FORT WORTH – Paul Goydos comes to the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial minus his usual cloak of anonymity.

The 43-year-old Californian stepped into the limelight by leading for much of The Players Championship two weeks ago before finishing runner-up to Sergio Garcia. Goydos lost when he dunked his tee shot on the first playoff hole, the famed No. 17 island green at TPC Sawgrass.

"I think right now I'm somewhat recognizable," Goydos said at a news conference Tuesday. "We will see what happens when I'm not wearing this hat. Who is that guy? How did he sneak in this event?"

The Long Beach State cap he wore at The Players ($14.99, plus tax, at a North Carolina airport) fetched $4,000 at a recent auction fundraiser for the school.

"We obviously all have an ego," Goydos said. "It feels good to have people kind of rooting for you even though I proved last week it's tough to be a Paul Goydos fan. You get home and say, 'Honey, I'm going to watch the golf.' If it's Tiger, they go, OK. If it's Paul Goydos, no, he missed the cut, go mow the lawn."

Goydos is playing in his 10th Colonial. He said he's played every year he's been eligible, with his best finishes a tie for second in 1999 and a tie for fourth in 1997. He's missed the cut four times, including his two most recent appearances (2003, '07).

Said Goydos: "The fact that I have a couple of top fives and a bunch of ughs is kind of typical of my whole career."

Target practice: During Tuesday's practice round, caddies often dropped objects on the green for their player to use as a putting target in anticipation of hole locations during the tournament. The caddie for Steve Marino used a crushed soft drink can, a tee and even a pack of cigarettes as targets on No. 18.

Don't bet on an ace: There have been only 22 holes in one in 61 years of Colonial tournament play. None have come on the par-3, 246-yard No. 4, the middle hole of the three-hole stretch known as the "Horrible Horseshoe."

The 192-yard No. 8 and the 188-yard No. 16 have yielded eight aces each. There have been six holes in one on the 178-yard No. 13. Brian Gay holed a 7-iron on No. 8 and Rod Pampling used a 6-iron on No. 16 for the 2007 aces.

Amateur status: Southern Cal sophomore Jamie Lovemark, a finalist for the 2008 Ben Hogan Award, is the only amateur in the field. The defending NCAA champion will try to become the first amateur to survive the cut at Colonial since John Harris in 1994. Justin Leonard did it in 1993.

Cowboy up: Ben Curtis, who wears the colors of NFL teams, was sporting Cowboys colors and cap during Tuesday's practice round.

TODAY

7 a.m.: Crowne Plaza Pro-Am

THURSDAY-SUNDAY

18 holes with cut to low 70 and ties after 36 holes (Friday). Tee times begin approximately 7:30 a.m. each day.

TV: Thu.-Fri., Golf Channel, 2-5 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., Ch. 11, 2-5 p.m.