THIS WEEK’S TOURNEYS
PGA TOUR SHELL HOUSTON OPEN Site: Course:
Par: Humble, Texas. Golf Club of Houston.
Purse: TV: Defending champion: Notes: LPGA TOUR ANA INSPIRATION Site: Course:
Purse: TV: Defending champion: Notes:
Defending champion: Notes:
Yardage: 7,441. 72. $7 million. First prize: $1,260,000. Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
Jim Herman. This is the last chance for players to qualify for the Masters by winning. In the eight years that the Houston Open has preceded the Masters, Johnson Wagner (2008), Matt Jones (2014) and Jim Herman (2016) are the only winners not already eligible . ... Phil Mickelson is the last Masters champion to win the week before, in 2006 when the old BellSouth Classic preceded Augusta . ... Dustin Johnson withdrew citing fatigue from his Match Play victory. ... Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Mickelson and Adam Scott are among 30 players in the field who already are in the Masters . ... This is the final year with Shell as the title sponsor, a relationship that began in 1992 . ... Stenson has finished one shot behind twice in the last four years . ... Byron Nelson was the first winner of the Houston Open in 1946, beating Ben Hogan by two shots at River Oaks Country Club. Rancho Mirage, Calif. Mission Hills CC (Dinah Shore Tournament Course). Yardage: 6,769. Par: 72. $2.7 million. First prize: $405,000. Thursday-Friday, noon-4 p.m., 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 5-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Lydia Ko. Lydia Ko will try to become the first backto-back winner of the LPGA Tour’s first major since Annika Sorenstam (2001-02) . ... Ko rallied to defeat a stumbling Ariya Jutanugarn last year and capture her second straight major. It turned out to be a preview of the season — Ko and Jutanugarn battling for all the top awards — with the Thai prevailing . ... Lucy Li, the Californian who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst when she was 11, won the Junior ANA Inspiration to earn the final spot in the major . ... The last two U.S. Women’s Amateur champions, Eun-Jeong Seong and Hannah O’Sullivan, were among six amateurs to receive exemptions . ... So Yeon Ryu leads the LPGA Tour money list without having wonr. With four runner-up finishes in her last 10 starts, she has gone up to No. 3 in the world rankings.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC Site: Course: Purse: TV:
Biloxi, Miss. Fallen Oak. Yardage: 7,088. Par: 72. $1.8 million. First prize: $270,000. Friday, 9:30-11:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-5 p.m. (Golf Channel). Woody Austin. Bernhard Langer now has 32 consecutive rounds under par, breaking the PGA Tour Champions record (31) held by Gil Morgan . ... Tom Lehman goes after his second straight victory after recovering from shoulder surgery. ... Three players in Mississippi will compete in the Masters the following week — Langer, Steve Stricker and Jose Maria Olazabal.