Author: Matt Fargo - Wednesday, April 19, 2006

The Shell Houston Open will have a new look in 2006 as the tournament has moved from Redstone Golf Club to The Tournament Course at Redstone Golf Club. The new course is long at 7,422 yards yet four of the par fours are less than 400 yards in length. Driving accuracy and precision in the short game are two factors that will be important this week. Last year's champion Vijay Singh won it without making mistakes as he finished the event with just three bogeys.

This year, only two top ten players are in the field, Singh and David Toms, while just 10 of the top 60 are teeing it up. The lack of big name players from the world golf rankings should help Singh as he tries to get his game back in order. One name that will be missed is 2003 Shell champion Fred Couples who is out because of back problems. John Daly, who has finished in the top seven each of the last three years, will no doubt be the fan favorite.

Singh took home the trophy in 2005 for the second straight year and he had to do it in a playoff over Daly who handed it to Singh following a drive into the water on the first extra hole. Singh has now won the Shell the last two years and three of the last four and would become just the fourth player in PGA history to win the same tournament three straight years should he take first place again in 2006. He has not finished outside the top nine in his last six starts here.

Aaron Baddeley, the winner this past weekend at the Verizon Heritage will look to make it two straight victories this week. Baddeley does not have history on his side as he withdrew from this tournament in 2003 while finishing 65th in 2004. The win at Harbour Town should be a big confidence boost since he missed the cut in three of his previous four events and had not finished better than 51st in his five events prior to the Verizon.

Toms might have a little inside information this week since he helped design the new course at Redstone. He definitely made it fit better for the shorter hitter, as this design is about variety and imagination. Toms has been off since missing the cut at The Masters and he has actually missed the cut in two of his last three events on tour. In nine starts at the Shell, he has just one top ten finish so the familiarity with the new course might be the ticket.

Lucas Glover is another player who has ties to the new course. He was a student of the late Dick Harmon who was the director of Redstone so Glover has had the experience of playing the new Shell home. He finished 7th last year and he has four top ten finishes already in 2006. The has missed the cut in his last two events but his track record here should make up for that with his other finish at the Shell being a tie for 29th.

This is the final broadcast for CBS and the Shell as it moves to NBC next year because the event will be moved to the week before The Masters beginning in 2007. While the field is filled with big name players, the move will beef up the field even more. NBC might not have a whole lot of success with the Shell since they will be competing against March Madness, the reason that CBS will no longer be carrying the event after this year.

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