The Shell Houston Open moves two weeks before the Masters in 2013 – Golf News
The Shell Houston Open, which is known as the final opportunity to earn a spot in the Masters Tournament, has moved two weeks before the start of the Masters in 2013.
The tournament was played a week earlier to the Masters each year, providing a chance to the players to tune up their games for the first major event of the year.
However, the players will now have some other objectives while entering the field from 2013 and onwards.
The Augusta National has the tradition of hosting the first major event of the year in the second week of April each year. Consequently, the event is scheduled to start from April 11 next year too.
For that reason, the PGA Tour officials decided to give a chance to the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio to fill out the empty space between the Masters and Houston Open.
In addition to that, the final round of the Houston Open will fall on the Easter causing the attendance on the course to decrease.
So far, the tournament officials have not screamed out, but are trying to turn the new schedule in a positive way.
Tiger Woods, despite his fall from the grace, is still a favourite player whenever he enters the field of any tournament.
Woods has a routine of playing two weeks prior to the start of Masters each year. Therefore, the tournament officials can definitely attract him to be a part of the tournament next year.
"We might get Tiger," said Charlie Epps, Director of golf at Redstone Golf Club.
Houston Open Tournament Director, Steve Timms, has also accepted the new schedule without making any protest. "It doesn't change our strategy at all in how we position the golf course," he said.
"We will continue to set up the course as we have since 2007, with Augusta-like conditions and short rough and firm, fast conditions and fast greens. That doesn't change".
He also confirmed that he spoke to Woods’ agent about the change in the date of the tournament so that he may consider it next year for his schedule.
Meanwhile, the President of Golf San Antonio, Tony Piazzi, amusingly said that while many accounts will think of it as they came in between both the events. In fact, the PGA Tour itself contacted the Valero Texas Open officials for the schedule.
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