The latest World Golf Rankings show a trio of Shell Houston Open committed players in the Top 10.

Lee Westwood of England remained No. 4. Rory McIlroy of Ireland climbed from No. 9 to No. 7. Defending Shell Houston Open champion Paul Casey, is now No. 8. All three are on the early commitment list for the Shell Houston Open, set April 1-4 at Redstone Golf Club — Tournament Course.

Casey is scheduled to return to Houston on Feb. 22 to meet with local media at Redstone Golf Club.

International stars Lee Westwod of England and Rory McIlroy of Ireland will join defending champion Paul Casey at the 2010 Shell Houston Open.

Westwood is No. 4, McIlroy is No. 9 and Casey is No. 7 in the latest World Golf Rankings. The Shell Houston Open is set April 1-4 at Redstone Golf Club — Tournament Course.

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When Bill Haas won the Bob Hope Classic he joined his father Jay, the 1987 Shell Houston Open winner, as a PGA TOUR winner.

PGA TOUR network broadcaster Dennis Paulson actually predicted that Haas would win in Sunday’s wrapup before the Monday finish.

To date eight father-son combos have entered the victory circle, including Houston’s Jack Burke Sr. and his World Golf Hall of Fame son Jack Burke Jr. The other father-son duos: Al Geiberger-Brent Geiberger, Julius Boros-Guy Boros, Clayton Heafner-Vance Heafner, Joe Kirkwood Sr.-Joe Kirkwood Jr., Willie Park Sr.-Willie Park Jr., and Old Tom Morris-Young Tom Morris.

Gary Nicklaus nearly joined his Hall of Fame father Jack in 2000, finishing second to Phil Mickelson in a playoff at the BellSouth Classic. BTW: Craig and Kevin Stadler both have victories on the European Tour.

2009 SHO winner Paul Casey

This week’s European Tour event — The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship — has attracted 6 of the Top 10 players in the World Golf Rankings, all of whom played in the 2009 Shell Houston Open.

English-born Paul Casey, 2009 SHO winner, is No. 8 and will be defending his title this week at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Other top-10 ranked 2009 Shell Houston Open competitors in the field include England’s Lee Westwood (4), Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (6), Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (7), Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy (9) and Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (10).

Casey made his 2010 debut at the PGA TOUR’s SBS Open in Hawaii, where he posted a T10. Last year Casey suffered a rib injury at the Bridgestone WGC event and was shelved until November.

Former Shell Houston Open champions Corey Pavin (1984) and Hubert Green (1971) have the distinction of winning back-to-back titles at the SONY Open in Hawaii.

Pavin (1985 & 1986) and Green (1978 & 1979) join Ernie Els (2003 & 2004) as the only repeat winners in the history.

Australians Geoff Ogilvy and Stuart Appleby share something other than being born on an island continent. Ogilvy repeated in the PGA TOUR’s winner’s only season-opening event over the weekend in Kapalua. After winning by 6 shots in 2009, he carded a 1-shot margin of victory to open 2010 at the event now titled the SBS Championship. However, that’s not the first time an Australian has repeated.

How about a three-peat? Appleby, a two-time (1999 & 2006) Shell Houston Open winner, opened with victories in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when the event was known as the Mercedes Championships.

The Shell Houston Open was honored by the PGA TOUR at the TOUR’s Tournament Advisory Council (TAC) Meetings on Nov. 18 in Ponte Vedra, FL.

The Shell Houston Open earned “Best New Promotional Idea” in 2009 as ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike Show” did its broadcast live from Redstone Golf Club during tournament week. The show’s hosts, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, also participated in the Wednesday Pro-Am and raised $47,500 for the V Foundation for Cancer Research through a tournament-related auction.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I am thrilled to congratulate the Shell Houston Open for the special recognition it has received for its efforts in the area of Best New Promotional Idea,” said Rick George, PGA TOUR executive vice-president and chief of operations. “The Houston Golf Association should be extremely proud of its hard work and for being recognized as the best among its peers on the TOUR.”

The 2010 Shell Houston Open, won this year by Paul Casey in a playoff over J. B. Holmes, will be held March 29-April 4 at Redstone Golf Club (Tournament Course). The event’s charity proceeds benefit local youth-oriented charities through various golf-related activities.

“It was a great promotion,” said Steve Timms, Tournament Director of the Shell Houston Open. “It really gave a lot of national exposure to Shell and their brand and to our charity initiative as well. It worked out great, the guys were great and the amateurs had a once in a lifetime experience.”

Timms was also elected to a two year term as Chairman of the TAC.

“I’m honored,” he said. “I look forward to working with Rick George and Donna Fiedorowicz and representatives of the tournaments and moving a lot of things forward.”

Officials today announced the 2009 Shell Houston Open PGA TOUR tournament  in conjunction with the Houston Golf Association’s other golf-related activities have generated a total of $2,124,000 to impact local youth-oriented charities.

The donation boosts the Houston Golf Association charitable contribution total to more than $53.7 million since 1974. Last year’s contribution total was $2,395,000.

Shell Oil Company president Marvin Odum and Houston Golf Association (HGA) president Steve Timms jointly made the announcement in the lobby of One Shell Plaza. Sue Lovell, Vice Mayor Pro-tem, representing Houston Mayor Bill White, also officially proclaimed Wednesday, November 11, 2009 as Shell Houston Open – A Chance for Children Day.

Houston Golf Association, a 501c (3) non-profit organization, has been promoting golf in the region since 1946. It has been funding local youth-development programs since 1974.

Shell Oil Company has been title sponsor of Houston’s PGA TOUR event since 1992. During that 18-year partnership with Shell, 90% or more than $48.7 million of the $53.7 million total has been put to work in the community.

Shell Houston Open core charities are Acres Home Youth Association, Boys and Girls Harbor, Cenikor Foundation, Chinquapin School, Interfaith of The Woodlands, Make-a- Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana, and the Star of Hope. Some 200 additional worthy causes and non-profit organizations also received donations or gifts-in-kind.

The 2010 Shell Houston Open will be played the week of March 29-April 4 at Redstone Golf Club – Tournament  Course.  Paul Casey is defending champion. Visit www.shellhoustonopen.com for details.

When the Viking Classic got washed out last weekend local PGA TOUR player Chris Stroud probably breathed a sign of relief.

Stroud, No. 111 on the money list, had been taking two weeks off to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. Stroud, who makes his home near Redstone Golf Club, is now assured of finishing in the Top 125 and keeping his player’s card for 2010. So, he won’t have go to Q-School to regain his eligibility.

Houston Golf Association knows how the Viking Classic Tournament organizers feel. Tour officials determined it would be impossible to play ultra soggy Annandale Golf Club either Monday or Tuesday, so the tournament was completely washed out.

Back in 1991 Houston’s event in the spring got washed out, although there was a one-day made-for-TV scramble on Sunday. However, we were lucky. There was a vacant week in the schedule between the Disney tournament and the TOUR Championship. The Independent Insurance Agent Open “Mulligan” tournament was played in the fall.

It was supposed to start on Wednesday and end on Saturday. Fog halted play the first day, so the tournament spilled over to Sunday. Fulton Allem won the event and avoided having to attend Q-School. However, that wasn’t the brightest moment in the tournament. On Tuesday of tournament week the HGA and Shell Oil Company announced that beginning in 1992 the tournament would be known as the Shell Houston Open.

That vibrant partnership is still in force today.

Shell Houston Open champion Paul Casey has announced he now plans to resume playing golf at the Volvo Match Play Championship in late October. He has been shelved by a painful rib injury since early August.

Casey, No. 4 in the World Golf Rankings, is eager play. He will have been out of action nearly three months. “I wanted to return this week at the Dunhill Links [in Scotland] but I have been advised (by doctors) not to,” said Casey. “So my intended comeback will now be in the World Matchplay championship in Spain at the end of October.”

The event is set Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at Finca Cortesín Golf Club in Spain.

Casey’s victory at the 2009 Shell Houston Open was his first on the PGA TOUR. He was No. 6 in the World Golf Rankings at the time and climbed as high as No. 3. A T47 finish at the British Open at Turnberry, won by Stewart Cink in a playoff over 59-year-old Tom Watson, was his last complete event.

He attempted to play in the Bridgestone World Championship Golf event on Aug. 6 but withdrew after only six holes. Torn oblique and strained intercostal muscles on the right ribcage area proved to be too painful for him to continue.

The injury kept him from competing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.