SHOandTell.com

SHO and the 2012 FedEx Cup

Burt Darden — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:21:39 +0000

We are now 20 weeks into the 2012 FedEx Cup race and players with Shell Houston Open ties have been indeed dominant. SHO winners Hunter Mahan and Johnson Wagner have topped the list more than half the time.

Mahan set the pace for seven weeks and Wagner for four. In fact, when players who teed it up in this spring’s SHO are added to the mix, the total is 17 of 20 weeks. Steve Stricker set the pace in week 1, Wagner in weeks 2, 3, 4 and 12, Kyle Stanley in weeks 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 while Mahan led weeks 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19.

Sherri Fletcher wins 2012 Toyota Camry

Burt Darden — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:17:57 +0000

Sherri Fletcher shows her amazement after winning the 2012 Toyota Camry Grand Prize in the Shell Houston Open Guess the Birdies Contest.

Sherri Fletcher pulled the lucky key that started the 2012 Toyota Camry to claim the grand prize in the 2012 Shell Houston Open Guess the Birdies Contest.

Fletcher, who made her pledge through Communities in Schools Brazoria County, was one of 55 finalists who correctly guessed that 1,750 birdies would be made at the 2012 Shell Houston Open during the pro-am and four rounds of competition. The 45 participating organizations in this year’s Birdies for Charity Program solicited pledges or donations from either individuals or businesses.

The Shell Houston Open Birdies for Charity Program generated more than $230,000 this spring, boosting the total of over $5.9 million since 1999. Houston Golf Association underwrites the cost of the program and Gulf States Toyota provides the automobile for the grand prize.

Nine 2012 winners to date teed it up at this year’s SHO

Burt Darden — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:38:01 +0000

With wunderkind Rickie Fowler’s victory at the Wells Fargo Championship, nine players who have recorded victories in 2012 teed it up at this year’s Shell Houston Open.

Other 2012 champions who made SHO Time at Restone Golf Club include:

Steve Stricker (Hyundai Tournament of Champions), Johnson Wagner (SONY Open in Hawaii), Kyle Stanley (Waste Management Phoenix Open), Phil Mickelson (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am), John Huh (Mayakoba Golf Classic), Hunter Mahan (Accenture World Match Play Championships), Carl Pettersson (RCB Heritage) and Ben Curtis (Valero Texas Open).

Thus far, 2012 SHO winner Mahan is the only player with multiple wins this year.

Former SHO champ Streck instruction editor for Golf Illustrated

Burt Darden — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:22:27 +0000

Ron Streck, winner of the 1981 Shell Houston Open, is going to be the instruction editor for the new version of Golf Illustrated Magazine. Streck holds a PGA TOUR record that will never be broken. His Houston victory marked the first time a player won a tournament using a Taylor-Made Pittsburgh Persimmon metal wood.

Streck still holds a Shell Houston Open tournament record. His 9-under-par 63 on The Woodlands Country Club is the lowest final-round finish by any champion in the tournament’s 65-year history. The 1981 tournament was called after 54 holes due to torrential rain on Sunday and Monday.

Trio of SHO winners top ace makers since 1971

Burt Darden — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:41:25 +0000

The PGA TOUR released an interesting statistic in its lastest batch of E-Notes, listing the players with the most holes-in-one since 1971. Top three on the list all happen to be former Shell Houston Open winners: Hal Sutton (2001) with 10 aces, Robert Allenby (2000) and Hubert Green (1971), each with 8. Corey Pavin (1984) led a group of six players with seven aces.

Thus far in 2012 there have already been 22 aces through 17 events, compared to 23 in 45 events in 2011. BTW: That year Brandt Jobe aced the 174-yard, par-3 7th hole, the last ace recorded during Shell Houston Open play.

Oosthuizen, Pettersson enter winner’s circle

Burt Darden — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:00:15 +0000

It is no secret that international stars Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and Carl Pettersson of Sweden have been on the verge of victory for several weeks. Good things come to those who wait.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, had the lead going into the final round of the Shell Houton Open before Hunter Mahan surged from behind. The South African then lost in a playoff at The Masters to Bubba Watson. However, Oosthuizen’s streak of good play wasn’t about to end. Over the weekend he won the Maybank Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, a mere 30-hour plan ride from Augusta, GA.

Pettersson, runner-up by a stroke at the Shell Houston Open, broke through to win the RBC Heritage Tournament at Hilton Head by a whopping five strokes. It was his fifth career PGA TOUR victory, drawing him even with Jesper Parnevik for the most American tour wins by a native of Sweden.

Masters had SHO Time tint

Burt Darden — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:12:31 +0000

The leaderboards at the 2012 Masters Tournament had a definite SHO Time tint. So the 125,000-plus patrons who made their way to Redstone Golf Club — Tournament Course got a first-hand view of the headline makers in the year’s first major championship.

First-round leader Lee Westwood played in the Shell Houston Open, as did second-round leader Fred Couples and third-round pacesetter Peter Hanson. Louis Ooosthuizen, who finished in a tie with eventual champion Bubba Watson, also played in the SHO.

Much was made of 52-year-old Fred Couples climbing atop the leaderboard at the halfway point. Couples had earned a green jacket in 1992. That tournament also had a definite Shell Houston Open tint. Couples, who won the 2003 SHO, denied then 49-year-old Raymond Floyd, the 1985 SHO winner, a second victory at Augusta National.

Hunter Mahan wins Shell Houston Open

Burt Darden — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:15:01 +0000

Hunter Mahan became the first player to win two tournament in 2012 with his 1-shot victory in the Shell Houston Open.

Hunter Mahan became the first player to win two events in 2012 with a 1-shot victory in the Shell Houston Open. The 2012 Accenture World Match Play winner shot 69-67-65-71 to finish at 16-under-par 272 on the Redstone Golf Club – Tournament Course. He earned $1,080,000 out of a $6 million purse.

Carl Pettersson of Sweden was runner-up at 15-under, followed by third-round leader Luis Oosthuizen of South Africa at 14-under. Defending campion Phil Mickelson and current PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley headed a group of four that finished at 12-under.

The victory also propelled Mahan to No. 4 in the World Golf Rankings and to the top spot in the FedExCup standings, 258 points head of 2008 Shell Houston Open winner Johnson Wagner. By posting his fifth career victory Mahan ties Dustin Johnson for the most wins by a player in his 20s.

On-site SHO parking sold out; ample parking at ecopark

Burt Darden — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:58:52 +0000

If you don’t have a Saturday or Sunday hang tag to park on-site at the Shell Houston Open, there is ample general parking at the ecopark lot, located at Bush IA just off JFK Boulevard. Air-conditioned shuttle buses run continuously between ecopark and the Shell Houston Open bus plaza. Roundtrip shuttle rides cost $5 per person. Children 13-and-under are admitted free of charge with a ticket-holding adult. Limit of three children per ticket-holding adult.

600 PGA Tour starts for Fred Couples

Burt Darden — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:22:26 +0000

Fred Couples has 600 starts on the PGA Tour.

Hard to believe but Fred Couples made his 600th PGA Tour start when he teed off Thursday in the first round of the 2012 Shell Houston Open. Freddie, who won his last PGA TOUR event at the 2003 SHO, is coming off a Champions Tour victory last week in Mississippi.

At the SHO Couples opened with a 5-under-par 67, 2 shots behind co-leaders Phil Mickelson, Carl Pettersson and Angel Cabrera of Argentina. BTW: Cabrera maintains a residence in the Fall Creek subdivision adjacent to Redstone Golf Club, site of the Shell Houston Open for the last 10 years.