The PGA Tour returns stateside to tee it up for the Houston Open!

By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter & LineStar Chat

Tournament & Field 🏆

After a couple of weeks away from American soil, the PGA Tour returns stateside for the Houston Open, which will be hosted at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, TX. The 132-player field will check in at medium strength with 27 of the world’s top 100 ranked golfers in attendance this week. The traditional cut rule will also be in place, so the top 65 golfers (including ties) after 36 holes will make it past the cut line and into the weekend to compete for a victory! 

The Course Preview ⛳

Memorial Park Golf Club is a lengthy Par 70 setup that will extend 7,412 yards. This course has hosted this tournament for the last two years but before that, it had not made an appearance on the PGA Tour since the ‘60s! Memorial Park GC was redesigned in 2019 by golf course architect Tom Doak with consultation from Brooks Koepka. Course history is obviously lacking, with just two years worth of data available, but given its length as a Par 70, don’t expect this track to be a pushover. In the last two years, Memorial Park GC has ranked as the 9th (2021), and 8th (2020) most difficult course on the PGA Tour circuit, and the cut line landed at over par in both years.

This is a nontraditional Par 70 course as it features five Par 3s and three Par 5s and is one of the longest courses on the PGA Tour. Memorial GC is a parkland-style course (similar to Augusta National GC) with tree-lined fairways above average width. There are only 19 bunkers in play, while water hazards will affect only four holes. Despite the lack of traditional hazards, other natural hazards lurk around this course which golfers will need to avoid. The rough shouldn’t be too tall (about 3”), but it can be thick and difficult to play out of in many spots. The Bermudagrass greens are large, averaging about 7,000 square feet, and they feature plenty of false fronts and run-offs. Due to the course length, this will likely be a tournament where bombers will have a bit of an advantage. Golfers will also need to be creative and gain strokes around the greens, as they proved difficult to manage in the last couple of years. All in all, expect this Memorial Park GC to provide golfers with a fairly difficult challenge. Last year’s winner, Jason Kokrak, finished with a score of 10-under, and only four total golfers have reached double-digit scores under par at this course in the previous two years. We can expect things to play out similarly this week. Any round of 68 or lower is going to be an excellent score here.

Weather & Tee Times ⛅

Weather Verdict: There is not much to worry about with the weather this week. The two rounds ahead of the 36-hole cut will feature some fairly calm conditions with sustained wind speeds expected to stay in the single digits. There is a chance for rain in the late afternoon on Friday but it does not currently pose a major threat. Winds kick up on the weekends, with Saturday being the breeziest of the bunch (~15 mph sustained winds, 20 mph gusts). Overall, there is no discernible wave advantage to be had this week but be sure to check the forecast on Wednesday night in case there are any major changes.

Houston Open Tee Times

Key Stats to Consider 📊

1. Strokes Gained: Approach | 25%

2. Par 4 Average | 15%

3. Strokes Gained: Around the Greens | 15%

4. Driving Distance | 10%

5. Par 5 Average | 10%

6. Long Iron Accuracy (Proximity from 200+ Yards) | 10%

7. Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermuda) | 10%

8. Strokes Gained: Off the Tee | 5%

PGA Tour Stats Page

🆕 Houston Open PGA Cheat Sheet 🆕

That will do it for our PGA preview! Once again, hit me up in the LineStar chat or on Twitter @Ryan_Humphries for any questions. Good luck this week! Glad we are back!

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