The pairings and tee times for the first two rounds of the 2018 Houston Open have been posted by the PGA Tour. Russell Henley will defend his 2017 title against a 144-player field that is top heavy with three of the world’s top-8 ranked players, but only four more ranked inside the top 30.

With the marquee names somewhat limited, the Houston tournament organizers have spread the wealth around a bit.

Henley (No. 56) will be paired with Phil Mickelson (No. 18) and Justin Rose (No. 5) to form one of the top threesomes in terms of total star power. Rickie Fowler (No. 8), Henrik Stenson (No. 15), and Martin Kaymer (No. 87) form another marquee group.

World No. 4 Jordan Spieth is the top-ranked player in the Houston field. The reigning British Open champ will be paired with last year’s Canadian Open winner Jhonattan Vegas (No. 52) alongside Barracuda winner Chris Stroud (No. 173).

A 2017 Presidents Cup reunion of sorts make up the trio of Steve Stricker, Matt Kuchar and Daniel Berger.

Last week’s winner of the Corales Puntacana event, Brice Garnett, is paired with two other players whose lone PGA Tour win is of the opposite-field type: Tony Finau (2016 Puerto Rico Open) and Cody Gribble (2016 Sanderson Farms).

THE SKINNY

Tournament: Houston Open
Dates: March 29-April 1, 2018
Where: Humble, Texas
Course: Golf Club of Houston
Distance: Par 72, 7,457 yards
Architect: Rees Jones/David Toms
Format: 72-holes, stroke play, 36-hole cut
Purse: $7,000,000
Winning Share: $1,260,000
Defending Champion: Russell Henley

TEE TIMES & PAIRINGS

Credit: PGA Tour Media