By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, April 30

Details
When	Thursday-Sunday
Course	TPC at The Woodlands, The Woodlands, Texas
Par/Yardage	Par 72; 7,042 yards
Purse	$2.8 million (Winner: $504,000)
1999 champion	Stuart Appleby
Tournament record	18-under 266 (Curtis Strange, 1980; Lee Trevino, 1980)
Television	Thursday-Friday: 4-6:30 p.m. ET (TGC) Saturday: 4-6 p.m. ET (CBS) Sunday: 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS)

The tournament

	Hole by hole
	Hole	Par	Yards
	1	5	520
	2	4	371
	3	3	158
	4	4	413
	5	4	456
	6	5	573
	7	4	414
	8	3	237
	9	4	418
	Out	36	3560
	10	4	421
	11	4	417
	12	4	377
	13	5	533
	14	3	190
	15	5	521
	16	3	175
	17	4	382
	18	4	442
	In	36	3458
	Total	72	7042
	Key holes: The 13th is the signature hole at The Woodlands, a reachable par-5 which features an island green. There's trouble off the tee with fairway bunkers on the right, so getting the ball in play is vital for an eagle or birdie opportunity. The 17th is a dogleg left loaded with trouble. The fairway slopes left, pushing balls toward a pond known as "The Devil's Bathtub." The 18th is also guarded by a pond, but the real trouble is a series of deep bunkers along the back of the green which usually leave players with awkward lies and shots.

The PGA Tour begins its swing through Texas this week, starting with the least important of three events over the next month.

The Houston Open will be followed by The Colonial and the Byron Nelson Classic later in May, two signature stops on the PGA Tour. For that reason, many of the top players are bypassing the TPC at The Woodlands, planning for the higher profile Texas stops instead.

Tiger Woods, David Duval, Ernie Els, Davis Love III, Tom Lehman, Vijay Singh and Jesper Parnevik are just some of the players not in the field this week, but there still are a few big names playing. Fred Couples, Justin Leonard and the sizzling Hal Sutton are among those chasing the $504,000 first prize.

Sutton's game is perfect for the TPC at The Woodlands, a course which yields few low scores. Stuart Appleby won last year's event at 9-under as scores were held down by narrow fairways, plenty of hazards and winds up to 20 mph.

Sutton, who won last week in Greensboro, was runnerup at this event in both 1994 and 1999. He took a two-stroke lead into the final round, but several rare mistakes from Sutton led to a final-round 75 and allowed the steady Appleby to slip past him.

The Houston Open has been known to bring titles to the unexpected in recent years. In the past decade, Jim McGovern, Mike Heinen, Tony Sills, Fulton Allem and Phil Blackmar are among the champions.

The tournament has also been heavy on playoffs, with five of the 10 champions in the 1990s decided in sudden death.

Sudden death is something Curtis Strange knows about in this event. Strange is the only player in PGA Tour history to win three playoffs in the same event, winning the Houston Open in sudden death in 1080, 1986 and 1988. He is also the only three-time champion.

Next week, the tour heads to New Orleans for the Compaq Classic before returning to Texas for the Colonial and Byron Nelson Classic. That begins the march toward the U.S. Open, set for mid-June at Pebble Beach.

A dozen players to watch
Stuart Appleby: The defending champion has played reasonably well, not missing a cut this season until The Masters. Finished second at the Sony Open. Plays his best in difficult conditions.

Fred Couples: Had a pair of fifth-place finishes at the end of the West Coast swing, but has played just twice since. That included an 11th at The Masters. Keeping his drives in the fairway will be key at The Woodlands.

Brad Elder: The Texas collegiate star is playing well during his first year on the PGA Tour, making nine cuts in 11 events. His best finish came last week with a tie for 11th at Greensboro. The Texas swing should be his favorite part of the season.

Fred Funk: Keeping it in the fairway is vital at The Woodlands, and nobody does that better than Funk. He set the course record here in 1992 with a 10-under 62 on his way to his first career title.

Jay Haas: The veteran has made just three cuts this season, but The Woodlands is the site of one of his nine career victories. He tends to play well in Texas, having also won the Texas Open.

Dudley Hart: The winner of the Honda Classic earlier this year, Hart tied for third last week at Greensboro. With most of the big names skipping the tournament, Hart is among the better players in the field.

Jonathan Kaye: The big-hitter comes into Houston as one of the hotter players on tour, having finished 11th at the MCI Classic two weeks ago and fifth last week in Greensboro. He tied for fifth in this event last year, setting him up nicely in his run for a first win.

Justin Leonard: The Texas native has struggled on tour for the first time in his career this season. He's making cuts and some good money, but he hasn't contended at all, with a tie for 15th at Pebble Beach his best effort.

Jeff Maggert: If history is a judge, Maggert should finish second this week. He was runnerup to Mike Heinen in 1994, to Mark Brooks in 1996 and to David Duval in 1998. He should be comfortable on his home course.

Loren Roberts: The six-time winner has come close twice this year, finishing third at The Masters and fourth at Bay Hill. He tied for fifth last year, undone by a final-round 75 to take him out of contention.

Kevin Sutherland: Sutherland has always played well in this event, losing a playoff in 1997. He has two top-10 finishes this year as he searches for his first career victory.

Hal Sutton: The hottest player in the game right now, he went wire-to-wire at The Players Championship, then coasted to victory last week at Greensboro. He tied for second in this event last year, the only time in recent memory he has failed after a third-round lead.