Houston Open tee times, prize money, TV coverage as Scottie Scheffler sets sights on world No. 1 spot

Published 09/11/2022 at 09:09 GMT

Scottie Scheffler could be a man on a mission this week, as he tees it up in his home state of Texas knowing that a win would take him back to the top of the world rankings. That was the case at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico last week, but he left his charge too late. That fine run on Sunday could set him up nicely for the Houston Open.

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Which putter Scottie Scheffler has in the bag will be one of the key questions at this week’s Houston Open.

The current Masters champion has been tinkering with his putting, and by extension the short stick he uses, after a frustrating run on the greens.

He had a new model for the opening round of the World Wide Technologies Championship and started well, but after playing as if someone had covered up the hole on Friday and Saturday, Scheffler reverted to the trusted putter that helped propel him to the top of the sport for the final round.

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Scheffler needed only 25 putts in his closing round of 62, which lifted him to a tie for third in Mexico.

That result left him just short of reclaiming the world No. 1 spot from Rory McIlroy, but he could climb back to the summit at Memorial Park Golf Course this week.

Scheffler played down the importance of the No. 1 ranking, saying such things take care of themselves by virtue of playing well, but you can be sure it is in his thinking.

It’s rare for players not to defend titles, but the current champion will not be in the field this week as Jason Kokrak, who overhauled Scheffler for victory 12 months ago, is suspended from the PGA Tour after he joined LIV Golf.

While there will be no defending champion to take on, Scheffler will not have things his own way as Tony Finau, Sam Burns and Hideki Matsuyama are in the field.

The Course: Memorial Park Golf Course

A rare stop at a venue where mere mortals can follow in the footsteps of the stars of the PGA Tour, as Memorial Park is a municipal venue meaning if you are prepared to pay (a not extortionate $120 for a weekday, $30 for residents of the area) you can get a tee time.

Memorial Park Golf Course dates back to 1912, when it was a nine-hole venue, before being extended to 18 holes by John Bredemus in 1936.

It hosted PGA Tour events for 12 years through the 1950s and 60s, and underwent a major and expensive renovation in 1995.

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Further, extensive redesign work took place prior to being returned to the PGA Tour roster in 2020.

Unsurprisingly, as is the modern way, holes were lengthened while a number of trees were removed and fairways remodelled.

The indication from 12 months ago suggests players who are strong in iron play will flourish, while a decent short game will help as the greens are surrounded by tightly mown run-off areas, so anything off line will meander away from the putting surfaces.

Prize Money: $8.4m (£7.22m), with the winner’s share being $1.35m (£1.1m).

Format: 72-hole strokeplay.

Course records: