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HOUSTON — Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reid, Texas-born golfers and Ryder Cup partners, are part of a strong field at the Shell Houston Open with one eye toward next week.
The 21-year-old Spieth and 24-year-old Reed have combined for eight wins around the world in the past three years. That doesn’t include a major just yet, though they figure to have a reasonable chance at Augusta National next week.
Both are in good form.
Three weeks ago, Spieth and Reed were part of a three-man playoff in the Valspar Championship that showed plenty of grit, clutch short-game shots and a determination not to lose until Spieth wound up winning with a 30-foot birdie putt.
Spieth is coming off a runner-up finish in the Valero Texas Open that moved the Dallas native to No. 4 in the world.
When asked Wednesday how he felt he was playing, Spieth said, “Like a top-five player in the world.”
That phrase is often associated with Reed, who proclaimed himself just that when he won a World Golf Championship at Doral in 2014. Reed is No. 15 in the world and doesn’t back down.
Not from that comment at Doral. Not from the Ryder Cup crowd in Scotland. Not when he appeared to twice face impossible shots in the playoff with Spieth and Sean O’Hair only to answer with brilliance that kept him in the game.
“I don’t regret anything I said,” Reed said Wednesday. “You have to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else is going to.”
They are headliners at the Golf Club of Houston, which is about a half-hour from where Reed lives.
The field is missing world No. 2 Henrik Stenson, who withdrew with an illness, and Texas Open winner Jimmy Walker, who took a scouting trip to Augusta National on Monday and withdrew because he wasn’t feeling well.
And while there is so much emphasis on the top players, the Houston Open is the final chance for someone to get into the Masters. The winner earns an invitation to Augusta if not already eligible. That fell last year to Matt Jones, who holed a long birdie putt on the 18th and then chipped in for birdie to beat Matt Kuchar in a playoff.
Sergio Garcia is playing, and the 35-year-old Spaniard has something in common with Spieth and Reed. He hasn’t won a major, either.
Garcia was in their position a generation ago when he was 19 and pushed Tiger Woods to the very end at the 1999 PGA Championship. That was his first close call in a major and there have been others. But he still hasn’t broken through.
“I think I’ve had a great career (even if) some people think the opposite,” he said. “I feel very fortunate. I’ve done some great things in and outside the golf course. I always give it my best effort. If someone plays better than you the only thing you can do is congratulate him and keep trying. (Winning a major) is important, but it’s not the most important thing.”
The Houston field includes 45 foreign golfers representing a tournament-record 22 countries and 36 of the players here are next heading to the Masters.
Woods played practice round at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods played a practice round Tuesday at Augusta National, a strong indication that the four-time champion could make his return at the Masters.
Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports Management, confirmed in an email to The Associated Press that Woods played 18 holes.
Still to be determined is whether he returns for the Masters next week.
Woods has not played since he withdrew at Torrey Pines on Feb. 5 after 11 holes because of tightness in his back during a chilly, fog-delayed opening round. A week later, he said he would return to competition when he had the game for it.
“My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf,” Woods said in a statement Feb. 11. “Like I’ve said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I’m ready, I’ll be back.”
He has missed the Honda Classic and Arnold Palmer Invitational — he was not eligible for Doral this year — since the statement. There have been second- and third-hand reports that Woods has been practicing near his home in south Florida.
Woods could make an announcement about his Masters plans this week, though it is not necessary. Unlike a regular PGA Tour event, players with a Masters invitation only have to register before they tee off in the opening round on April 9. It would be unlike Woods to do that. Instead, he likely would inform the club of his plans before Sunday.
Woods played in the 2010 Masters without having competed in nearly five months. He tied for fourth that year, though he was No. 1 in the world and his previous tournament was a victory in the Australian Masters.
He now has dropped to No. 104, his lowest ranking since September 1996 a week before his first pro victory. He has not recorded a top-10 finish since the end of 2013. And his limited golf this year has been the worst of his career. Woods shot 82 in the Phoenix Open when he missed the cut. He hit standard chips that didn’t reach the green or sailed 30 yards long during the 47 holes he has played this year.