Houston Open Picks – Last stop before the Masters

Houston Open

D Money

While most weeks I pick the person I think will win, this week I am picking the person who I want to see win and that is Charles Howell III.

With the Masters next week, we all know the story that comes out about Chucky Three Sticks this time of year. Augusta native. Never won the Masters. Hasn’t played in a Masters in years. Always on the top 50 bubble needed to get a Masters invite. With one final Masters birth up for grabs this week for the winner in Houston, I think it would be a great story for Howell to win and get back to his “hometown” event for the first time since his T19 finish in 2012. So, I’m taking the potential story this week and going with Howell.

The Stiff Shaft

This week I’m going somewhat against the grain.

I’ll take the guy who has been struggling with his putter … Jordan Spieth. WHAT? Yep, that’s right, Spieth has been horrible with the flat stick lately. Don’t believe me? Look at these numbers:

172nd in strokes gained putting
201st in total putting
112th in one-putt percentage
196th in putting from three feet
191st in putting from four feet
103rd in putting from five feed
189th in putts inside of 10 feet

If you’re like me, you’re thinking, “WTF? That doesn’t seem right.”

Yeah, only it is and it is extremely confusing considering the kid has been money inside 10 feet for the majority of his career. This week, before heading to the extremely slick greens at Augusta, I expect Spieth to right the ship and not only get the putter working, but a win as well. He has finished as high as second at the Golf Club of Houston and even though he missed the cut last year in this event, I don’t see that happening this year.

As always, don’t take these to the bank.

Author: Dan Hauser

Dan is the co-founder of The Stiff Shaft and the website's Senior Writer. A South Florida native, Dan has been covering golf since 2013 and playing it his entire life. He is still waiting for his first hole-in-one.

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