We saw another longtime TOUR player get their first win in years on Sunday at the Bermuda Championship, as 48-year-old Brian Gay won in a playoff over Wyndham Clark. He joins Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia and Martin Laird as older players who have broken through this fall.
Could it be an omen for next week at Augusta, where we often see more experienced golfers contend? It’s one of the many things that make the Masters great.
Before I get ahead of myself into next week, let’s take a peak at this week’s Houston Open, which draws 37 players looking for one last tournament before traveling to the final major of the calendar year. Most notable in the field is Dustin Johnson, who makes his return after testing positive for COVID-19 prior to The CJ Cup a few weeks ago. We have seen a few players make a bit of a sluggish return following a break due to the virus, so it will be interesting to see if DJ comes back sharp or just simply uses this week to tune up his game.
Two players that we saw in a similar spot earlier this season — Scottie Scheffler and Tony Finau — are also playing the Houston Open. Additionally, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Tyrrell Hatton and Jordan Spieth will be looking to sharpen their games this week at the new host course, Memorial Park.
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Houston Open Course Preview
As I mentioned, the Houston Open will move to a municipal track this year at Memorial Park Golf Course, but it will not be the first time this event was held there. This same course was the host of this tournament 14 times from 1947-63, which is a nice fact that doesn’t help us from a course-history angle.
It may not have mattered after the 2019 renovation to Memorial Park, which was completed by architect Tom Doak and reduced the sand bunkers from 54 to 19. He also brought more water and ravines into play with the redesign, putting water in play for the golfers on four holes.
It’s also notable that Doak consulted with current TOUR pro Brooks Koepka during his renovation. That intimate knowledge of the course may come in handy for the four-time major champion this week.
Memorial Park Golf Course features Bermuda grass from tee-to-green, including 2.25-inch Bermuda grass in the rough. It is set to play as a 7,432-yard par 72 with a unique set of five par 5s and five par 3s. The course will play longer than the recent low-scoring ZOZO Championship, but the unique setup may be a way to help us dial in on the player qualities to look for this week.
The par 5s will be a key this week from a DFS scoring perspective, as they will provide ample opportunity for birdies and potentially a few eagles. The eighth hole will provide the stiffest test of the par 5s at 625 yards in length, though there doesn’t appear to be much to it outside of the length.
The other four par 5s will play 587 yards or less, with the first hole appearing to be the most accessible in two shots at just 522 yards. It will be the kindest of handshakes to start the round, as the dogleg left features a wide landing area and will leave an approach of inside 200 yards for the longer hitters.
The 529-yard, par-5 14th appears to be a similar set up to the first as another dogleg left at a shorter distance. The difference may come off the tee, as carrying the tree line will come into play. It is a pretty straightforward hole by TOUR standards and will be another good scoring opportunity for the field.
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The length and potential difficulty of the course at Memorial Park will come in three of the five par 3s, which are set to play over 200 yards, as well as three par 4s playing over 490 yards. My best guess at the two hardest holes on the course will both be on the inward nine with the par-3 11th and par-4 18th.
The 11th hole is a par 3 listed on the scorecard at 237 yards, which will be a long approach for the field, although it is into the largest green on the course.
Lastly, the 18th will create a potential test down the stretch on Sunday at 503 yards, requiring both distance and precision off the tee. The landing area of the players’ tee shot will need to be well-positioned with a large mound will reject shots to the right making for a blind second shot into the green. The green is protected by three bunkers, the most on any hole on the course, and it is also mounded to reject shots that miss the surface. I look for the last hole to play as the toughest hole at Memorial Park by the end of the week, and it should provide great drama on Sunday afternoon if the scores are tight.
As I mentioned to start the article, there is no course history this week, though it seems Koepka has a leg up on everyone with his course knowledge. I’ll note that in looking at the course in depth for this article, it jumps out to me as a low-scoring event with a lean toward the bombers. There simply isn’t much trouble throughout the course, which will allow players to step up and rip it from the tees without much worry of consequences for wayward drives.
I’ll also be focusing heavily on Birdie or Better Percentage, giving strong consideration to those players that also score well on par 5s.
Pictured above: Brooks Koepka.
Credit: Harry How/Getty Images.
