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By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

It's no coincidence that the new date for the Shell Houston Open -- a full month earlier and the week before the Masters -- should bring a bit of major championship aura to an event with a rich history all its own.

And the major championship that the Houston stop most resembles is the one that follows on its heels. Yep, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (or battery, as Golf World's John Hawkins once aptly wrote), then the 144 players in the field, whether they head to Augusta National Golf Club next week or not, are going to find out just how much mettle they possess.

David Toms had a hand in the design of this week's host course. (Greenwood/WireImage)

TOUR Insider Power Rankings

2007 Shell Houston Open

Rank Player 2006 Finish 1 David Toms MC 2 Vaughn Taylor MC 3 Jose Maria Olazabal DNP 4 Rich Beem T11 5 Anthony Kim DNP

*MC indicates a missed cut. *DNP indicates the player did not play.

"I think it's going to be a very strong setup, and, yes, it's going to have a lot of the same kinds of shots you'd see at Augusta," said Rees Jones, who along with PGA TOUR standout David Toms designed Redstone Golf Club's Tournament Course, which hosts the Shell Houston Open for the second time. "This golf course was designed to host a tournament, and it's going to be a challenge."

Jones, who because he has renovated a number of championship layouts has taken over the "Open Doctor" title that once belonged his father, Robert Trent Jones, is referring to a challenge that goes well beyond the 7,457 yards (12 yards longer than Augusta National).

The rough will be a Masters-like 1½ inches and areas around the undulating average-sized greens will be shaved down in many areas. Most significantly, the earlier date will allow the greens to get firmer and faster; green speeds are expected to reach 12 on the stimpmeter -- an icy hot speed.

Jones said Toms' influence is in some of the strategic characteristics that allow anyone to win on the Tournament Course. But the ability to hit greens in regulation and short-game excellence are probably the two greatest assets.

"The time of year is beneficial for this tournament," Jones said. "If the greens get fast and you see some pins tucked, it's going to create some dynamics for scoring that really play into the philosophy of the course. You won't be able to just bomb it out there anywhere. It's going to take accuracy and some imagination, which is what we tried to create."

Worth knowing:

Defending champion Stuart Appleby won by a record six shots last year for his second Shell Houston Open title, but his record there is feast or famine with a tie for second place in 2003 and three missed cuts in 1996, 2000 and '01.

Appleby's statistics from last year bear out Jones' assertion that greens in regulation and putting are important at Redstone. He ranked 27th in driving distance, but second in greens in regulation, and he was 11th in putting average. Meanwhile, Richard S. Johnson was first in driving accuracy (hitting 53 of 56 fairways) that brought him a tie for sixth. Steve Sticker led in putting average in finishing third. Tag Ridings, the driving distance leader with an average poke of more than 315 yards, ended up tied for 36th.

Thirteen players have earned their first TOUR victory in Houston, including five straight from 1990-94. Bobby Locke was the first, in 1947. Robert Allenby was the last to register a breakthrough when he won the 2000 edition. He is not in this week's field.

From the area of unintended consequences we bring you the news that although players generally appreciated the more difficult setups in the Florida Swing that was most significantly marked by high rough, their bodies aren't holding up as well as their psyches. "There are more guys with hand, wrist and elbow strains than I've ever seen," veteran Paul Azinger said. Lucky, then, that Redstone is being set up like Augusta -- with negligible rough.

The word has been put out on Redstone's setup. Among the visitors this week are prominent internationals and Augusta-bound hopefuls Adam Scott, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal, Michael Campbell and David Howell. Only Harrington played there last year, tying for 32nd.

Joe Ogilvie might be a decent pick this week, even though he missed the cut last year and hasn't had a top-10 finish in his last 12 starts. But he's now on the board of the Houston Golf Association, which runs the Shell Houston Open, and he played the course just last week. The question for Ogilvie is whether a new ball flight -- a fade -- he has tried to incorporate into his game is tournament-ready.

England's Justin Rose had to withdraw from his third straight event when he pulled out of the World Golf Champiionships-CA Championship after an old back injury resurfaced at The Honda Classic. Rose, 26, decided not to enter this week, but hopes to be mended in time to play in the Masters.

Vijay Singh, who has won three of the last five Shell Houston Opens, must know he needs a rest. He is skipping this week's event even though he has never missed a cut and has eight top-10 finishes -- with five in the top 5. Only once in his 11 appearances has he finished with an aggregate score over par for 72 holes.