2016 Shell Houston Open Tip – J.B. Holmes

The Shell Houston Open returns to the Golf Club of Houston in Humble, which has played host to this event since 2003, and from 2007 has been held the week before the Masters.

The 7,441yd Par 72 track will again be set up by the officials in order to replicate the test that many of this quality field will face at Augusta next week. With lightning quick undulating putting surfaces, shaved banks and collection areas around the greens, this layout has a definite Augusta feel about it. The fairways are fairly generous, and the course sets up perfectly for attacking players, who also have a solid short game. The signature hole, and statistically the toughest hole, is the 488yd Par 4 18th hole, which has water running down the entire left-hand side, and consistently ranks amongst the toughest holes on the PGA Tour.

Tip: J.B.Holmes 28/1 EW Coral

The second tip J.B.Holmes was another first stage casualty last week at the WGC Match Play in Austin, but there are still plenty of reasons to expect a stronger performance from the big-hitting American this week. He boasts stellar course form having won here last year in a three-man playoff, and also losing out in a playoff in 2009 against Paul Casey. This type of layout definitely fits the eye of this grip it and rip it merchant; who other than a missed cut at Doral, boasts recent form stats of T6-T6-T11-T11 in stroke play events.