Shell Houston Open Preview and Picks

Course vitals
Yardage: 7,457
Par: 72
Designed by: Rees Jones
Bunkers: 60
Water Hazards: 13
Green speeds: 13-feet
2010 difficulty rank: 14 of 52.
Defending Champion: Anthony Kim
Course record: 63, Adam Scott (2008).

Foursome Picks

JB Holmes, 33-1. A win and only a win, will get JB Holmes into the field for the Masters next week. His play has been steady this year with no missed cuts, a pair of T5s and four finishing at least T13 in four of his six events. He was a runner-up here the last time he played two years, ironically while also trying to play himself into the field at Augusta.

Steve Marino, 40-1. It's hard not to like Marino when you consider that he's already equalled his number of top-10s from all of last season and he's been a serious contender on Sunday in three of the seven tournaments he's played so far. The three other times he's been a runner-up in his career he's made the cut in his next start and twice posted top-25 finishes. He's been in top-20 the last two years in Houston with a T14 and T19.

Vaughn Taylor, 66-1. Solid but not spectacular. That would probably be the most apt way to describe the start to Taylor's season. He's made the cut in six of his seven tournaments, placing T26, T25 and T25 at Pebble Beach, the Hope and Riviera respectively. He lost in a playoff to Anthony Kim here last year on the strength of a final round 68. There could be some added incentive as someone who attended Augusta State, has not played in the Masters since 2008.

Chad Campbell, 80-1. After missing the cut four weeks in a row, Campbell's game has started to show signs of re-emerging. He's made the cut in the last three tournaments he's played, posting a pair of top-30 finishes and playing 10 of his last 12 rounds at or below par. In the past three years in Houston he's finished T25, T49 and T2.

Longshot: Shaun Micheel, 150-1. It's been nearly eight years since his won and only PGA Tour victory at the 2003 PGA Championship. He has yet to record a top-10 this season and in the previous four seasons combined he had just six in 82 tournaments. He's played well here though, with one of those top-10s a fifth place showing last year. He also finished T26 the two years prior to that.

Kraft Nabisco Championship Picks

Karrie Webb, 18-1.

Ai Miyazato, 40-1.

Anna Nordqvist, 50-1.

Se Ri Pak, 125-1.