? COURSE: Golf Club of Houston (Tournament), 7,441 yards,
par 72. New name, same Rees Jones design that earns praise for its
ability to replicate Augusta National's setup. The former Redstone GC
changed hands last spring as new owners Escalante Golf snapped up four
Houston-area clubs. What hasn't changed are the shaved banks, collection
areas around the greens and a Stimpmeter reading of 13 or more. The
488-yard 18th, with water running along the entire left side,
consistently ranks among the PGA TOUR's toughest closing holes.
? FIELD WATCH: World No. 3 Henrik Stenson, runner-up to
D.A. Points a year ago, and 2011 SHO champion Phil Mickelson headline a
field that features 11 of the top 20 in this week's world rankings. …
Other top-10 entrants are No. 7 Rory McIlroy, No. 8 Sergio Garcia and
No. 9 Dustin Johnson, as well as FedExCup points leader Jimmy Walker. …
International players include Italy's Matteo Manassero and South
Africa's Branden Grace.
? 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, Curtis Strange and Lee Trevino
(1980 at Woodlands CC), Vijay Singh (2002 at TPC Woodlands). GCH record:
268, Phil Mickelson (2011).
? 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Ron Streck (3rd round, 1981 at
Woodlands CC), Fred Funk (3rd round, 1992 at TPC Woodlands). GCH record:
63, Johnson Wagner (1st round, 2008), Adam Scott (1st round, 2008),
Jimmy Walker (1st round, 2011), Phil Mickelson (3rd round, 2011).
? LAST YEAR: Points waited out a three-hour rain delay
before securing a late Masters invitation, finishing off a 6-under-par
66 with four pars to hold off Stenson and Billy Horschel by a shot.
Points arrived in Houston having not broken 70 in his previous nine
rounds, but found some magic in his mother's old putter on the way to an
opening 64. He stayed in the hunt through two more rounds before his
Sunday heroics. Horschel and Stenson also closed with 66s, but found
themselves short when Points salvaged tough pars at Nos. 17 and 18.
? STORYLINES: Back in its accustomed spot a week before
the Masters, some will be seeking a last-gasp berth by winning. It's
happened twice ? Johnson Wagner (2008) and Points last year. … Mickelson
finds himself running out of time to kick his game into gear. The Hall
of Famer has just one top-10 finish in 2014 ? a runner-up in Abu Dhabi ?
and was not near the top of the leaderboard at the Valero Texas Open
entering the weekend. … Steve Stricker makes just his third start this
year and first anywhere without a WGC attached to the event. He lost in
the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and placed
57th at Trump Doral.
Last week's winner - noles2952 Congrats!
Updated Standings
1. dfs - 3968
2. Ocala - 3246
3. NMT - 3172
4. 2952 - 3155
5. Bill - 3086
6. Sea - 3085**
7. Ed - 2824
8. Bobcat - 2557
9. DL - 2474
10. NiA - 2275
11. 67810 - 2149
12. Lizard - 2085
13. g2f - 1747
**Won week 11 by picking a boogereatin' gator
Good Luck!
This post was edited on 4/6 7:49 PM by DFSNOLE
Field
