Shell Houston Open preview: Is there anybody out there?

Knock knock, is anybody there? Only there’s a tournament on in Houston but no one seems to have noticed. Maybe they just don’t care.

The newsfeeds are particularly bare and what reports we have seem to dwell on the fact that most big players have given this a miss ahead of next week’s Masters. Punters likewise. I don’t see how I can be expected to finance my lavish lifestyle on the paltry amounts swilling around this market.

Oh, I forgot, Tiger’s not playing. That’s why no one’s interested.

It’s understandable. Looking through the past records for this week’s contestants uncovers a forest of missed cuts. Trappy is the word and I think I too will sit on the sidelines for now.

At the start of the week the market had a problem deciding whether Adam Scott or Padraig Harrington should be favourite. What’s the dilemma? Scott’s season has been pants since he took a belated holiday after the Mercedes, and he hasn’t played this Redstone course. Harrington has and is top 20 in his last three outings this year. Chalk and cheese.

The Irishman tops my putting stats this week. What worries me is that both his iron work and accuracy off the tee are less than impressive. Looking at last year’s winning stats suggests Redstone requires a pretty all-round game. If anything can be said to be least important it’s the bombing department.

Be careful with Scott though. He is a quality player who should emerge from his slump soon, so it would be dangerous to write him off completely. Word of caution too about general course form. They switched to a new course last year so anything before that is unreliable.

So what to make of the other favourites?

K J Choi: Sixth last year and has some decent results this despite reported problems with his back. Trouble is, he’s well down this week’s performance charts.
Stuart Appleby: The defending champion has been having a very modest season, but it looks like being windy this week which should suit him.
Lucas Glover: He couldn’t quite break top 20 last year and his stats say no.
David Toms: You’d think someone who played a key role in the redesign of this course would have it sorted, but he missed the cut last year. So, even though he’s having a reasonable season I can’t go for him either.
Steve Stricker: Third here last year and two top 10s already this year make him a possible, but again his numbers are a bit ordinary.

A few others to note:
Vaughn Taylor: Missed the cut last year, but is having a good season and his stats suggests someone who should have the beating of this course.
Rich Beem: 11th last year and doing well enough this. His putting, iron play and driving are all in pretty good shape.
Boo Weekley: Apart from his putting (and his name) I quite like him.

I’m also going to bang the drum again for John Senden, but only if he gets on top of his putting.

The man least likely to succeed at the top looks to be Arron Oberholser, whose season seems to be going backwards.