The PGA TOUR is finished in Florida for the season, and this week kicks off a quick Texas two-step before the Masters at Augusta next week. This week’s event is the Texas Children’s Houston Open, which takes place at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas. Let’s take a quick look at the history of the event and what to expect from the course as we get ready for another great week of golf.
The history of the event
The current tournament dates all the way back to 1946 when Byron Nelson beat Ben Hogan by two strokes to earn a whole $2,000 of prize money. Since then the event has taken place at multiple venues around the greater Houston area and has moved around on the calendar.
From 2007-2018, it typically happened just before the Masters giving players one last chance to earn a ticket to Augusta with a win. Due to sponsorship, the event went by the “Shell Houston Open” for most of that time, but when the deal ran out, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane led a group of new sponsors to keep the event in Houston under the Astros Foundation. The new logo drew from the Astros’ well-known “tequila sunrise” uniforms from the 1980s and created a new identity for the tournament based on its new sponsor and beneficiary.
From 2019 through 2022 the event took place in the fall before moving back to the Spring for the 2024 event last year. Stephan Jaeger got the win last year by one stroke over Scottie Scheffler, who narrowly missed a putt to force a playoff. Scheffler had won each of the previous two weeks but ended up finishing tied for second with Taylor Moore, Thomas Detry, Alejandro Tosti and defending champion Tony Finau. The top 10 included other recognizable names, with Billy Horschel, Aaron Rai, Max Greyserman and David Skinns all ending up tied for seventh two strokes off the lead.
Since the event began the purse has grown significantly. This week the winner will take home $1.7 million of the $9.5 million total purse.
A closer look at the course
Memorial Park Golf Course is located in Memorial Park, which is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. The original nine-hole course opened in 1912 and has been developed into one of the nation’s best public, municipal courses over the last several years.
For the PGA TOUR, it plays as a long long par 70 that measures 7,475 yards. Unlike the last few weeks with water and sand at every turn, Memorial Park features just 21 bunkers and four holes that have water danger.
However, don’t think this will be a birdie fest either. The course is still difficult relative to par due to the difficult green complexes with undulations and short-grass runoffs, designed to mimic what the golfers will see in a few weeks at Augusta National. In fact, even-par has been good enough for a T40 finish in the last four events on this course. Bogey Avoidance and Scrambling will once again be at a premium. Players who typically perform well on Texas courses and in difficult conditions will be good plays this week.
Last year’s shift in the calendar meant different rough and greens due to the change in season. The course played much easier since the rough was less thick and the greens more receptive. The Poa Trivialis overseeded Bermuda greens will again be the trickiest part of the course
Here are the extended highlights from last year’s Round 4, which shows multiple elements of the course and gives an idea what to expect this year:
Typically, this is a course that favors players who hit it long off the tee. However, Strokes Gained: Approach is still the best indicator of success. Scrambling and a solid short game is also very important since ending up in the runoff areas can result in dropping multiple strokes.
