The world’s top golfers will head this week to the famed Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas for the 2015 edition of the Shell Houston Open. A total of $6.6 million is at stake for the world-class field with the winner grabbing not only 500 FedEx Cup points but also the $1.118 million top prize.
Read on below for our in-depth breakdown of the favorites, high-value sleepers and long shots for this lucrative PGA Tour event. While you’re at it, you can check out our 2015 Masters predictions as we draw ever closer to the year’s first major golf championship.
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2015 Shell Houston Open Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Golf Club of Houston, Humble, Texas
When: April 2-5, 2015
Favorites –Jimmy Walker and Jordan Spieth
Golf fans are in for a treat this week as 13 of the world’s top 25 players will see action at the Shell Houston Open. Two of those players are Texans Jimmy Walker and Jordan Spieth who are both having spectacular 2015 seasons so far.
[sc:Golf240banner ]Walker is the current FedEx Cup points leader (1,650 points) thanks in large part to his victories at the Sony Open and the Valero Texas Open. Walker won the Sony Open by a whopping nine strokes as he shot a 23-under-par total of 257. Then, he grabbed his second PGA Tour win just last week with a four-stroke victory over Jordan Spieth at the Texas Open. With the form that he is in right now, look for Walker to be right in the mix come Sunday afternoon.
Spieth, on the other hand, is fresh off a huge victory at the Valspar Championship. The 21-year-old outlasted Patrick Reed and Sean O’Hair in a tense three-man playoff to grab his second career PGA Tour win. Spieth also came close to following that victory in the Texas Open, firing four straight birdies down the stretch to threaten Walker. Expect Spieth to be in the hunt once again this week.
High-Value Sleepers – Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson
One player who’s feeling good with his golf game heading into the Houston Open this week is Patrick Reed. The 24-year-old has been on a tear this season, recording three top-10 finishes including a victory at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions last January.
He also had a great opportunity to take home the Valspar Championship a couple of weeks ago if not for Spieth’s clutch 30-foot birdie putt on the third extra playoff hole that ultimately doomed his chances. With Reed’s swing in perfectly fine shape, look for the Texan to make some noise in his own home turf.
Another guy who’s having a strong start to his year is World No. 2 Henrik Stenson. The Swede has finished in the top five in all three of his PGA Tour starts this season. He fell agonizingly close in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, finishing one stroke shy of eventual champion Matt Every. Stenson can only blame himself, though, as he three-putted two of the final four holes to suffer a late-round meltdown.
Regardless of that fact, Stenson is still one of the guys to beat in this tournament because of his exceptional scoring. He leads the PGA Tour in scoring this season with a 69.301 strokes per round average. With his ability to get low scores, you can expect Stenson to be in the hunt once again in the back nine on Sunday.
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Long Shots –Phil Mickelson and Matt Jones
The Masters is just a week away and the time is now for Phil Mickelson to get his game going. Lefty has struggled mightily with his golf swing this year, missing the cut in two of his five PGA Tour starts. His best finish this year is a tie for 17th at the Honda Classic with nothing else inside the top 30. Because of his recent poor form, Mickelson has dropped to No. 21 in the world golf rankings.
If there’s one tournament, however, that can restore Mickelson’s confidence, it’s the Houston Open. He holds the Tournament Course 72-hole scoring record of 20-under-par 268 here and shares the 18-hole scoring record of 9-under-par 63 as well. He last won this event back in 2011 where he shot a stunning final-round 65 to beat Scott Verplank by three shots.
Another golfer who’s fancying his chances this week is defending champion Matt Jones. Jones claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory in the Houston Open last year, draining a dramatic 46-foot putt to get into a playoff before upending Matt Kuchar with a brilliant chip on the first extra hole.
Jones has picked up his game recently, finishing in the top 10 in two of his last three events. He finished in a tie for seventh at the Pebble Beach Invitational before grabbing third place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week. Jones will be a good bet to win back-to-back Houston Open titles this week.
Writer’s Prediction
Stenson bounces back from his loss at Bay Hill with a wire-to-wire win at the Houston Open.
