Houston Open, event once in doubt on PGA calendar, lands more favorable spring date, source says

The last four tournaments took place in the fall.

KTRK logo
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Houston Open tees off with Astros momentum and murky future
The Cadence Bank Houston Open as golf fans know it may not be the same come next year.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Open, an event that faced an uncertain future due to its placement on the PGA Tour calendar in recent years, may get a chance to attract marquee golfers going forward, thanks to its reported new tee-off date.

A source told Eyewitness Sports on Tuesday that the annual tournament, which recently unfolded last November at Memorial Park Golf Course, will move to a spring date starting in 2024.

The video above is from a previous report during the 2022 Houston Open.

While the source didn't say what month the Houston Open will take place, the change from fall to spring puts the Jim Crane-owned tournament in a better position to field the tour's top players, heading into or after the Masters, a PGA major event.

So what becomes of this year's tournament? Eyewitness News has learned the impending date change would likely leave the Houston Open out of the 2023 calendar.

ABC13 previously reported that the Houston Open wouldn't be part of the tour's regular season schedule after 2022. That means players would not receive FedEx Cup points, which are needed to reach the tour's playoffs, for their performance in the Bayou City.

The Houston Open, which has been played at Memorial Park Golf Course since 2020, dates back to 1946. Eight of the top 50 golfers in the world were part of the 2022 event.

PREVIOUS STORY: Dramatic changes to PGA Tour schedule could impact Houston Open golf tournament

You may have heard about LIV Golf, a billion-dollar startup tour that is attracting controversy over its financial backers. The big part of its existence comes in the form of the pros it is poaching from the PGA Tour, and that could lead to far-reaching consequences for the PGA's events, including the Houston Open.
Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.