In the final week before The Masters, some of the best in the world will make the trip to Humble, Texas for the Shell Houston Open this week. First staged back in 1946 and played every year since 2007 with the exception of 2013, the Shell Houston Open is the last stop before the big guns head to Augusta.
Event Details
Event: Shell Houston Open
Category: PGA
Date: March 31-April 3
Location: Redstone Golf Club, Humble, Texas
Excitement has been par for the tournament over the years including each of the last two Shell Houston Open winners pulling out the victory in a playoff. Big hitters have won four of the first six renewals of this event and there is no doubt distance will be a significant factor when this year’s tournament gets underway.
Past Five Winners
2015: J.B. Holmes -16 (Playoff)
2014: Matt Jones -15 (Playoff)
2013: D.A. Points -16
2012: Hunter Mahan -16
2011: Phil Mickelson -20
What To Know About The Course
Adam Scott, Paul Casey and Phil Mickelson are among the big hitters that have thrived at this course with JB Holmes, Matt Jones and D.A. Points all doing an excellent job off the tee in their respective wins over the last three years. Holmes ranked No. 1 in Driving Distance last year and was dead last in accuracy so that is a pretty strong indication of what it takes to win this tournament. The Golf Course of Houston is dotted with water hazards and it will also be important to avoid the traps and stick to Greens in Regulation. It’s also worth noting that Holmes ranked No. 1 in Par 4 Scoring last year with nine of the last 10 winners overall ranking inside the top-10 in that department.
The Field
There is a theory out there that Australians tend to play better in Texas as a result of the dry and windy conditions that are similar to what they would encounter in their native country. Stuart Appleby and Adam Scott won here in 2006 and 2007 with Matt Jones the third Australian to take home the title in 2014. Scott and Jones won’t play in this year’s tournament while Appleby is a long shot at +40000 so the field is relatively thin from that perspective. Jordan Spieth is listed as the outright betting favorite to win at +600 odds while Henrik Stenson and Rickie Folwer are both listed at +1200 odds. Dustin Johnson is available at +1400 odds with Phil Mickelson at +1800 and Louis Oosthuizen at +2000. The defending tournament champion JB Holmes is available at +2500 to repeat and win this event outright.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Phil Mickelson over Rickie Fowler
Fowler got off to a hot start to 2016 but he fell short in a tournament he probably should have won in the Phoenix Open and there is reason to doubt him heading in to this event. A combination of poor course form and poor current form isn’t a good mix and there is good value available in betting Mickelson to outperform him this week. Mickelson has become a little less predictable as he has gotten older but he won this event in 2011 and has a strong history at this course. Mickelson has finished in the top-20 in each of the last five years here and we are banking on another strong performance this week.
Top Five Pick: Dustin Johnson
Johnson looked really good when he took out Mickelson and Patrick Reed in the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play and we like him as a strong option for a top-five finish this week. Johnson has already registered three top-five finishes in eight events this season and he placed sixth in the final tune up before The Masters a year ago at the Valero Texas Open so we like him as a strong pick to perform at a high level and post a strong result this week in Houston.
Top 10 Odds To Win Shell Houston Open
Jordan Spieth +650
Rickie Fowler +1050
Henrik Stenson +1150
Dustin Johnson +1250
Phil Mickelson +1650
Patrick Reed +1850
Charl Schwartzel +2050
Louis Oosthuizen +2050
Sergio Garcia +2250
J B Holmes +2550
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