Lee Westwood looks to make some noise at the Shell Houston Open.
With the Florida in the rear view mirror the tour heads to Texas for a little tune-up. Many of the big names choose to take this week off in preparation for the Masters, similar to a marathon runner not running any great distance before the race. Other golfers realize that golf involves a lot more walking then running, and that a million dollars is always a worthwhile pursuit even if there is no green jacket to go along with the cash prize. So lets get ready to Texas two-step through this weekend in fantasy golf.
Tournament: Shell Houston Open
Date: March 31st to April 3rd
Location: Redstone Golf Club, Humble, Texas
Defending Champion: Anthony Kim (-12)
About the course: The Shell Houston Open managed to schedule itself right between two big thunderstorms, so while the air will be humid, the sun should be bright. This event has been particularly friendly to foreigners, with eight of the last 12 being won by someone other than an American. Granted, the fact that Vijay Singh won three times in four years in the early oughts. While the winner has always managed to shoot double digits under par since the tournament was moved to Redstone in 2003, it was ranked the 14th most difficult course in 2010. Particularly difficult is the par-4 18th hole that requires golfers to tee off over water. Choosing how much of the water to try and cover is the challenge, because one miscalculation and the water will be mocking the player all the way to the green.
Golfers to watch: A man who spends most his time playing on the European Tour, Lee Westwood will grace the Shell Houston Open with his presence in preparation for the Masters. Last year he finished T8 at this event before going on to finish second at the Masters. This year he’ll be looking to finish first. Matt Kuchar has looked very good in 2011; with five top-10 finishes out of seven tournaments. He finished T8 here last year so no reason he can’t make it six of eight this weekend. J.B. Holmes always seems to be close on Sunday, having not missed a cut this year. He’s also finished second here two years back. Yes, Gary Woodland did finish ninth over at the Arnold Palmer invite, but before that he finished top six in four of six tournaments. At only 26 years old lets call last week a hangover from his first career win, and look to this week for more good things from Woodland in fantasy golf. Steve Stricker hasn’t finished outside the top 30 in stroke play this year, but hasn’t looked really great since January. Should play well enough to keep you interested. J.J. Henry’s played in nine tournaments this year, he’s played on Sunday nine times, and his highest finish is ninth. While he hasn’t been stellar all nine times, he did finish 12th just last week with Arnie, so look for him to play all four rounds again this week. Finally, while Phil Mickelson’s name stands out in the field, he hasn’t finished better than 23rd here in the past three years, including missing the cut in 2009. He’ll finish outside the top 25 this week.