It’s a big week in golf, with the PGA Tour making its last pre-Masters stop, the Houston Open, and the LPGA playing its first major, the ANA Inspiration. Here are the key stats and information for the festivities in Humble, Texas, and Rancho Mirage, Calif. Click here for full-field tee times from the PGA Tour and click here for LPGA tee times.
Houston Open
How to watch:
Thursday, Rd. 1: Golf Channel, 4-7PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream
Friday, Rd. 2: Golf Channel, 4-7PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream
Saturday, Rd. 3: Golf Channel, 2-3PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream; NBC, 3-6PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pganbcstream
Sunday, Rd. 4: Golf Channel, 2-3PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pgastream; NBC, 3-6PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/pganbcstream
Purse: $7 million ($1,260,000 to the winner)
Course: Golf Club of Houston, Tournament Course (par-72; 7,441 yards), Humble, Texas
Defending champion: Russell Henley (-20) by three shots over Sung Kang.
Notables in the field:
Dustin Johnson
• At 10/1 odds, the world No. 1 is a co-second choice (along with Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy) to win the Masters, according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.
• Failed to make it out of round-robin play in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
• In five starts this year, has a win, a T-2 and a T-7
• Hit a 489-yard drive at the Match Play, the longest ever recorded in the Shotlink era, but it won’t count as a record because statistics at the Match Play don’t countas official PGA Tour statistics.
Tiger Woods
• Despite npt playing in the Match Play – he didn’t qualify – remains the Masters favorite at 9/1 odds, according to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.
• In his last three starts has finished 12, T-2 and T-5.
• Ranks sixth in scoring average on the PGA Tour (69.474).
Rory McIlroy
• Failed to make it out of pool play in the Match Play.
• Still, is a co-second choice (with Johnson and Thomas) at 10/1 odds in the Masters.
• In six starts this year, won at Bay Hill but otherwise hasn’t finished better than T-20.
ANA Inspiration
How to watch:
Thursday, Rd. 1: Golf Channel, noon-4PM ET, 7-9PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/lpgastream
Friday, Rd. 2: Golf Channel, noon-4PM ET, 7-9PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/lpgastream
Saturday, Rd. 3: Golf Channel, 5-9PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/lpgastream
Sunday, Rd. 4: Golf Channel, 5-9PM ET; live stream: http://www.golfchannel.com/lpgastream
Purse: $2.8 million ($420,000 to the winner)
Course: Mission Hills Country Club, Dinah Shore Tournament Course (par-72; 6,763 yards), Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Defending champion: So Yeon Ryu (-14) defeated Lexi Thompson in a playoff.
Notables in the field:
Lexi Thompson
• Last year lost this event in a playoff with Ryu after being involved in a controversy about how she marked one of her putts.
• Was involved in another rules incident last month in the Honda LPGA Thailand, when she mistakenly assumed an advertising sign was a movable obstruction. It wasn’t.
• Has made four starts this year, finishing T-2 and T-6 in her two most recent.
So Yeon Ryu
• Defending champion is 29th on the current LPGA money list, with a best finish this year of T-7.
• Looking for her third major, having won the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open in addition to last year’s ANA Inspiration.
• Is No. 3 in the Rolex Rankings, behind No. 1 Shanshan Feng and No. 2 Thompson.
Michelle Wie
• Is third on the LPGA money list.
• Won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March, her first win since 2014.
• Has finished 11 and T-11 in her two most recent events.
Source: Internet
