HOUSTON OPEN:THE BRITISH Open champion Padraig Harrington is among a strong field in the Houston Open starting today at a Redstone Golf Club set up to mimic conditions at Augusta for the US Masters next week. He is one of a large contingent of international players who will tee it up today and who are also gearing up for a run at the year's first grand slam championship.
The 12th-ranked Harrington finished 68-69 to tie for fourth at last week's New Orleans Classic. "As I got more into contention my focus got sharper, and that's pleasing," Harrington said after his Sunday finish in New Orleans. "Only another four rounds of golf to make sure it's sharp the first day in Augusta."
The defending champion at Houston, Adam Scott, will vie with other world top-10 golfers Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and KJ Choi on the 7,457-yard course edged by light rough and closely cropped chipping areas.
Scott (27) carried on a Houston trend last year when he rolled in a 50-footer on the last hole to complete a three-shot victory over fellow Australian Stuart Appleby. Scott became the sixth Australian to win the event following Appleby, who has won it twice, Robert Allenby, Bruce Crampton, Bruce Devlin and David Graham.
Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion who is ranked 11th, and Peter Lonard, whose second-place finish last week in New Orleans clinched him a berth in the Masters, are among others hoping to extend the Australian magic. Scott has been wielding a magical putter this year, buoying his hopes of breaking through for his first major. Earlier this year Scott notched his eighth international win when he fired a final-round 61 at the Qatar Masters.
Houston marks the last chance for more than 100 players who have not yet qualified for the Masters to join the party at the year's opening grand slam event since victory in Houston brings an automatic invitation. Among notable players still hoping to crack the Masters field is Davis Love III, who has struggled since having surgery on his ankle last season. Love has played in every major since the 1990 British Open but needs to win in Houston to make Augusta.
Thirteen years ago Love needed a victory the week before the Masters to qualify and he came through to win in New Orleans and finish runner-up in Augusta.
Course:Redstone GC, Tournament Course, Humble, Texas. Opened in 2005, designed to stage a PGA Tour event by architect Rees Jones and player consultant David Toms. The layout was carved out of woodlands lush with oak, pine and cypress trees. It is an open-to-all, daily fee course.
Length:7,547 yards. Par: 72.
Prizemoney:$5.6 million (€3.6m, €645,300 for the winner)
Field:136.
Defending champion:Adam Scott.
First played: 1922 (Houston Professional Golf), won by George Bowden (147).
On TV:Setanta Golf, 8-11pm.
Weather:Partly cloudy, 270C.
