Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
In Houston to iron out problems..
ALL players use different strategies in order to get ready for a major week.
Jordan Spieth is an Augusta specialist and he’s playing Houston as his final warm up.
Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson are other star names trying to put the finishing touches on their game for the Masters.
What they’re all trying to do is treat it as a normal week and take whatever might come their way.
They have all played well in patches this year and Phil has had the most profitable prep with his WGC success in Mexico.
Houston have tried to get the playing conditions as close to Augusta to help attract more players.
This augurs well for the guys heading to the Masters as they won’t have to adjust next week.
Spieth finished second here in the year he won his green jacket, so a good week will be important for his confidence.
He’s the player who will probably get the most out of Houston – I feel his performance here will be mirrored at Augusta.
Mickelson and Rose will be very happy with their form and the result either way won’t affect them too much.
Stenson has a hopeless record at Augusta – tied 14th in 2014 is his best finish, and he has only ever broken 70 three times there.
But a decent result in Houston would see the Swede fancying his chances next week.