PGA Tour professional Kris Ventura endured a challenging moment on the par-4 13th hole at Memorial Park during the first round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open. Starting 59 feet from the cup after two shots, the 31-year-old Norwegian took eight more strokes to finish with a 10. The incident highlights the demanding design of the renovated course.
Kris Ventura, a 31-year-old professional golfer from Norway who played college golf at Oklahoma State and has earned $3 million in prize money on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, faced a tough test on Thursday during the opening round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park in Houston. On the 390-yard par-4 13th hole—his fourth of the day after starting on the back nine—Ventura reached 59 feet from the hole, just left of the green, after his tee shot and approach. What followed was a sextuple-bogey 10. His third shot crossed the putting surface to the right side, leaving 53 feet. The fourth stayed on the right at 51 feet. The fifth held at 51 feet. The sixth crossed back left to 42 feet. The seventh went across again to 54 feet. The eighth reached the green with a 17-footer for a nine. He missed that putt, then tapped in from 6 inches for the 10. Ventura closed his front nine with a seven-over-par 42. Brooks Koepka, who advised on the course renovation, explained the greenside design without bunkers but with significant undulations. “They’ll test the pros,” Koepka said. He noted that removing bunkers gives amateurs more options like putting or chipping, while pros face multiple challenging choices, making it “a little bit tougher.” The layout aims to suit both public play and tournament demands over 51 weeks a year.
