Shell Houston Open - Golfers to Bet
By: StatFox.com
Dustin Johnson will be going for his fourth straight TOUR victory when he and the rest of the golfers head to Texas for the Shell Houston Open on Thursday. Johnson is playing some of the best golf of his career right now, and he would certainly welcome another top finish in Houston heading into The Masters. Johnson has never won this event, and it’s probably safe to say that he’d consider not getting injured a victory this weekend. Still, it’s exciting that he’ll be on the course and he’ll have a good chance to win as long as he is healthy. Johnson will also be joined by plenty of talent, as Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson will all be playing this weekend. Mickelson won the Shell Houston Open back in 2011, so he knows what it takes to get the job done here. Jim Herman will also be on the course on Thursday. Herman is the defending champion here, as he shot a 15-under to beat Stenson by one stroke last year. With that out of the way, let’s now look at some of the better picks to win this event on Sunday:
Dustin Johnson (5-to-1) - Dustin Johnson is the hottest golfer on the planet right now, as he just won his third straight event on Sunday. That event had him going head-to-head against some of the world’s best, yet he had no trouble coming out on top once again. Now he’ll head to Texas, where he’ll certainly be looking to win his first ever Shell Houston Open. Not taking him could be a huge mistake right now, so it’s hard not to suggest putting a unit or two on him.
Jon Rahm (12-to-1) - Rahm is the guy that fell to Johnson in last week’s tournament, and he has also had one heck of a year thus far. Rahm currently sits in the fourth spot in the FedExCup rankings, and he also happens to be 14th in the OWGR. Last week’s second place finish was his fourth top-five finish of the year, and he will definitely be in this thing come Sunday. He also happens to be getting 12-to-1 odds, so a victory would pay off rather nicely.
Phil Mickelson (25-to-1) - Phil Mickelson played well at the Dell Match Play event last week, and he has really looked good throughout the course of this season. Although he is still searching for his first win of the year, Mickelson has two top-10s and definitely looks like he is ready to break through for a victory soon. He just might be able to do it on Sunday, as he has already won this event in his career. Mickelson won the Shell Houston Open back in 2011, and he is a good pick to do it again at 25-to-1.
Ollie Schniederjans (66-to-1) - When looking for a dark horse for this tournament, Schneiderjans is a player that really stands out. While most players are using this tournament to prepare for The Masters, Schniederjans should see this as an opportunity to pick up his first victory of the season. He has played rather well this year, finishing inside the top-10 on three different occasions and just needs to put it all together to win on Sunday. At 66-to-1 odds, he’s worth taking a shot on.
Shell Houston Open Preview
By Matt Fargo
Covers.com
This week, the PGA Tour heads to Humble, Texas for the Shell Houston Open which is the final tuneup before the Masters next week. The Golf Club of Houston, formerly known as Redstone Golf Club, has hosted this event since 2003 and as you probably have heard, the setup tries to duplicate Augusta National as much as possible. The rough is light and banks around greens and water hazards are shaved, creating many of the same tight, quick conditions you get at Augusta.
It has now been eight straight years that the Golf Club of Houston has ranked as one of the hardest courses in scrambling from the rough. This isn't because the rough is so difficult as much as the heavy rye overseeded fairways and bentgrass/rye combination greens are very quick and undulating. Getting the ball close to the pin is key because the closer the approach is to the hole, the straighter the putts become which is something that is not the case at Augusta.
As has been the case for many recent years, the field is pretty loaded despite coming right after a WGC event. It helps that the Match Play last week was played not too far away in Austin. Four of the top ten in the OWGR are playing this week as well as 11 of the top 30. No. 5 Henrik Stenson, No. 6 Jordan Spieth, No. 7 Adam Scott, and No. 9 Rickie Fowler comprise the top ten while Patrick Reed, Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kucha, Jimmy Walker, and Rafa Cabrera Bello comprise the rest of the top 30.
This is a big week for the majority of the field. For those that are not currently in the field for the Masters, a win here gets them in as we saw last year with Jim Herman as he held off Henrik Stenson for a one shot win. While the course tries to match what they are playing next week, only two winners from the Golf Club of Houston have placed in the top 15 at Augusta the following week. In eight events since 2009, there have been four playoffs and three one shot wins.
Jordan Spieth is the favorite at +625 followed by WGC-Dell Match Play runner-up John Rahm at +1,000. 2013 and 2016 Shell Houston Open runner-up Henrik Stenson is at +1,200 followed by Rickie Fowler at +1,400 and Justin Rose at +1,900. 2011 champion Phil Mickelson is +2,000 while 2007 champion Adam Scott is +2,500, rounding out the top seven that are priced less than +3,000.
Blade, Dustin Johnson has withdrawn