As the Houston, Texas date on the PGA Tour calendar, the Shell Houston Open dates back to 1922, debuting as the Houston Professional Golf tournament, but it was in 1946 when the Houston Open came to prominence with Texans Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan finishing first and second, with Nelson winning by two strokes. The Houston Open is now played at Redstone Golf Club in the Houston suburb of Humble.
The Redstone GC is a private club, as is its Member Course which played host to the Shell Houston Open from 2003 to 2005, while Redstone's public Tournament Course opened in 2006 and first hosted the tournament that same year. Other Houston/Houston area courses which have hosted the Shell Houston Open include the River Oaks CC, Memorial Park GC, Pine Forest CC, BraeBurn CC, Sharpstown CC, Champions GC, Westwood CC, Quail Valley GC in Missouri City, the Woodlands CC and TPC Woodlands – both in The Woodlands, Texas.
When Stuart Appleby won the Shell Houston Open in 2006, he became the first winner to have led from beginning to end in the Open's history. Appleby's six-shot victory also matched the tournament record for largest margin of victory, previously held by Vijay Singh (2002) and Jack Burke Jr. (1952).
Sharing the Shell Houston Open record for most wins are Curtis Strange and Vijay Singh, with three victories each – Strange (1980, 1986, 1988) and Singh (2002, 2004-05). Roberto De Vicenzo's win at the 1968 Houston Open came just three weeks after that year's Masters Tournament and his infamous mistake where he signed an incorrect scorecard, a penalty which cost him a spot in a playoff. The 1981 Houston Open was won by Ron Streck, who thereby became the first golfer to win a PGA Tour event while carrying a metal wood in his bag.
