Sportsbooks have set little store by the Shell Houston Open champion’s ability to win the ensuing U.S. Masters tournament in the past ten years, which does not bode well for one Russell Henley’s chances. Who? Exactly.
Stuart Appleby
The Australian professional golfer won his second Houston Open in 2006 with a -19 score and a margin of victory of six strokes over Bob Estes. Appleby tied for 19th in the 2006 Masters.
Adam Scott
Scotty made a 48-foot par putt to secure a three stroke win over compatriot Appleby and Bubba Watson at the 2007 Houston Open. Scott tied for 27th in that year’s Masters tournament with a score of +12. Eventually Scotty did Appleby one better and became the first Australian to win the Masters in 2013.
Johnson Wagner
Wagner picked up his first PGA Tour win at the 2008 Shell Houston Open, which earned him an invitation to the Masters Tourney. Wagner finished tied for 36th place in his lone appearance at Augusta National Golf Club.
Paul Casey
Similarly to Wagner, Casey earned his first PGA Tour win at the 2009 Houston Open when he defeated J. B. Holmes in a one-hole playoff. He then tied for 20th place which is sort of ironically his worst Masters finish.
Anthony Kim
Anthony Ha-Jin Kim has had the most success going into the Masters after winning the Houston Open. Kim prevailed at the Golf Club of Houston in 2010, the same year in which he finished third Augusta. Don’t expect to see him on any sportsbooks futures, though; for all intents and purposes Kim is retired from professional golf.
Phil Mickelson
Micks won the 2011 Shell Houston Open with a 20-under-par, three-stroke win over Scott Verplank. Lefty then went on to tie for 27th at the Masters, which he has won on three other occasions.
Hunter Mahan
Mahan had his fifth career PGA Tour win in 2012 at the Houston Open and finished tied for 12th at the following Masters with a score of -2.
D.A. Points
Darren Andrew Points sank a 13-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the 2013 Shell Houston Open to save par and win by a stroke. Points then placed T38 in his single Masters tournament appearance.
Matt Jones
Jones beat Matt Kuchar on the first playoff hole of the 2014 Shell Houston Open to earn his first PGA Tour win and gain entrance to the Masters, where he missed the half-way cut.
J.B. Holmes
John Bradley Holmes defeated none other than Jordan Spieth to win the 2015 Houston Open with par on second extra hole but couldn’t sustain the momentum and missed the half-way cut at that year’s Masters.
Jim Herman
Herman shot a final round of 68 for a 15-under-par total to complete a one shot win over Henrik Stenson at last year’s Shell Houston Open. He then missed the half-way cut in his first and by all indications last Masters appearance.
Russell Henley
Henley clinched a spot in the forthcoming Masters Tournament by winning the 2017 Houston Open, but sportsbooks are not too keen on him becoming the first golfer to win in Houston and in Augusta back-to-back.
