It’s one of the odd statistics you can stump your friend on.

What native Washington golfer has played in the most PGA Championships in the past half-decade?

Not Fred Couples.

Not Ryan Moore.

It’s Seattle’s Ryan Benzel, who qualified for his fourth consecutive PGA Championship with a tied-for-11th showing at the PGA Professional National Championship in Indiana.

Playing in the final group, Benzel closed with a 6-over-par 78 on a windy day on the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort.

“Never thought about it like that,” Benzel said of the growing number of PGA Championship appearances. This year’s tournament will be held at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Wisconsin.

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This week: PGA Tour’s AT&T National, Thursday through Sunday, Aronimink Golf Club, Newton Square, Pa.

World ranking: 52nd.

2010 earnings: $1,017,273 (49th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Moore finished tied for 13th at last week’s Travelers Championship (10-under-par 270). Now for the ever-changing schedule: Moore usually doesn’t play the week after a major championship, but since it was the Travelers and the fact he felt good, he decided to play another week. So … the conclusion is that this likely will be Moore’s last appearance before the British Open, which means he will have to finish first or second …

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Nick Taylor, who recently completed his illustrious career at the University of Washington, will spend a few more weeks in the amateur ranks.

Taylor is one of the 72 golfers at the 17th Sahalee Players Championship, which has been moved for one year to The Home course in Dupont because of preparation for the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club.

The three-day tournament begins July 7.

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Seattle’s Ryan Benzel fired a 2-under-par 70 – his third in a row, and second consecutive on the Pete Dye Course at the French Lick Resort – and will know exactly what he needs to do to catch leader Mike Small at the PGA Professional National Championship.

Benzel sits at 4-under 210 – five strokes behind Small, the University of Illinois golf coach who is also this event’s defending champion. Small shot a course-record 65 on Tuesday.

The final group goes off Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. PDT.

All three Washington golfers made the cut at the championship. Blaine’s Jeff Coston …

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Because Seattle’s Ryan Benzel has been on top, right behind and a fixture on the first page of the scoreboard at the PGA Professional National Championships the past half-decade, PGA of America officials asked him to attend the tournament’s media day in April.

And he came up with one conclusion about the French Lick Resort in Indiana: The winner could be over-par.

At the midway point of the 43rd national club professional tournament, not many of the 312 players are.

Benzel is one of the few, and after his 2-under-par 70 at the Pete Dye Course on Friday, he sits tied for third after two rounds – one stroke behind co-leaders Rob Moss and Sonny Skinner.

The final two rounds will be played at the Pete Dye Course.

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Sean Packer took a couple quick glances at “The Relic” – the trophy given to the annual amateur champion of the Tacoma Golf Association – and noticed immediate changes.

When it was handed to him following his even-par 71 round at Olympia Country and Golf Club – and four-stroke victory at 5-under 209 over Olympia’s John Eisentrout – he spun it around in his hands, and went over the improvements.

The name plates of the champions were all one size.

The bronzed golf-ball implants were polished, and all one color.

“Looks good,” he said, beaming.

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Lakewood’s James Feutz, one of the top sophomore golfers in the country, said he did not plan to choose a college so soon.

But he did Saturday night – giving UNLV an oral commitment.

If you think this is sudden, it is and it isn’t. Anyone who knows the 16-year-old who just completed his sophomore season at Bellarmine Prep, he’s been researching the recruiting process since the eighth grade – or when the University of Washington and Oregon started to show interest in him.

This spring, Feutz – the Class 4A boys champion – narrowed his list to five schools: …

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This week: PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.

Fourth-round score: 4-under-par 66.

Position: Moore (10-under 270) finished tied for 13th, four strokes behind winner Bubba Watson (266).

Recap: Four rounds in the 60s for the Puyallup golfer. The last time that happened was at this same venue a year ago when he finished tied for fourth. On Sunday, Moore posted his best round of the week, and did his damage on the par-3 holes. He birdied three of them – with his longest putt being 11 feet at the 16th hole. Moore earned a …

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