Golf Betting – Shell Houston Open

The Shell Houston Open is the final tuneup tournament before The Masters, leaving the field split between those players wanting to tighten up their games and those wanting a week off to prepare for the first major of the season. The golf betting odds do have plenty of familiar faces, though. Here’s a look at whom oddsmakers expect to top the leaderboard in Houston this week:

Lee Westwood +1,200

Westwood has taken some time off over the past few weeks to rest up and focus for this important stretch of golf. Entering this week’s tournament, the former World’s No. 1 has played in only three PGA Tour events this season with his most recent showing coming at the WGC Cadillac Championship, where he finished tied for 18th. Westwood isn’t worried about his slow start to the season and says he is striking the ball better than ever. Last year, he fired an 8-under par and placed eighth at the Houston Open, following that with a runner-up performance at The Masters.

Matt Kuchar +1,200

Kuchar has been a busy man and won’t pause before The Masters. The American is coming off a solid showing at the WGC Cadillac Championship, shooting 12-under par to finish the tournament in fifth place – his fifth Top-10 performance in seven Tour events this year. Kuchar’s strength has been his approach game, sitting 17th in greens hit in regulation and ranking eighth on Tour in birdies per round. Last season, he also finished 8-under at the Houston Open.

Phil Mickelson +1,500

Mickelson is notorious for playing the week before The Masters, despite the fact that Redstone Golf Club presents different challenges than Augusta National. Mickelson told reporters this week that he plays in Houston more for preparation for the major than winning the Houston Open title. That might not sit well for bettors who are sizing up his PGA betting odds. Mickelson’s lack of urgency at Houston has shown in recent results, posting a 35th-place finish in 2010, missing the cut in 2009, and finishing 23rd in 2008.

Hunter Mahan +1,500

Mahan is trying to find his winning form in Houston this week. The American posted back-to-back ninth-place finishes at the Match Play and the Cadillac Championship before wrapping the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a 1-over par, good for 38th at this past week’s event. Mahan opened the Arnold Palmer with twin scores of 69 through the first two rounds, but blew up over the weekend with bloated scores of 75 and 76. He picked up just one birdie in the final round and closed the day with a double-bogey on No. 18. He missed the cut at last year’s Houston Open, as well as in 2008, but finished tied for sixth in 2009.