Byron Nelson champ readies for long-anticipated Masters debut

Brendon Todd, reigning champion of the AT&T Byron Nelson, is an Atlanta resident and former Georgia golfer who is counting down the days to next month’s debut at the Masters Tournament.

Todd, 29, acknowledged Thursday that he would not be making plans to test his mettle at Augusta National Golf Club, the place he described as “the mecca of golf,” without last season’s two-week run of success at the PGA Tour stops in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In addition to his triumph at the Nelson, which secured his Masters berth, Todd tied for fifth at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth.

That makes DFW a special place on Todd’s tour calendar, with plans to return for both events this season.

“It feels great to get back to Dallas and get those good vibes going,” Todd said during a media day news conference for the Nelson event. “Winning here was the big spark I needed. I had put together some good golf in the previous 12 months. But winning is always the thing you’re going after that not everybody can accomplish. There’s a lot of people who have a lot of quality years in a row but don’t win. To actually close the deal here last year and get it done was a huge boost.”

The victory will make him the defending Nelson champ May 25-31 at the Four Seasons Resort in Irving. In more immediate terms, that triumph has propelled him into ticket-finding mode as he prepares for his first Masters, April 9-12 in Augusta, Ga.

“We have enough tickets for family. No so much for extended friends, which is fine,” Todd said. “It’s super satisfying. It’s the tournament I’ve always dreamed of playing. It’s hallowed ground.”

Soon after testing himself at Augusta, Todd will focus on defending his Nelson title against a group of competitors that includes 2010 Nelson champ Jason Day, the No. 5 player in the world golf rankings, and Dallas’ Jordan Spieth, the No. 6 player.

Other notable names on the commitment list include Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar, Ryan Palmer, Brandt Snedeker, Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Sang-Moon Bae and Harrison Frazar.

Nelson officials announced that Spieth and Frazar, a pair of Dallas residents, will host the tournament’s youth clinic on Monday of tournament week (Memorial Day) at the TPC Las Colinas practice range.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Byron Nelson champ readies for long-anticipated Masters debut."