After getting the worst of the draw at last week’s Texas Open and missing the cut Jarrod Lyle returns to a venue this week where he has some good memories to draw on in his bid to earn back a PGA TOUR card.

Lyle teed off at 8.50am Thursday in San Antonio and endured
some of the most difficult conditions of the year as the scoring average for
the morning field ballooned to 78.

His opening round 79 all but ensured he would miss the
weekend but as one of six Australians teeing up at this week’s Shell Houston
Open he has the chance to get back on track towards earning the US$230,000 he
needs to wrap up his card.

Lyle has played this event at the Golf Club of Houston three
times for a best finish of T31 in 2009 and while his overall results aren’t
stellar he has twice shot 68 so knows the course well enough to post decent
numbers.

The Houston Open has been kind to Australians in its nearly
70-year history with eight players from these shores claiming the trophy, Bruce
Crampton twice.

Matt Jones’ dramatic playoff win over Matt Kuchar last year
was one for the ages and after an indifferent week last week in San Antonio he
will be looking to recreate the magic in Houston and once again steal the final
spot in the Masters.

Having come up short of his stated goal to play his way into
the world top-50 by playing well at the Texas Open he has nothing to lose and
everything to gain this week.

Jones isn’t the only former Australian champion in the field
this week with 2000 winner Robert Allenby also teeing up.

The 44-year-old Victorian has been struggling since his off
course trevails in Hawaii in January making just one cut in seven starts with a
T51 at the Honda Classic.

Allenby’s Houston victory came at a different golf course
and he hasn’t shown much liking for the Golf Club of Houston since the
tournament moved here in 2006 with just one top-10 finish in five appearances.

Aaron Baddeley enters the week off a roller coaster
performance in San Antonio which eventually saw him finish T20.

Baddeley has a best finish of T4 at this event in 2011
though that is tempered by several mid-field finishes and three missed cuts
since the tournament moved to this venue.

Cameron Percy and Steven Bowditch round out the Australian
challenge, neither having done well at this venue in the past.

Bowditch arrives off a missed cut last week, a victim of the
morning conditions on Thursday while Percy, who also teed off on Thursday
morning, showed some good form in finishing top Australian.

His opening round 72 last week was a full six strokes better
than the morning field average and if he can maintain that form this week he could
be in the running come Sunday.