The Mulligan: Shell Houston Open

This week the Tour makes a stop in Houston for the Shell Houston Open. This is one of those courses where certain players just play well for whatever reason. I look for players with past success to have similar results this year.

Hunter Mahan has a great track record here and he is playing well. He finished last season very well and I think he is going to play that way for the entire 2010. Hunter Mahan is the real deal on the PGA Tour and he is a no brainer when playing on a course that he loves. Look for Mahan to get his 2nd win of the season sometime soon. Will it be this week?

Unless you have been living under a rock, you should know that Ernie Els is going to play well this week. Have you been watching him recently? If not, you should check out the Big Easy's smooth swingin' game this week. He is one of my favorite players to watch when he is on. And he is ON!

Paul Casey won here last year. If you are a regular follower of The Mulligan, you know that I pick Casey quite a bit and that I am very fond of his game and think he is one of the nicest guys on Tour. He tied for fourth at the Honda, and sixth at Doral. I am pulling for him this week.

SLEEPER: Fred Couples should not be overlooked this week. He finished in the Top 5 here in each of the past two years. Also, he is playing better than the Butler Bulldog basketball team (whom I am cheering for to win it all) right now. He has won, not one, not two, but THREE STRAIGHT wins on the Champions Tour.

The Mulligan: Fantasy Golf Picks for the Shell Houston Open

This week the Tour heads to Texas for the Shell Houston Open played at Redstone Golf Club. With the Masters just a week away, many of the best players in the world are in Houston for their Masters tune-up. This will make for an interesting and competitive week.

Tiger got his Masters tune up out of the way last week with a dramatic victory on 18. He sunk a 16 footer to cap off a 5 shot come from behind victory over Sean O’Hair on Sunday. You can view the putt here.

I have some good fantasy golf picks for you this week. First, I recommend starting Stuart Appleby. Appleby played very well recently at The Traditions where he posted a top-10 finish. Also, he has historically played well at this tournament including 2 wins. I think you should start Appleby this week based on his past performance in Houston and his recent performance at The Traditions.

Another fantasy golf option (and a recurring theme in my posts) is Geoff Ogilvy. If you have not started Ogilvy yet this year, I recommend doing so this week. He finished second last year at Redstone, and already has 2 wins this year. He is first in putting average so far this season, and that should bode well at Redstone. He is also on top of the FedEx Cup standings and he is playing the best golf of his young career. Don’t be surprised if we see Ogilvy earn his third victory of the season.

If you want a sleeper pick, I recommend David Toms. He was the player consultant when Redstone was built, so he knows this course better than anybody. He finished 27th in 2007 and was not in the field in 2008. His knowledge of the course will give him a distinct advantage this week, and he might be worth a look.