World No. 6 Jordan Spieth is favored to win the Shell Houston Open, which begins on Thursday. Spieth didn’t make it past group play last week at the WGC Match Play event but he has had a lot of success in this tournament, including a win and two second place finishes. Spieth is using this week in preparation for the Masters next week and he is not alone, as four of the world’s top 10 are in the field in Houston, but World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is not, as he decided to rest after winning the Match Play event. Spieth is the top betting choice at +600, followed by Jon Rahm at +1015, Henrik Stenson at +1250 and Rickie Fowler at +1550.
Shell Houston Open Odds
Jordan Spieth +600
Jon Rahm +1015
Henrik Stenson +1250
Rickie Fowler +1550
Justin Rose +1650
Phil Mickelson +2025
Adam Scott +2200
J B Holmes +3050
Russell Henley +3250
Matt Kuchar +3500
Patrick Reed +3500
Tony Finau +4050
Daniel Berger +4050
Billy Horshel +4050
Rafa Cabrera Bello +5000
Charles Howell III +5000
Charley Hoffman +5050
Patrick Cantlay +5050
Jason Dufner +5450
Jimmy Walker +5500
Bryson DeChambeau +6500
Lee Westwood +6500
Jhonattan Vegas +6550
Keegan Bradley +6550
Bernard Wiesberger +6550
Lucas Glover +7000
Jim Herman +7500
Nick Watney +7550
Peter Uihlein +7550
Ryan Palmer +8250
Ollie Schnjederjans +9000
Jamie Lovemark +9000
Luke List +9500
Odds Analysis
Jordan Spieth +600
One player who really likes to play in Houston in preparation for the Masters is Spieth. "I love playing the week before the Masters," Spieth said to the Houston Chronicle, "The reason being - it's worked." Spieth has finished tied for second, first and tied for second, the three times he has played in Houston before the Masters.
"I've missed the cut in Houston and almost won the Masters, and I've almost won in Houston and then did win the Masters," said Spieth, "The fact that I'm playing the week before is very important to me. In Houston, the golf course is set up very similar to Augusta. They have very similar green complexes and very similar grass around the greens."
Spieth has had to wait a full year to put last year’s Masters collapse behind him. “No matter what happens at this year's Masters, whether I can grab the jacket back or I miss the cut or finish 30th, it will be nice having this year's Masters go by," Spieth said. "The Masters lives on for a year, and it brings a non-golf audience into golf. It will be nice once this year's is finished, from my point of view, to be brutally honest."
Jon Rahm +1015
The only concern in backing Rahm is a letdown after losing the Match Play final last week. If he avoids the letdown then he is a strong play, as he has a win and three top five finishes in his last five starts.
Henrik Stenson +1250
Stenson really likes this event, as he has made all five cuts here since 2006 including three top-3 finishes including a second last year.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello +5000
I think there is some value on Cabrera-Bello at odds of +5000. He played well last week in the Match Play but lost in a playoff. He finished fourth in this event last year.
Bryson DeChambeau +6500
You might have forgotten about DeChambeau but he tied for 2nd last week in Puerto Rico. He is one of my longshots this week.
Notes
Four of the world’s top 10 in the latest World Golf Rankings are in the field, as in addition to Spieth, there are Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Rickie Fowler. Last year it was Jim Herman winning this event as he finished one shot ahead of Stenson and two clear of Dustin Johnson.
Course: The Golf Club of Houston measures 7,441 yards and is a par 72. The course is known for its similarities to Augusta, and that is why some players like to use this tournament as a Masters prep. The greens are prepared with a Stimpmeter reading of at least 13 and there are collection areas. Even though the course has been set up to mirror Augusta in some respects, the winner of the Shell Houston Open has not done well in the Masters. Only two winners have finished in the top 15 at the Masters since this event took the spot on the schedule just before the Masters.
TV Coverage: NBC and Golf Channel
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Shell Houston Open is scheduled for March 30 – April 2, 2017. Golf Club of Houston will host the event and NBC and Golf Channel will televise it.
