The PGA Tour is back stateside this week for another visit to Memorial Park for the Houston Open, this time around branded as the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open.
While the Houston Open has been a PGA Tour staple for years now (since 1946), the event shifted to October two years ago and also shifted courses last year.
The Golf Club of Houston is no longer the host but instead Memorial Park Golf Course.
What can last year tell us about the course?
Memorial Park Golf Course Course Information
Par: 70
Distance: 7,302
Average Green Size: 7,000
Green Type: Bermuda
Stimpmeter: N/A
Last Year's Winning Score: -13
Last Year's Cut Line: +3
| Memorial Park Golf Course | Par | Yards | vs Average PGA Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 522 | 121% |
| 2 | 3 | 167 | 85% |
| 3 | 5 | 587 | 104% |
| 4 | 4 | 490 | 114% |
| 5 | 4 | 440 | 102% |
| 6 | 4 | 443 | 103% |
| 7 | 3 | 216 | 110% |
| 8 | 5 | 495 | 88% |
| 9 | 3 | 202 | 103% |
| 10 | 4 | 456 | 106% |
| 11 | 3 | 237 | 120% |
| 12 | 4 | 496 | 115% |
| 13 | 4 | 406 | 94% |
| 14 | 4 | 529 | 123% |
| 15 | 3 | 155 | 79% |
| 16 | 5 | 576 | 102% |
| 17 | 4 | 382 | 89% |
| 18 | 4 | 503 | 117% |
| Total | 70 | 7,302 | 101% |
One of the main takeaways here is that the greens at Memorial Park are bigger than usual (the average is around 6,000 square feet), but that didn't lead to great scoring a year ago.
Last year's winner, Carlos Ortiz, finished 13-under par, and only Masters winners Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama were also double-digit under par at 11-under.
There was some wind on the weekend but not all week last year.
Of note, we have six holes that are at least 110% as long as the average hole of the same par on the PGA Tour at Memorial Park. That includes three 500-plus-yard par 4s and a 237-yard par 3.
Key Stats for the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
- Birdie or Better Rate
- Strokes Gained: Around the Green
- Strokes Gained: Putting on Bermuda
There's no clear distance or accuracy angle this week, but strokes gained: off the tee makes sense to target, given the overall distance on some of the holes -- specifically the long par 4s.
Last year showed a heavy emphasis on strokes gained: around the green. Ortiz ranked second in that stat, and other two other top-five finishers in Matsuyama (11th in strokes gained: around the green) and Talor Gooch (10th) were top-12 in the stat.
Golfers With Course History at Memorial Park Golf Course
These golfers finished inside the top 25 here last year.
| Golfer | Finish |
|---|---|
| Carlos Ortiz | 1 |
| Talor Gooch | 4 |
| Brooks Koepka, Sepp Straka | T5 |
| Sam Burns, Jason Day, Tyrrell Hatton, Mackenzie Hughes | T7 |
| Adam Long, Shane Lowry, Aaron Wise | T11 |
| Russell Knox, Francesco Molinari, Harold Varner III | T15 |
| Maverick McNealy, J.T. Poston, Dawie Van Der Walt, Erik Van Rooyen | T20 |
| Tony Finau, Brian Harman | T24 |