Course: Golf Club of Houston, which is an incredibly simple name for a not-so-incredibly simple course. A little over 7,400 yards, the course is known as playing incredibly similar to Augusta National, which is why so many players love to play it before the Masters. If closing the deal hasn't been hard enough this year, wait until players get a look at the 18th hole, which is one of the hardest on tour.
Strength Of Field: B. We don't know yet if Phil Mickelson is going to play (I doubt it), but it doesn't stop the field from being world class. Rory, Henrik, Sergio, Poulter are among the many players using this tournament as a warm-up to the Masters.
Extra Tidbits: Qualifying has officially wrapped up for the Masters, with one exception. The winner of the Shell Houston Open, if not already qualified, gets a spot into the tournament...There has been only one back to back winner of the Houston Open, and that was Vijay Singh in his prime (2004-2005). The defending champion is D.A. Points, and no offense to him, but I doubt we're going to see a break in that trend...Only two men have won the Shell Houston Open to punch their ticket into the Masters. That doesn't speak well for those seeing a Hail Mary this week, but there is one bright side. Points, who won last year, was one of those two players...The course record is 63, which means players aren't likely to get relief from the brutal courses they have seen over the past two months.
Fantasy Four:
(NOTE: All of my picks this week qualify as "Sleeper Picks". Instead of picking the three best players and a sleeper, I am going with four players would could really use a win to elevate themselves into the Masters. It probably means I'm going to crash and burn, but hey, I do that anyway.)
Ryo Ishikawa - Missed cut last week shows his consistency issues, but it is better to be inconsistent than be consistently bad, which he was last year. Dots missed cuts with top 25s. Has played in every Masters since 2009.
Retief Goosen - Has yet to put four good rounds together, but looks healthier than he has in years and is starting to make cuts frequently. If he can avoid big numbers, he can keep himself in contention. Former major champion should have extra motivation this week.
Ryan Palmer - Narrowly missed out on a Masters invite by shooting an final round 82 last week. Game is good enough to content, but needs to keep mental focus in order to win again.
JB Holmes - Has played well this season on a Medical Extension. Still blasts it a mile, and if he can get the putter working, he can contend just about anywhere. Should be more focused on keeping his card then he is getting into the Masters, which may actually help him.
Last Weeks Team:
Jason Kokrak: T31
Fredrik Jacobson: T16
Ryan Palmer: T56
Jordan Speith: 10
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