Twenty-nine year old Carlos Ortiz of Mexico just won the Vivint Houston Open golf tournament on the PGA Tour by two strokes. He posted a closing round of five-under par 65 and a 72-hole total of 13-under par 267 at the par-70 Memorial Park golf course. American Dustin Johnson, the #1 ranked player in the world, and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama finished tied for second. Ortiz birdied the par-five 16th hole and made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-four 18th hole to pull away from his challengers. Ortiz thereby became the first Mexican to win on the PGA Tour in 42 years.
It was Dustin Johnson’s first golf tournament since contracting COVID-19 several weeks ago and having to hang up the sticks due to being ill. It is reported that he spent eleven days in one room. But he says he feels fine now. I’ll say. After starting with a lackluster 72, he went 66, 66, 65. I guess COVID can’t keep a good man down. It looks like Johnson is the favorite going into The Masters next week.
This was the first time the historic Houston Open had been staged at Memorial Park, a city-owned public golf course, since 1963. Houston, in case you don’t know, is the fourth largest city in the U.S. I came from Seattle, Washington, and got my college degree at the University of Houston. And metro-Houston was my home for nearly forty years.
Memorial Park had always been kind of a ratty, public golf course, but a convenient one since it is located near downtown Houston. Lots of good golfers have hung out there, many of them playing money games. That’s where Tommy Bolt used to play much of his amateur golf before he quit being a carpenter and got on the PGA Tour to become a star.
Memorial Park brings back memories for me. I used to practice out there occasionally. On TV this week, the tournament announcers kept recalling about the last time the Houston Open was held at Memorial Park was 1963. Indeed, tell me about it. I played in that tournament as a 21-year old college golfer. It was my second and last PGA Tour tournament as an amateur. And I had it going. Halfway through the tournament, I was tied for second place with pro Jack Nicklaus at 134 total, one stroke behind leader Tommy Aaron. I could putt the eyes out of the ball back then, even on those bumpy greens. When I teed off for the third round, on Saturday, I was in awe. The par five first hole was lined with fans on both sides of the fairway all the way from the tee to the green. I finished the tournament in 11th place. For a “flippy-wristed college kid,” as Tommy “Thunderbolt” Bolt soon called me, not bad. But I sure could have used that money they were paying those pros.
The PGA Tour has returned to Memorial Park because the City of Houston has spent some bucks in a serious renovation of it. It is now rated as one of the best municipal golf courses in the nation. Watching the tournament on TV, I have never seen greens playing nearly that fast in Houston. That’s big time. It’s like playing The Masters at Augusta National.
I’m glad to see that the Houston Open is back at Memorial Park. The tournament has been held at some very good golf courses in the meantime. When I was on the Tour as a pro, we used to play the Houston Open at the famed Champions Golf Club, way out on the north side of town. It was owned by PGA Tour former stars Jimmy Demaret and Jackie Burke. One year I played in the tournament the first two days with the legendary Ben Hogan. Then the tournament was moved to Kingwood and other venues.
But now, at Memorial Park, and after we get past this COVID-19, hopefully, the golf fans will flock to watch the pros play again at Memorial Park due to its close proximity to downtown. Hats off to everyone involved in this endeavor that will surely be good for the City of Houston. In years to come, I wish I could see how many people will line that first fairway for the last group teeing off on the weekend.
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