Ortiz, Griffin, Burns, Kokrak committed to 2021 Houston Open

HOUSTON, TX - The past two Houston Open champions, 2020 winner Carlos Ortiz and 2019 winner Lanto Griffin, along with Jason Kokrak, who finished 11th on the PGA TOUR this year, and Sam Burns, who finished 18th, have committed to be a part of the field for the 2021 Houston Open.

The 2021 Houston Open is set for November 11-14 at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.

Back to defend his 2020 Houston Open title, which was his first career PGA TOUR win, Carlos Ortiz is coming off a strong 2020/2021 season where he had three top 10 finishes. In addition to his victory at the Houston Open, he also finished tied for fourth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and tied for eighth at the Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN. Last season, Ortiz qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs for the third consecutive season and fourth overall, advancing to the BMW Championship for the second time, finishing No. 48 in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Standings. That finish is his first career top-50 result. In addition to his three top-10 finishes, the University of North Texas alum made 20 cuts in 28 starts in 2020/2021 and is currently ranked No. 66 in the world. A member of the Tour since 2015, he has 10 top-10 finishes and 27 top-25 finishes. With his victory in the 2020 Houston Open, Ortiz became the first native of Mexico to win the Houston Open, and just the third to ever win a PGA TOUR event.

“I am really excited to defend my title at the Houston Open in November,” Ortiz said. “I enjoyed playing the Memorial Park Golf Course last year and I look forward to playing in front of the Houston fans. It will be a great week of golf and entertainment.”

2019 Houston Open champion Lanto Griffin is set to also be a part of the field in 2021. Griffin had two top-10 finishes last season, highlighted by a seventh-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. He also finished tied for seventh at The CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. After an outstanding 2019/2020 season where he finished 18th in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Standings (stood atop them for four weeks), Griffin made the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the second-straight year last season, ending at No. 89 in the standings. He made 19 of 29 cuts in this season and boasts six career top 10-finishes and 25 top-25 finishes in three years on the Tour.

Sam Burns, currently ranked No. 25 in the world, finished 18th in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Rankings for the 2020/2021 season and is set to be a part of the Houston Open field for a third-straight season. He is coming off a career year on the Tour, boasting eight top-10 finishes, including his first Tour victory at the Valspar Championship. He also finished second at the AT&T Byron Nelson and third at The Genesis Invitational. At the 2020 Houston Open, Burns led after the second and third rounds, eventually finishing tied for seventh, but co-led the field in Par-5 Scoring Average (4.33). A member of the PGA TOUR since 2019, Burns has 28 career top-25 finishes, 14 top-10 finishes and has made the cut in 55 of 86 career Tour appearances.

Jason Kokrak, currently ranked 27th in the world, finished a career-best 11th in the PGA Tour 2021 FedEx Cup Rankings for the 2020/2021 season and will join the 2021 Houston Open field for the first time. He won two Tour events in the past year, the Charles Schwab Challenge in 2021 and The CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in 2020, which were also his first two career victories. Overall, he had five top-10 finishes and 12 top-25 finishes in 2020/2021. At the TOUR Championship, Kokrak capped off the season with an 11th place finish. A member of the Tour since 2012, he has 32 career top 10 finishes and 86 top 25 finishes, making the cut in 170 of 257 career Tour appearances.

General admission tickets and venue hopper tickets are on sale now for the 2021 Houston Open. Visit www.houstonopengolf.com/tickets for information on ticket purchases.

MORE TO COME

The foursome of Ortiz, Lanto, Burns and Kokrak are just the first-announced participants for the 2021 Houston Open. Other notables will be announced as commitments are made, with a full-field announcement occurring closer to the tournament date. Please note that the field for the 2021 Houston Open is subject to change.