Former Cowboys Looking To Top The Leaderboard At The Northern Trust Open

It's no secret that Oklahoma State Golf sends players into the professional ranks every year.  Most weeks you will find these players lighting up leaderboards around the world.  With the golf season just warming up, it's a good time to start following the Pokes on Tour and find out which leaderboard you can find them on this week.

The PGA Tour is making its annual stop at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California for the Northern Trust Open this week, and multiple Cowboys are in the field.  Riviera is one of the most well-known courses in the country.  It has hosted multiple Major Championships, most recently the 1998 U.S. Senior Open, and boasts an impressive list of past winners including former Cowboys David Edwards (1984), Doug Tewell (1986), and Charles Howell III (2007).

Here are the former players who are making the trip to Riviera this week to try and add to the list of Cowboys who have won there:

Morgan Hoffmann

Morgan played in this event last year and missed the cut.  This year he has made 3 of 5 cuts with his best finish coming at the Sony Open in Hawaii.  Morgan's best golf of 2014 came late in the season when he was making a run in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and I think it was only a glimpse into the bright future he has.  He's an unbelievable talent and could get his 2015 season rolling with a good finish this week.

Charles Howell III

You've already seen mention of Charles Howell as a past winner at Riviera.  This week he looks to get back to his winning ways after missing the cut here in 2014.  This year he has made 8 of 9 cuts with his best finish coming at the Farmers Insurance Open.  If Chuck continues his consistent play, he should have a good chance to get his second win at Riviera.

Hunter Mahan

Hunter was the only one of these Cowboys to make the cut last year, finishing T-52.  Hunter is 100 percent this year, making the cut in all 5 tournaments he has entered.  His best finish came early in the season at the Frys.com Open.  Hunter recently celebrated the birth of his second child, Miller, a couple of weeks ago, and since I'm such a big fan of his newborn child's name, I'll make my first prediction of the year: Hunter takes home the title this week.

Bo Van Pelt

Bo missed the cut at Riviera last year posting a 144 two day total and missing by one.  This year Bo has made the cut in 4 of 7 tournaments with his best finish a T-25 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.  He has been about as consistent as anyone over the past few years and is always a solid pick to make the cut.  Be on the lookout for him again this weekend.

Scott Verplank

Rounding out the Cowboys in the field this week is Scott Verplank.  Verplank withdrew from last year's Northern Trust Open with a bad back, but he is looking to bounce back this year.  He is the most experienced of the Cowboys in the field having turned pro in 1986 and has led a very successful career.  Verplank is number 26 on the career money list and is looking to add to his total this week.

How to Watch

THUR - 2/19: Golf Channel- 4-7 PM (CST)
FRI - 2/20: Golf Channel- 4-7 PM (CST)
SAT - 2/21: Golf Channel-12-1:30 PM, CBS- 2-5 PM (CST)
SUN - 2/22: Golf Channel- 12-1:30 PM, CBS- 2-5:30 PM (CST)

While 2014 was a bad year for the Pokes at the Northern Trust Open, I believe it was an anomaly.  Not often will you see 80% of the Cowboys in the field miss the cut which is why I think that number will be flipped around this year.  Four out of five of these players should make the cut this week and complete another successful tournament for the former Cowboys.

Go low, Pokes!