Shell Houston Open: Partial first-round notebook

text size

Apr. 2, 2009
By Mark Williams, PGA TOUR Staff

HUMBLE, Texas -- The first round started at 9:50 a.m., 2 ½ hours later than scheduled due to thunderstorms in the area. Play was suspended at 12:50 p.m. due to high winds. At 3:00 p.m. play was abandoned for the day and will resume at 8:00 a.m. on Friday.

Graythen/Getty Images

The ferocity of the wind was easily evident on the 18th green Thursday.

Inside the Numbers

Rd. 1 Leaderboard

Player	Score	Thru
1. Lee Westwood	-4	9
T2. J.B. Holmes	-2	8
T2. Justin Leonard	-2	8
T2. Marc Turnesa	-2	7
T2. Bob Estes	-2	6
T2. Scott McCarron	-2	5
T2. Bart Bryant	-2	4
T2. John Huston	-2	5
T2. Charlie Wi	-2	5

Note: Round 1 will resume at 8 a.m. Friday.

• The last time play was suspended due to high winds during play was Round 4 of the 2007 Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C. Boo Weekley was the eventual winner that week.

• England's Lee Westwood, playing in the third group of the day, is 4 under through nine holes with birdies at 1, 2, 7 and 9. Westwood holds a two-stroke advantage over eight players -- all Americans, except for Charlie Wi (South Korea) who resides in California. No European has ever won the Shell Houston Open.

• Fred Couples, the United States Team Presidents Cup captain, is 1 under through seven holes. The University of Houston graduate is trying to add to his already-impressive record at the Shell Houston Open. After missing the cut here in his first start (1981), Couples has made 15 consecutive cuts, with five top-10s, including an emotional win in 2003.

• Defending champion Johnson Wagner is 1 over through six holes.

• Three players -- Bubba Watson, Billy Mayfair and Briny Baird -- have qualified for the Masters next week solely on their performance in the 2008 FedExCup. Mayfair and Baird are at the Shell Houston Open but have yet to begin the first round. Geoff Ogilvy has a 51-point lead over Phil Mickelson in the FedExCup standings. Three players could pass Ogilvy with a victory this week -- Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker.

• Johnny McDermott was 19 years, 10 months and 14 days when he won the 1911 U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy will be 20 years old on Sunday of the Shell Houston Open (born April 5, 1989). A win at the Shell Houston Open would make him the second-youngest player ever to win a PGA TOUR event. McIlroy has yet to begin the first round. Gene Sarazen is currently the second youngest at 20 years, 5 days.

• The Shell Houston Open has had 12 international champions, winning a total of 16 tournaments since 1946. A total of 39 players from 16 different countries (excluding the USA) will tee it up this week. Winners at the Shell Houston Open have hailed from Argentina, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa, but none from Europe.

• Six Australians have won the Shell Houston Open eight times with Bruce Crampton and Stuart Appleby winning twice. There are 14 Australians in the field this week.

• Greg Pipkin, playing in Wednesday's Pro-am with Ben Crane, scored a hole-in-one at the par-4 12th hole. "I didn't think a pro would get excited about an amateur's hole-in-one," said Pipkin. "That was awesome." The group posted the low score of 49 to win the Pro-am.

• Bob Estes recorded the first eagle of the tournament when he holed-out from 86 yards at the 338 yard, par-4 12th hole.

• Bill Lunde withdrew with illness before beginning the first round and was replaced by James Oh. Lunde was originally scheduled to tee off at 2:00 p.m. After the delays and suspensions of play, Oh is now scheduled to start the first round at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

• The 488-yard, par-4 18th hole on the Redstone GC Tournament Course is one of 30 holes in the Kodak Challenge, celebrating beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR. In 2009, 30 PGA TOUR tournaments will feature a designated Kodak Challenge hole. Players must play at least 18 of the 30 Kodak Challenge holes throughout the season to compete for $1 million and the Kodak Challenge trophy.

• A player's lowest score relative to par on his best 18 Kodak challenge holes will be counted. The player with the lowest cumulative score relative to par wins. Redstone's 18th hole was the third most difficult finishing hole on the PGA TOUR last year. Oakland Hills CC (South) for the PGA Championship was the toughest finishing hole on TOUR followed by the 18th at TPC Sawgrass for THE PLAYERS Championship.