Shell Houston Open in new time slot
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2007 Shell Houston Open | Preview | 27 Mar 2007
The Shell Houston Open is in a new time slot in 2007 and the relative merit or otherwise of the new scheduling is still to be determined.
The event has been played in late April but this year it gets the week prior to the first major of the year and some would argue that by being played on the eve of the Masters the quality of the field is being jeopardised.
Previously this week has been reserved for the Bell South Classic at the Greg Norman designed Sugarloaf course near Atlanta which followed the Players Championship. The rescheduled Bell South Championship will still follow the Players Championship but now in mid May.
The attraction of the Bell South event in the past and its timing in relation to Augusta was the similarities the Sugarloaf layout had to Augusta in terms of its rolling terrain and Bent greens. The Tournament Course at the Redstone Golf Club has Bermuda greens and by all accounts even though they have attempted to create some similarities to Augusta, clearly that is a big task. The greens are in great shape by all accounts however and will run at a very slick speed.
Only two players from the world’s top ten are in the field namely Adam Scott and Padraig Harrington reflecting the desire of many of the leading players to have the week off prior to the first major of the year. Scott needs tournament play after a very limited schedule to start his season in 2006. He took several weeks off after the Johnnie Walker Classic in Asia to work on certain aspects of his game but his last round of 80 last week in Miami suggests he might need another week at least to get things on track for Augusta.
Padraig Harrington on the other hand is playing well and is at this venue for the second time having finished a reasonable 32nd last year. He has enough good form of late to suggest he is a chance to win his third PGA Tour event.
Stuart Appleby has won this event twice and is the defending champion on this particular layout after a runaway six shot win over Bob Estes last year. His form has been only average of late but he clearly enjoys this course and the Redstone Complex having also finished runner up to Fred Couples at the adjacent Members Course in 2003. He will be keen to fine tune his game for next week at Augusta where he has often struggled.
David Toms has been playing well and as an advisor to Rees Jones in the design of the golf course he should have some chance of doing well although last year he missed the cut. Perhaps it was a case of too many expectations on a golf course where most felt he should have had an edge but professional golf does not always work that way. He has played solidly enough of late to be a factor.
K.J. Choi finished in 6th place in this event last year and with good finishes at the PODS and WGC events in recent weeks he might be a threat.
Steve Stricker finished a surprise third last year and is in better form leading into this week’s event than was the case last year while Lucas Glover, Vaughn Taylor, Aaron Oberholser and Jose Maria Olazabal, who has been twice third in two starts in this event, have definite chances.
John Senden returns to tournament golf after an illness kept him out of the Arnold Palmer Championship. It also meant that he missed one last chance to qualify for Augusta at the Arnold Palmer Championship at Bay Hill. In his last start in tournament golf he finished runner up to Mark Calcavecchia at the PODS Championship.
Stephen Leaney found some form at the PODS Championship, Peter Lonard is on the verge of a good week, Jarrod Lyle comes off his third place finish on the Nationwide Tour last week, Steve Elkington, Mark Hensby, Mathew Goggin, Gavin Coles, Paul Gow and Steve Allan make up a numerically strong contingent from down under.
Photo – Anthony Powter
