It’s the final tuneup before the year’s first major and there’s some big names showing up at Golf Club of Houston this year to get ready for The Masters. This is the final tournament to get an automatic bid into The Masters and those guys not in will be certainly letting it all hang out.
Jimmy Walker withdrew today and while I don’t think it’s a very good look, at least he did it two days prior to the tournament to give enough time for an alternate to get ready. Coming off the win at the Valero Texas Open, Walker released a statement today saying he was not feeling great so he would be resting up for next week. I guess I’m fine with that.
The Golf Course: Golf Club of Houston, Tournament Course
This golf course can be pushed back to 7,441 yards if needed and this par-72 course will be running a 13 on the stimpmeter. The golf course tries to get it as close to Masters conditions as possible by shaving hills and making the greens lightening fast. The pros tend to like this tuneup and that’s why you get some big names in the field. This Reese Jones design track will test the players and we’ll see how these guys can hold up with the wind that’s expected to blow again this week.
Defending Champion
Matt Jones picked up his first PGA Tour victory last year in a dramatic playoff win over Matt Kuchar. On the 72nd hole, Jones sunk a long birdie putt to tie the lead and then sink a chip on the first playoff hole to take home the victory. He’ll be in the tournament this week looking to get an invite into The Masters.
Front9Back9 Fantasy Golf Picks
I pick four players in the PGATour.com Experts Group. It’s a public group and if you’re interested in joining, head on over there and make your picks:
Here are my four players for PGATour.com:
- Matt Kuchar
- Patrick Reed
- Sergio Garcia
- Rickie Fowler
Draft Kings
I’ve been playing Draft Kings fantasy golf all season and love being able to take home some extra cash each week. While this hasn’t allowed me to retire at age 34, it gives me a few extra bucks each week. With Draft Kings, you pick six players based on a salary.
Here are my Draft Kings picks for the Shell Houston Open. You can copy, but chip me off a piece of your winnings!
- Matt Kuchar: $11,400
- Sergio Garcia: $9,600
- Brendan Steele: $8,300
- Charley Hoffman: $7,500
- Chesson Hadley: $6,700
- John Peterson: $6,500
That’s it folks! What do you think?
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