Shell Houston Open 2012: Leaderboard Updates, Highlights and More

The 2012 Shell Houston Open, the final PGA Tour event before the Masters next week, will commence on Thursday from Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson is one of the biggest stars that will participate in the event, while top players such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have decided to skip the tournament.

Many players enjoy the tournament because it serves as a good warmup for the Masters, however, no player has won the Shell Houston Open and the Masters in the same year.

Update: April 1st at 6:25 p.m. EST

According to AP Sports Writer Chris Duncan via mercurynews.com, Hunter Mahan is the winner of the 2012 Houston Open.

Mahan shot a 1-under-71 and is the year's first two time champion on the PGA tour according to the report.

Leaderboard for Round 1 - Last updated Thursday, March 29 at 12:46 p.m.

Position	Player	Score	Thru
T-1	Carl Pettersson	-6	12
T-1	Brian Harman	-5	7
T-3	Bud Cauley	-4	16
T-3	Jeff Maggert	-4	14
T-3	Johnson Wagner	-4	13
	Notables
T-23	Keegan Bradley	-2	13
T-38	Graeme McDowell	-1	13
N/A	Phil Mickelson	E	Has yet to tee off

Let's look at some tee times for notable players in Round 1.

Time (ET)	Player	Player	Player
7:50 a.m.	Crane, Ben	Piercy, Scott	Yang, Y.E.
7:50 a.m.	Bradley, Keegan	McDowell, Graeme	Westwood, Lee
12:40 p.m.	Mickelson, Phil	Schwartzel, Charl	Couples, Fred
12:50 p.m.	Stanley, Kyle	Kim, Anthony,	Els, Ernie
1:10 p.m.	Stenson, Henrik	Harrington, Padraig	Lunde, Bill

Last-Minute Prediction: Phil Mickelson

Lefty has a great shot to win this tournament against a weak field that is far inferior to what he will see at the Masters next week.

Mickelson has played very well this season, with one win and two top-10 finishes, and will win the Shell Houston Open and fine tune his game for Augusta.

Check back throughout the tournament for leaderboard updates, video highlights and reaction from the Shell Houston Open.

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