The 2017 fantasy golf season stays in Texas this week, as the PGA Tour heads to Houston for the Shell Houston Open. A field of 144 players will tackle the Golf Club of Houston in the final event before the Masters.
Be sure to join the all-new Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge to compete for prizes and form your own leagues, and log on to www.playfantasygolf.com to submit your picks for this week’s event.
Jim Herman won this event last year by one shot over Henrik Stenson. Here are 10 players to watch in the Lone Star State:
1. Jordan Spieth: He’ll be the crowd favorite this week, and deservedly so. Spieth lost here in a playoff in 2015 and followed with a T-13 showing where he made a late charge into contention on Sunday. While he hasn’t cracked the top 10 since winning at Pebble Beach, Spieth enjoys playing in front of the partisan crowds and has the game that suits this layout which in many ways is designed to mirror Augusta National.
2. Henrik Stenson: The Swede has finished twice here, both last year and in 2013, on a course where his iron game thrives. Stenson surprisingly missed the cut at Bay Hill, but he played well in Tampa the week prior and is likely to get things back on track in a big way this week before heading down Magnolia Lane.
3. Rickie Fowler: Fowler hasn’t slowed down since winning at PGA National, adding a pair of top-20 finishes. He now heads to Houston where he has contended twice in the last three years, highlighted a sixth-place showing back in 2014. Overall, he hasn’t been outside the top 20 since a missed cut at Torrey Pines.
4. Jon Rahm: With Dustin Johnson bowing out on Monday, Rahm might be the hottest player teeing it up this week in Houston. He has continued to ascend since his breakthrough at the Farmers Insurance Open, nearly toppling DJ both in Mexico and in Austin. A second PGA Tour trophy isn’t far away.
5. Phil Mickelson: Mickelson was using this event as his final Masters prep before it was cool. Lefty is a regular at the Golf Club of Houston, having played every year since 2008. That includes a win in 2011 and five straight top-20 finishes since then. There are many courses that can be considered Mickelson favorites, but this one is high on the list.
6. Justin Rose: Rose isn’t receiving much attention heading into the Masters, but he probably should be. The Englishman started the year with a runner-up in Hawaii, added a pair of T-4 finishes on the West Coast and tied for 13th at Bay Hill in his most recent start. Sooner rather than later, his form will reach a crescendo.
7. Adam Scott: Scott won this event in 2007 but is returning for the first time since a T-14 finish in 2010. Like Rose, he skipped last week’s WGC event in nearby Austin and arrives fresh and ready for one last prep event heading to Augusta. Scott is another strong iron player who should create plenty of birdie opportunities on a course that lacks penal rough.
8. J.B. Holmes: Holmes toppled Spieth and Johnson Wagner to win a playoff here two years ago, one of four top-12 finishes among a sporadic run of five starts that dates back to 2009. Holmes is able to unleash his driver over this par-72 layout with considerable success, and he finished T-12 in Mexico in his last stroke-play start.
9. Russell Henley: Henley may not be top of mind from a fantasy perspective, but he should be this week. The Georgia product has been known to get streaky from time to time, especially on the greens, and has finished T-7 or better each of the last three years in Houston. Also tied for ninth just three weeks ago at Innisbrook.
10. Matt Kuchar: Kuchar has only played this event four times since 2010, but three of those trips ended with top-10 finishes including a playoff loss to Matt Jones in 2014. Kuchar has been his reliable self of late, with top-25 finishes in four of his last five stroke-play starts.
