The PGA Tour shifts to Texas for two weeks before the Masters arrives, though Scottie Scheffler will not be joining the field that tees up for the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Thursday.
Scheffler withdrew early this week citing family reasons. He and his wife Meredith are expecting their second child.
The field loses a bit of luster without the Texan who happens to be the world’s best golfer on site at Houston’s Memorial Park Golf Course. The top player in terms of both FedEx Cup points and world ranking is Chris Gotterup, a name few casual fans had heard of a year ago.
But Gotterup is one of the tour’s potential breakout stars after he beat Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open last summer and won two of the first four tournaments this season, the Sony Open in Hawaii and WM Phoenix Open.
The 26-year-old’s fast rise has helped him qualify for the majors — most importantly, his first Masters.