#18 at Shell Open

[PURPLE 4EVER]

Was brutal!

450 plus yard hole into a head wind of over 30 mph with water all down the left side.

Average score on the hole was over 5.2.

Might be one of the hardest all time finishing holes on a Sunday in PGA tour history!

For those that watched the ending, what a great tournament for the city of Houston.

The course looked spectacular on TV.

[ST413]

Don't know if you were there but if you thought it was brutal on TV you should have seen it in person. Padraig drove it into the water.  they said it never crossed land.  He dropped opposite the fairway by the tents.  Hit over the green next to the stands.  From there back into the water.  then pitched in for 6.  Out of the last ten or so groups almost half went int the water.

[Lazeek]

Chokers!!!!!! :D

[AggiesAreWe]

I spent two days over there this week. All I can tell you is that the course condition was simply "perfect". That was the word from many of the pros that were playing. I heard one of the pros saying they won't play a better conditioned course all year. The word is spreading like wildfire and I think you'll see the field get even stronger the next few years.

[Lazeek]

The course is not why they will come although it may be perfect...............it is the fact that it is the week prior to The Masters is why they will come!!!!!

[ST413]

The course was fantastic.  It was brutal yesterday..

[1989NDN]

Saturday and Sunday at the SHO were great ... the wind on 18 was brutal ... the players that hit line drive stingers usually survived just fine off the tee box.  The players that tried to shape shots and hit the ball high up into the wind, well, they usually found the water.  When the ball got up into the air, the wind just made the ball/trajectory just die.

It is something to attend a PGA event in person.  The sound the ball makes when coming off the end of a pro player's driver is amazing ... it's a different sound; you can hear a difference when a PGA player really gets a hold of a tee shot.  It was like a cannon went off when Couples hit a few drives.  And, I'm not sure what Paul Casey looked like on TV, but the dude is rather short/small frame kind of guy, but he has huge forearms.  He's like Popeye ... regular looking guy until you see his arms and forearms.  He's got some guns for arms.  He must hit the weights pretty regularly.  And, the real-time swing tempo of Ernie Els and Fred Couples is perfect.  Those guy hit the ball a mile, but they never look like they are amped up ... the easy back and forth tempo of those two guys was awesome to see.

The folks at the HGA and at Redstone did a great job ... the Champions Pavillion area was great; the staff was nice, the golf was great, and the wind was brutal.  I hated to see JB Holmes hit it in the water, but, the wind was wicked.  Congrats to Paul Casey.  He looked like he was crying after his wife greeted him on the 18th.  Soft Euro ... Tiger never cries.

And, Roger Maltbie (NBC Sports...) that guy lugs around some gear during a golf tourney ... microphone, electrical equipment, a spotter, notepads, etc.  Pretty hefty dude to be walking all over and lugging some gear.

Peace.