News

PGA Tour Preview: On Task In Houston

Published

15 years ago

Mar 29, 2011

By Scott MacLeod, via Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)

You can’t really blame more than a few PGA Tour players this week as they play the Shell Houston Open. But with the first major of the year just days away, dreams of Augusta and a green jacket can be hard to ignore. That is exactly what an elite field of players must do with more than a million dollars on the line and a stern golf course ready to challenge them for every single nickel they try to earn.

The Rees Jones-designed Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course does not suffer the foolish or inattentive, so to traverse it with the lowest score your game better be on point.

That was the case for Anthony Kim in 2010 who made up for a very weak driving performance (he hit just 23 of 56 fairways) with a parade of par saves and birdie putts to finish regulation play tied with Vaughn Taylor and then par the 1^st playoff hole for his 3^rd career PGA Tour victory. Until that time only three winners of official PGA Tour events had hit fewer fairways and still gone on to win. Kim had been the 54-hole leader. Both players shot 12 under par in regulation.

Even as the defending champion few would pick Kim to defend his title successfully. Immediately after his Houston win in 2010 is followed up with a tie for 3^rd at The Masters and a tie for 7^th at the Wells Fargo Championship but bowed out at The Players due to a left thumb injury. After undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in May at the National Hand Center in Baltimore he returned at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, but best finish in his final six starts of 2010 was T48 at the BMW Championship. His best finish so far in 2011 is a T6 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Even with sagging play of late the headliner in Houston is Phil Mickelson as he preps for his 2010 Masters title defense. Other names of note in the field include recent world No. 1 Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington, Hunter Mahan, Francesco Molinari and Jhonattan Vegas, who claimed his first TOUR win earlier this year in a playoff at the Bob Hope Classic. Molinari will be making his first start in the event while Vegas will make his second after missing the cut as an amateur in 2003.

In total there are 29 of the top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings starting the Shell with six of the top ten ranked players in the world set to play.

The Redstone Tournament Course is a favorite for players, especially those prepping for The Masters with minimal rough and course conditions tuned to help players gear up for those they will find at Augusta National.

Keep an eye on the 18^th hole all week long as it has proven to be a bear through the years. The par-4, 488-yard 18th hole ranked as the 20th-most difficult hole on the PGA TOUR in 2010, with the field averaging 4.317. In the five years the event has been contested on the Tournament Course, only one champion (Johnson Wagner/2007) has played the 18thhole under par for the week.

Since 2006, 265 balls have found the lake on the left side of the 18th hole (not including J.B Holmes in the 2009 playoff). Included in that total were 53 balls in the water last year (24 in the first round, 18 in the second round, four in the third round and seven in the final round).

As for my pick of the week, it will be hard to top my choice of Martin Laird who went on to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week but I’ll take Ryan Palmer for this week. He’s had some rest since last playing at The Transitions, he’s in his home state of Texas, and he’s fired up for Augusta which means he has his game in focus.

If given a backup I would put my faith in Hunter Mahan who already has four top tens in his eight starts on the tour in 2011.

Shell Houston Open

Dates: March 28-April 3, 2011

Where: Redstone Golf Club, Houston, TX

Par/Yards: 36-36—72 / 7,457

Field: 144

Defending Champion: Anthony Kim

Purse: $5,900,000; Winner’s Share: $1,062,000; Format: 72-hole stroke play

– This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Canada's Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick,com)

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

General Albums

2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

News

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.