BlogHouston Open Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

So I really wonder about the importance of this week. First of all, you have one of the most important elections of this country, and for the next couple of days, that’s going to take president over golf.  But have to say one of the big things about this week is getting ready for the Masters next week.  Since June, we have had a lot of golf, but since the U.S. Open, the events have been a bit spotty of marquee names.  Yes, famous names came out for the CJ Cup and Zozo Championship, but it’s been a bit slow the last couple of months.  Now, of the 96 playing in the Masters, 37 have shown up in Houston.  When Houston use to be the week before the Masters for all those years, the folks that ran Houston did their best to set up the course as close to Augusta National as they could get it.  But this year, with Memorial Park being the venue, there is nothing that sticks out that the course will get a player ready to play in the Masters.  The grasses are different, the greens won’t be the same caliber, the players won’t have to practice shots around the greens as they do at Augusta, the fact is Memorial Park is nothing like Augusta National.  Still, the players will get more competitive.

Still, it’s important for guys like Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, and even Dustin Johnson, who has been hurt and Johnson, who has just gotten over COVID, to get ready to go for the Masters.  They will be looking to polish their games after not being physically able to the last couple of weeks.  You also have Tony Finau, Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, and Lee Westwood who all feel they could contend at Augusta but looking to sharpen up their game.

But just like last week in Bermuda, look for the unexpected to happen. That’s what usually happens on the PGA Tour when a new course comes to an event.

One interesting thing is that this year’s Houston Open has gotten a great field.  Last year there were only ten players from the top-100 of the World Rankings.  This year they have 39 of the top-100 and 14 of the top-50 with world number one Dustin Johnson in the field.

Because of the election and all, this preview will be short and to the point, we will have our usual stuff next week of the Masters.

Things you need to know about the  Houston Open

This will be the 73rd edition of the Houston Open.  This is the first true year of the new Houston Open, they have a new sponsorship, and those that are running the event have their roots with the Houston Astros baseball team.  The big change this year is the move to Memorial Park, a public course in downtown Houston.  The event got its start in 1946, and the next year Memorial Park was the home of the tournament for 14 events, mostly between 1951 through 1963.  When the tournament left, the public course began eroding as Houston was starting to spread out.  What used to be a great public course wasn’t much to talk about at the turn of the century.  Still, the dream for many was to have a PGA Tour event in Downtown Houston.

Last year the Golf Club of Houston was the home, when the course was created, much thought it would be the permanent home for this event, and that never worked out. In prior years the tournament was held across the street at the Members Course at Redstone between 2003 and 2005.  Before that, the TPC at the Woodlands had been the site between 1985 and 2002.  Courses used before 1985 include the West course at the Woodlands, River Oaks C.C., Memorial Park G.C., Pine Forest C.C., Brae Burn C.C., Sharpstown C.C., Champions G.C., Westwood G.C., and Quail Valley G.C.  The first Houston Open was played in 1946 and was called the Tournament of Champions. Byron Nelson beat Ben Hogan that year by two strokes at River Oaks.

Course information:

• Memorial Park Golf Course
• Houston, Tx.
• 7,432 yards     Par 35-35–70

Memorial Park was always the sentimental home of this event.  I went to about a dozen Houston Opens between 1990 and 2003, those that ran the tournament always wished to return one day to Memorial Park.  But at that time, the course was not very good and was beaten up as it was nothing but a cheap place for 18 holes of golf.  But when the Astros Golf Foundation took over the operations of the Houston Open, they spent $34 million to redesign Memorial Park and build an education and golf center for the course.  Architect Tom Doak redid the course, and his mission was to make it enjoyable for recreational golfers and tough enough for PGA Tour players.  According to the Houston Chronicle, there are only 19 bunkers on the par-70 course.  What makes it challenging is accuracy, which is a must with the thick rough, tight grass slopes and contours.  What will make the course really challenging is the weather, when the wind blows, especially a north or northeast wind, it will make things very tough.  The course was opened for play last November, and the Bermuda grass has come in, and the course will be in good shape.

But look for low scores as there are several drivable par-4s and two reachable par 5s.  The greens are big, 7,000 square feet, and they are flat, like most municipal courses.  In looking at the weather for the week, it’s going to be perfect, with each day being 78 degrees with wins of 10 mph.

So look for the winning score in the 18 to 30 under figure.

So with very little information on the course, it’s going to be hard to figure and predict who the course favors.  In looking at some early talks with players, most of them think that the long ball will help, so look for that.  Also, poor putters like Lucas Glover, who are good ball strikers, will have an advantage.  Still, the bottom line is those that hit it far will benefit.

So also look at who is playing the best, but more importantly, check out these folks for a clue on the winner of the Masters.  Those players are Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Tony Finau, and Sergio Garcia.