With no Dustin Johnson in sight betting websites can safely place the mantle of favorite to win the 2017 Shell Houston Open on Jordan Spieth. DJ has won three PGA events in a row so it seems as if he is going to let someone else get the spotlight in this one. Meanwhile, current defending champion Jim Herman will be on the field but is quite a long shot to repeat.
Jordan Spieth
The World No. 6 is a close second-favorite to win the Masters and the layout of the Golf Club of Houston is similar Augusta National, where the Masters is played. In addition to that, Spieth is going to be a favorite of the attending audience, and he does tend to feed off a supporting crowd. Spieth was a runner-up at the 2015 Houston Open.
John Rahm
The Spaniard reminds one of a young Antonio Banderas if Antonio Banderas had been a golfer. Surely, Rahm is the hottest thing to come out of Spain since Javier Bardem. The 22-year-old has four top 5 finishes in his previous five starts, has reached the 14th spot in the world rankings, and continues to rise. Rahm can also benefit from Johnson’s withdrawal, seeing as how the Spanish golfer went toe to toe with DJ at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play but couldn’t quite keep up the pace with Numero Uno.
Henrik Stenson
The Swede was last year’s runner-up when he lost to Herman by one stroke. Stenson missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which came as a bit of a shock to betting websites. However, the current Open champion hopes to rule the roost in Houston with an iron fist – or rather, with his iron game.
Rickie Fowler
The World No. 9 won the Honda Classic in February, tied for 16th at the WGC Mexico Championship, and finished 12th in the AIP. Additionally, Fowler placed 6th in the 2014 Shell Houston Open.
Justin Rose
The Brit might be a sleeper. Rose has been hit-and-miss as of late, placing second at the Sony Open and 4th at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Genesis Open, but finishing in the bottom 30s at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and in Mexico. A little consistency could go a long way for the Englishman.
Phil Mickelson
Lefty is a fixture at the Houston Open, participating in every edition since 2008 and winning it in 2011. Mickelson arguably knows this course better than anyone else except Rees Jones and David Toms, who actually designed it. Mickelson ranks just within the 20 top golfers in the world, but has had top 10 finishes in his last two outings.
Adam Scott
Unlike Lefty, Scott hasn’t been since at the Golf Club of Houston since 2010, when finished tied for 14th. Scotty did win the Shell Open in 2007, though. the Australian skipped the WGC Match Play in Austin in order to arrive in Houston well rested and perhaps win it again ten years later? At least he has better betting website odds than the 2015 champion JB Holmes.
