Houston Golf News

Often chastised for his aggressive style of play and questionable decision-making, Phil Mickelson is a go-for-broke type of golfer. But when his bold approach combines with his brilliant talent, Mickelson can produce strokes of genius.

Standing about 140 yards from the hole during the final round of the Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Mickelson threaded a wedge shot under one tree and over another and landed it nine feet from the pin on the 72^nd and final hole of the tournament. Mickelson calmly sank the nine-foot birdie putt to win the event by one stroke over Australian Rod Pampling and South African Tim Clark. It was the 34^th career victory for Mickelson and his second career title at Colonial. 

Johnson Wagner toured Redstone Golf Club

Tournament Course in 63-69-69-71 for a 16-under-par 272 total for a two-stroke victory over Geoff Ogilvy and Chad Campbell.

It was Wagner's first PGA TOUR victory and earned him a berth in The Masters.

Wagner earned a $1,008,000 winner's check, the largest ever in Shell Houston Open history. His victory was sparked by a 9-under-par 63 in the opening round that tied the record established earlier in the day by defending champion Adam Scott.

Wagner first set the record at Redstone Golf Club -- Tournament Course in during the third round of 2007. It was later tied by Bubba Watson.

In 2004 K.J. Choi held the lead at the Masters after his first 27 holes before a string of birdies ultimately derailed his dream of winning golf’s most prestigious Major championship. In the end Phil Mickelson won his first Green Jacket, and shed the title of best golfer to have never won a major. Choi finished third, three shots behind Mickelson.

Now as the 2008 edition of the Masters approaches, Choi is making a case for the title of top player to have never claimed victory in a Major, along with the likes of Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.
 
Before Choi takes his best shot at Augusta National, he’ll take aim at the Shell Houston Open which is taking place this week just outside of the city he now calls home.

The Shell Houston Open has been an annual stop on the PGA TOUR since 1946 and in the 60th edition of the event, will once again serve as the lead-in tournament to golf’s first major championship of the year, The Masters.

With its new pre-Masters date the 2007 Shell Houston Open attracted 23 players who played in Augusta the next week. The event has been contested at Redstone Golf Club in the Houston suburb of Humble since 2003.

Shell and the Houston Golf Association are the main sponsors of the tournament which had a purse of $5,500,000 in 2007 with $990,000 going to the winner.

The Latest in Game Improvement, Goodies and Gimmicks You’ll See in 2008

While you were either shivering in the January cold or (hopefully) out chasing around the little white ball in a warmer climate, the golf industry was trying to figure out what you want NEXT, and showing it off to retailers, golf shop owners, and our intrepid reporters at Golfer’s Guide. With more than 10 square miles of show space hosting 1250 different golf-related companies, thousands of people in the golf industry from all over the world visited Orlando in mid-January. Our regional publishers have their Top 11 list of interesting products worth a look:

Clubs

1.) Adjustable shafts
They’re all the rage now with the new USGA ruling allowing you to change shafts between rounds of play. Most of the major clubmakers will be out with some form of adjustable shafts in ’08, the most extreme being TaylorMade’s kit, featuring three shafts, all the weights and tools, and yes, the driver head, goes for $999. www.tmag.com 

A Quick-Read Golf Etiquette Guide
Author: J. Kelly Mione

This book is definitely in the category of “self-help.” After all, who among us would buy a book for a friend called “Doofus-Proof Golf,” at least a friend we want to ever see again? However, for anyone who’s just taking up the game, or maybe wants to send a message in bulk at their next outing, this easy-toread and very funny guide will likely cut down embarrassment and speed up play, two things of which we’re all in favor!

Author J. Kelly Mione is the Marketing Director for Adam Smith Enterprises, developer of Trinity in southwest Pasco County. But this work shows his other true love, communicating his love of the game. As he writes, “You can embarrass yourself two ways on a golf course; with a bad swing and bad etiquette. Most everyone will excuse the bad swing, but few, if any, will excuse bad etiquette.”

Ah, it’s springtime. A time when man’s fancy turns to... new clubs! The manufacturers have outdone themselves this year with some great new designs. It will be harder to blame your clubs for a bad shot.

At the top of the list are two new sets from Titleist. The AP1 irons are for the skilled or aspiring player. The multi-material head will produce a higher ball flight with great feel and control. The dual cavity will offer forgiveness on the off center hits.

The construction of the AP1 is a #431 stainless steel head with a tungsten nickel box, an elastomer cushion and an aluminum cavity plate. The tungsten nickel box moves weight back away from the face to produce the higher ball flight while the elastomer cushion reduces face vibration. Shaft choices are the new Dynamic Gold HL or the
75 gram VS Proto.