Going low at the Texas Open

(Editor's Note: Elevated from the diaries.)

So the Texas Open is upon us again. That means one thing: low scores.

I've been looking through the PGA Tour record book and it's amazing how many times the Texas Open pops up in the sections about lowest scores in tour history.

For example, the first, third and sixth times in tour history that someone shot 60, it happened at the Texas Open:

• 
  
• Al Brosch, 1951 Texas Open
  
• Ted Kroll, 1954 Texas Open
  
• Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open
  

And here are some more Texas Open records on the PGA Tour:

Lowest 72-Hole Scores

1. 254 - Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open
   
3. (tie) 256 - Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open
   
4. (tie) 258 - Donnie Hammond, 1989 Texas Open

Lowest 9-Hole Scores
2. (tie) 27 - Mike Souchak, 1955 Texas Open

Lowest Back-to-Back Rounds
2. (tie) 125 - Ron Streck, 1978 Texas Open; Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open

Lowest Opening 54 Holes

1. (tie) 189 - Tommy Armour III, 2003 Texas Open
   
2. (tie) 191 - Johnny Palmer, 1954 Texas Open

What really stands out here for me is that most of these records were shot on different golf courses in San Antonio. You can't "blame" these low scores on the one host course being easy. All the courses the Texas Open has been played on were (or are) easy!

The tournament is currently played on the Resort Course at the Westin La Cantera Resort. Now, I happen to be from San Antonio, and I've played the Resort Course many times, including several times just before the tournament when its rough was a little deeper and greens a little faster. And it is an easy golf course. No, I've never shot 63s there, but I have shot personal bests there.

It's slightly over 7,000 yards, but it just doesn't have many defenses. Most of his longer holes play downhill, some of them significantly. There are par-4s that even I can reach (playing from the tournament tees) off the tee, and par-5s that the pros have no more than a 9-iron into. The greens are relatively flat, and usually beautifully manicured, so they roll great without much break. The Bermuda rough just doesn't get very high, but with wide fairways and nothing but wedges into the green anyway, it just doesn't make too much of a difference.

It's a fantastic resort course, superb for the guests saying at the resort or anyone else dropping in to play it. But it leaves a lot to be desired as a PGA Tour course. Which might be why the tour is building a PGA Tour resort in San Antonio, with courses designed by Pete Dye and Greg Norman. The Texas Open is expected to move to the Norman course in 2010. Maybe then we'll see scores at the Texas Open that aren't quite so low.