Houston Open
The Houston Open is a professional golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, played in early October. As a part of a restructuring of the schedule, the event moved to the fall in 2019. Because the tour year starts the previous fall, the event will not be a part of the 2019 PGA Tour, but will be one of the first events of the 2020 PGA Tour.[2] It is held at the Golf Club of Houston (formerly named Redstone Golf Club) in unincorparted Harris County near Humble, northeast of Houston. The purse was $7 million in 2017, with a winner's share of $1.26 million.
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Humble, Texas, U.S. |
| Established | 1946,[1] 74 years ago |
| Course(s) | Golf Club of Houston |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,425 yards (6,789 m) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | $7.5 million |
| Month played | October |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 266 Curtis Strange (1980) 266 Lee Trevino (1980) 266 Vijay Singh (2002) |
| To par | −22 Vijay Singh (2002) |
| Current champion | |
 | |
of Houston
History
The event was played at several Houston venues until the 1970s, starting 74 years ago at River Oaks Country Club in 1946 before moving to Memorial Park Golf Course in 1947 and, after a year off, moving again to Pine Forest Country Club in 1949 and BraeBurn Country Club in 1950. After this period of wandering, the tournament settled in at Memorial Park from 1951 through 1963. It was at Sharpstown Country Club in 1964 and 1965, moved to Champions Golf Club in 1966 for six years, and then to Westwood Country Club in 1972.
The tournament ventured outside of the city limits in 1973 and 1974 at Quail Valley Country Club in Missouri City, a southwest suburb.[3] It relocated north to The Woodlands in 1975, at Woodlands Country Club until 1984, then at the TPC at The Woodlands through 2002. It moved to its current location near Humble in 2003; initially played at the Members Course, it changed to the Tournament Course in 2006. The facility was known as Redstone Golf Club until December 2013, and is now the Golf Club of Houston.[4][5]
Previously held weeks later in mid-spring, the Houston Open was played the week before the Masters Tournament from 2007 through 2018, and was the last chance to get into the field at Augusta through a win. The tournament also had up to four additional sponsor exemptions to enable nonmember Masters-qualified professionals from the top 100 of the OWGR to compete in the U.S. in the week prior to the Masters.[6]
Shell Oil Company sponsored the event from 1992 through 2017. When the end of Shell's sponsorship was announced, the PGA Tour said it would seek a new sponsor for 2018.[7]
The event will move to October in 2019 (2020 season) and be the last held at the Golf Club of Houston, before it moves to Memorial Park Golf Course.[8]
Course layout
Tournament Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 395 | 429 | 392 | 565 | 467 | 460 | 173 | 564 | 238 | 3683 | 382 | 440 | 335 | 588 | 215 | 609 | 199 | 487 | 487 | 3,742 | 7,425 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Source:[9]
Winners
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^Weather-shortened to 54 holes
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Main sources[10][11][12]
Multiple winners
Nine men have won this tournament more than once through 2016.
- 3 wins
- Curtis Strange: 1980, 1986, 1988
- Vijay Singh: 2002, 2004, 2005
- 2 wins
- Cary Middlecoff: 1950, 1953
- Jack Burke, Jr.: 1952, 1959
- Mike Souchak: 1955, 1964
- Bobby Nichols: 1962, 1965
- Arnold Palmer: 1957, 1966
- Bruce Crampton: 1973, 1975
- Stuart Appleby: 1999, 2006
See also
- Houston Open (early PGA Tour), an earlier Houston event recognized by the PGA Tour
References
- "Champions Archive". Archived from the original on April 1, 2012.
- Ferguson, Doug (June 12, 2018). "Houston Open moves to fall in 2019; no word about Twin Cities event". Star Tribune. Associated Press.
- "Dave Hill, Melnyk in Houston lead at 137". Chicago Tribune. wire services. May 12, 1974. p. 4, sec. 3.
- "Around sports: Redstone Golf Club undergoes name change". Houston Chronicle. staff and wire reports. December 6, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- Bailey, Mike (December 9, 2013). "Houston PGA Tour host Redstone Golf Club receives name change by new ownership". Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- "2015–16 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations" (PDF). October 5, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2016.
- "Shell to end longtime sponsorship with Houston Open". Associated Press. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
- "Astros Golf Foundation unveils 2019 Houston Open dates". KTRK-TV. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- "Course: Redstone Golf Club". PGA Tour. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-03-23. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- "Houston Open - Past Winners & Runners-up". PGA Tour. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Shell Houston Open - Winners- at golfobserver.com Archived May 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- 2010 Shell Houston Open Media Guide Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine