The tournament that is today called the Texas Children’s Houston Open has been played at various locations under various names since 1946 with Byron Nelson winning the first event. Here are the most recent winners of the March event.
2024 – Stephan Jaeger
Stephan Jaeger, a German-born player with six wins on the Kohn Ferry Tour, earned his first PGA win at the 2024 Houston Open. The event was incredibly tight as Jaeger finished one shot ahead of Thomas Detry, Tony Finau, Taylor Moore, Scottie Scheffler and Alejandro Tosti.
2022 – Tony Finau
Tony Finau, one of the most popular players on the tour, has been especially strong since 2021, winning five of his six PGA events. One of those events was the 2022 Houston Open, which he captured by four strokes over Tyson Alexander.
2021 – Jason Kokrak
A Canadian player currently competing in LIV, Jason Kokrak won one of his three career PGA Tour events at the 2021 Houston Open, then sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. Kokrak finished two strokes ahead of Kevin Tway and future superstar Scottie Scheffler.
2020 – Carlos Ortiz
Carlos Ortiz only one PGA Tour event in his career at the 2020 Vivint Houston Open. It was an especially proud moment for his country at Ortiz became the third ever Mexican-born player to win a PGA Tour event and the first since Victor Regelado in 1978.
2019 – Lanto Griffin
California-born Lanto Griffin earned his way onto the PGA Tour via Kohn Ferry. He had his best year during the 2019-20 season, with four top ten finishes, including his only Tour victory so far at the 2019 Houston Open, finishing one stroke ahead of Mark Hubbard and Scott Harrington.
2018 – Ian Poulter
Known for his flashy outfits, Ian Poulter has won 12 times on the European Tour and three times on the PGA Tour, with the last win coming at the 2018 Houston Open. The Englishman moved to LIV in 2022 and hasn’t played in a major event since then.
2017 – Russell Henley
A former star at the University of Georgia, Russell Henley has won five times on the PGA Tour, including a victory at the 2017 Houston Open. Henley’s most recent victory came in March 2025 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he captured by one stroke.
2016 – Jim Herman
Jim Herman turned professional in 2000, and it took him until 2011 to make the PGA Tour. He captured his first win on the tour in 2016, winning the Shell Houston Open by one stroke over Henrik Stenson. He last made a cut in 2024.
2015 – J.B. Holmes
A five-time winner on the PGA Tour, J.B. Holmes finished in second place at the 2009 Shell Houston Open, losing in a playoff to Paul Casey. He avenged that loss in 2015 by winning the Houston Open in a playoff over Jordan Spieth and Johnson Wagner.
2014 – Matt Jones
Matt Jones was born in Australia but later moved to the States and played college golf at the University of Arizona. He has won twice on the PGA Tour, with his first victory coming in a playoff over Matt Kuchar at the 2014 Houston Open.
2013 – D.A. Points
Darren Andrew, or D.A. Points, has been playing professional golf since 1999 and reached a world ranking of 45 in 2013. During his career, Points has won three PGA Tour events, with one of the highlights being his one-stroke win over Henrik Stenson and Billy Horschel at the 2013 Houston Open.
2012 – Hunter Mahan
Hunter Mahan won the Ben Hogan and Haskins Awards at USC in 2003 and became an upper-level pro, ranked fourth in the world in 2012. In that same season, he won both the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Shell Houston Open.
2011 – Phil Mickelson
During his illustrious career, Phil Mickelson has won six majors and is tied for 8th all-time with 45 wins on the PGA Tour. That number includes the 2011 Shell Houston Open,, which Lefty captured by three strokes over Chris Kirk and Scott Verplank.
2010 – Anthony Kim
Winning his first PGA Tour event in 2008 at just 22 years old, Anthony Kim added a victory at the 2010 Shell Houston Open to his resume in 2010. The player would later struggle with injuries and hasn’t played a PGA event since 2012, though he does now play on the LIV Tour.
2009 – Paul Casey
A pro since 2000, Paul Casey has won on the Asian, European and Australasia Tours in addition to his three PGA wins. Casey’s first win on the PGA Tour came in 2009 when he won the Shell Houston Open in a playoff over J.B. Holmes.
2008 – Johnson Wagner
Johnson Wagner played his college golf at Virginia Tech and worked his way onto the PGA Tour via the Nationwide Tour. He won the Houston Open in 2012 by two strokes and nearly won it again in 2015 before falling to J.B. Holmes in a playoff.
2007 – Adam Scott
Adam Scott became the number one player in the world in 2014, and on the way there, he won several events on the PGA Tour. Included in that number was the 2007 Houston Open, which the Australian carried by three strokes over Stuart Appleby and Bubba Watson.
2006 – Stuart Appleby
Aussie Stuart Appleby loved playing the Houston Open. He won the event for the first time in 1999. He would go on to win the event again in 2006, this time pretty easily. Appleby finished the 2006 event six strokes ahead of Bob Estes.
2005 – Vijay Singh
One of the top players of the 2000s, Vijay Singh, won the Houston Open for the first time in 2002 and did it again in 2004. In 2005, Singh would repeat as champion, defeating John Daly in a playoff. That victory tied him with Curtis Strange with three Houston Open titles each.
2004 – Vijay Singh
2004 was a special year for Vijay Singh as he won the PGA Championship, was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year and he became the world’s number one player. On top of all that, he won the Houston Open for the second time, besting Scott Hoch.
2003 – Fred Couples
Fred Couples, who became the world’s number one player in 1992, had a dominant performance during the 2003 Houston Open. He shot a 267 over the weekend to finish 21 under par and four strokes ahead of Stuart Appleby, Mark Calcavecchia, and Hank Kuehne.
2002 – Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh won his first of three Houston Open titles in 2002 and he didn’t leave much doubt. The Indonesian player set a record for the tournament by shooting a 266, 22 under par and finishing six shots ahead of Darren Clarke.
2001 – Hal Sutton
The Rookie of the Year in 1982, Hal Sutton was playing his best golf in the early 2000’s reaching a world rank of number four in 2000. He won the last tournament of his fine career in 2001, taking the Houston Open by three strokes.
2000 – Robert Allenby
A terrific player from Australia, Robert Allenby won 12 times on the Australasia Tour, four times on the European Tour and four times on the PGA Tour. His first PGA win came in 2000, when he won the Houston Open in a playoff over Craig Stadler.
