OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
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FALL 2018
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obsports.com
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TOUR REPORT
Players looking to Houston
as their Augusta tuneup
T
he Houston Open lost its long-
time sponsor, Shell, before the
2018 event, but drew an excellent field
nonetheless, thanks to a course setup
at Golf Club of Houston that mim-
icked what players would experience
the following week at Augusta, with
shaved-down surrounds and super-
fast greens. Now rescued by Houston
Astros owner Jim Crane, the tourna-
ment will be revived, but as a fall
event with a debut in 2019.
....
The Rest of Texas
I
n 2018, the AT&T Byron Nelson
had a tough time drawing the top
names to its new, links-like venue, the
Coore/Crenshaw-designed Trinity
Forest in Dallas. Newly separated
from the Texas Swing, the tournament
faces an even tougher task, one week
ahead of the PGA Championship at
rough-choked Bethpage in New York.
The Valero Texas Open moves to the
slot before the Masters. Wildly undu-
lating greens might connect the two
events, but not much more.
Colonial, now called the Charles
Schwab Challenge, takes place the
week after the pros get beat up at
Bethpage. Might be a good week to
skip before Memorial, Canada and
the U.S. Open.
....
Akron, Boston, D.C.
A
s home to PGA Tour events dat-
ing to the 1950s, it's tough for
many to see Akron and Firestone
Country Club drop off the schedule.
As a parting gift, it gets a PGA Tour
Champions major, the Bridgestone
Senior Players Championship.
Boston loses its FedEx Cup playoff
event, the Dell Technologies. As a
going-away present, it will host the
Northern Trust (the first FedEx Cup
playoff event) every other year.
Washington D.C. drops the Quicken
Loans National tourney that Tiger co-
hosted. As a consolation prize, well,
you've got day after day of in-fighting
politicians. Not much of a prize, really.
>> JOE PASSOV ON TWITTER.
EXTRA!
