As was predicted in the space two weeks ago, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has stepped up to save the Houston Open from disappearing from the PGA Tour schedule. A group of investors Crane cobbled together got the green light when the Houston Golf Association was unable to meet a June 1 deadline.

Some details still need to be worked out, but Crane and his investors have met the PGA Tour’s financial requirement to guarantee the tournament stays in Houston for five years. Helping pull it all together behind the scenes was former Lamar University golfer Giles Kibbe, who is Crane’s attorney.

Still to be determined is when the Houston Open can make a planned move to Memorial Park Golf Course. No longer up in the air is when the tournament will be played. With the week before the U.S. Open and early fall as the options, the Astros owner insisted on the latter.

With an October date, the tournament will face stiff competition for attention from high school, college and pro football, and probable Astros playoff games. Despite the those obvious challenges, he still October was preferable to going up against June heat in Houston.

Crane is comfortable with October because he is confident that personal friendships will help him draw big-name players who would not normally participate in a fall tournament. Heading up that list are World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and Ricky Fowler, both of whom belong to his Floridan Golf Club.

Also expected to recruit players for the tournament is renowned instructor Butch Harmon, who has strong ties to Houston and operates a golf academy at the Floridian.

Although it had already been announced that the Golf Club of Houston would no longer host the tournament, Crane convinced its ownership to reverse that stance for 2019 and 2020. Memorial Park, which must undergo a multi-million dollar makeover, is not expected to be ready until 2021.

CHIP SHOTS

Pete Reobroi of Beaumont joined the hole in one club at Babe Zaharias on Monday by holing his 7-wood tee shot from 110 yards on the 15th hole.

Witnesses were Benny Sharpe, Harrell Guidry and Dwayne Benoit . . .

PN-G ex Braden Bailey has been named honorable mention All-America by Golfweek magazine for the second consecutive year. Bailey, who recently completed his junior year at Baylor, won once and had five other top 10 finishes during 13 tournaments in the 2017-18 season.

He will be playing an ambitious schedule of elite summer tournaments, starting with this week’s Sunnehanna Amateur in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The following week Bailey is entered in the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett CC in Rumford, Rhode Island . . .

The team of Andrew Sigur, Hunter Huff, Vestor Thompson and Dalton Shields combined to shoot a 22-under-par 50 and win the St. Paul’s Scramble at Babe Zaharias. Closest to the hole winners were Bubba Morgan (No. 2), David Girouard (No. 7), Gerald Huebel (No. 12) and Dickie Robinson (No. 15).

Huff won the long drive on No. 18 . . .

Bryce Parsley shot a 78 Tuesday to win Boys 15-18 by four strokes over Timothy Feemster and Brendan Marley in the STPGA Junior Tour Stop at The Country Club of Texas (Brentwood CC).

Other flight winners included Makenna Henry (81 in Girls 15-18), Xander Parks (80 in Boys 13-14), Xiadani Islas (89 in Girls 13-14), Lincoln Parks (77 in Boys 11-12) and Claire Ren (106 in Girls 11-12) . . .

In the Monday Senior 50 Plus 2 ball at Zaharias, the team of Earl Richard, Larry Reece, Bob Luttrell and Carl Certa won the front with minus 4.

On the back, there was a tie at minus 2 between the foursome of Cap Hollier, Roddy Richards, Larry Johnson and John LeBlanc, and Reobroi’s hole-in-one group of Sharpe, Guidry and Benoit . . .

Saturday’Super Senior 2 ball saw the fivesome of Hollier, Bill Hanley, Cricket Owen, Reobroi and Cole Lee take the front with minus 8. The back finished in a tie at minus 2 between the team of Rick Pritchett, Bim Morrow, Don MacNeil and Craig Castille and the foursome of Joe Gongora, Ed Holley, Charles Leard and Dan Flood . . .

In Friday’s Senior 2 ball, the fivesome of Pritchett, Richard, MacNeil, Roger Baumer and Paul Brown tied the front with the team of Doug LeBlanc, Guidry, Wes McGuire and Reobroi. On the back, Hollier, James Shipley, Bob Byerly and Paul Duplantis finished first at minus 4 . . .

The Thursday Seniors was played in a 2 ball format. Gongora, Huebel, Gary Fontenot, Bryan Benagia and Ben Thornton took the front with minus 5. The back ended in a tie at minus 2 between the team of Mike Lansford, Sharpe, Guidry and Art Miller and the foursome of Pritchett, Hollier, Richard and Duplantis.

Closest to the pin winners were Gongora (No. 7) and Raymond Darbonne (No. 12) . . .

Winning team in the Wednesday Zaharias DogFight was the threesome of Pritchett, LeBlanc and McGuire. They had 15 points. Second with 13 points was the threesome of Hollier, Morrow and Brown.

Closest to the pin winners were Fontenot (No. 7) and Holley (No. 12).

Junior players who are just getting into golf, or looking to improve their game, might want to circle July 17-20 on the calendar. Those are the dates for the Mitch Duncan Golf Academy at Babe Zaharias.

Instruction in full swing fundamentals will be taught each day, with attention also given to putting, chipping, pitching, sand play and work on the course. The Academy is open to juniors ages 7-to-13 and will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily.

Cost is $125 for eight hours of instruction.

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