When the Houston Open was in danger of disappearing, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane came to its rescue.
The tournament, started in 1949, lost its 26-year partnership deal with Shell after the 2017 tournament, forcing the Houston Golf Association to pay for it with limited cash reserves in 2018. The spring tournament even moved to the second week of October as a result.
Crane and Chevron stepped in, guaranteeing the Houston Open’s survival. The tournament remained a fall affair, bouncing around different venues while Crane’s Astros Foundation funded a $34-million renovation of Memorial Park Golf Course. By 2020, it was back at a revitalized, public Memorial Park Golf Course, and by 2024, the tournament was back in the spring, attracting players ramping up for the Masters. This year, the LPGA Tour’s Chevron Championship is following suit, moving the season-opening major on April 23-26 from The Woodlands to Memorial Park. That makes two professional golf tournaments to be hosted in Houston within a span of a month…