson in May.
7:50 a.m. Thursday, 12:50 p.m. Friday: Bubba Watson, Patton Kizzire, Ted Potter, Jr.
Watson is the only three-time winner on Tour this season, and he tees it up for the first time since his comeback victory at the Travelers Championship. A part-time resident at The Greenbrier, he’ll play the first two rounds with Kizzire, who won twice earlier this season but has largely struggled since, and Potter, who held off Dustin Johnson to win at Pebble Beach in February and earned his first career win at this event back in 2012.
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12:40 p.m. Thursday, 7:40 a.m. Friday: Webb Simpson, Tony Finau, Brian Harman
Simpson broke through for his first victory in nearly four years at TPC Sawgrass, and he added a T-10 finish at the U.S. Open last month. He now returns to a course where he has four top-15 finishes in his last six starts, and he’ll be joined by Finau who has finished seventh and 13th in his two Greenbrier appearances and Harman, who contended at the Travelers Championship two weeks ago before tying for sixth.
12:50 p.m. Thursday, 7:50 a.m. Friday: Phil Mickelson, Kevin Kisner, Brandt Snedeker
Mickelson has become a regular at this event, and he’ll again be one of the fan favorites as he makes his first competitive start since creating a rules controversy at the U.S. Open. Kisner missed the cut at Shinnecock in his last start but lost in a playoff here in 2015, while Snedeker is making his first trip to West Virginia since a T-38 finish in 2012.
