Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Tiger makes it official

• “Tournament officials said last week that Shane Lowry will fill in for Will Zalatoris, who is still recovering from a back injury. December could be a busy month for Woods, who is soon to turn 47.”

2. Theegala: LIV making PGA Tour more competitive

Max Schreiber for Golf Channel…”Good or bad, LIV Golf made its mark on the golf world this past year.”

• “I think no matter what everyone feels about either tour, whatever opinions they have or thoughts they have, I think it affects everyone whether they want to admit it or not,” Sahith Theegala said Wednesday at a Houston Open pre-tournament presser.

• “But did LIV make the PGA Tour better? Theegala thinks so.”

• “It’s great for the players because it’s making the Tour more competitive and it’s better for the players now,” he said. “There’s more opportunity than ever.”

3. Scheffler on No. 1 spot

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”The world’s second-ranked player needed a win or solo second at Mayakoba to reclaim world No. 1, which Rory McIlroy notched three weeks ago after winning the CJ Cup. Scheffler carded a final-round 62, but finished T-3.”

• “With a win at the Houston Open, Scheffler can once again become world No. 1, but he’s not too concerned with where he sits in the OWGR.”

• “It definitely matters to me,” he said Wednesday in Houston. “I don’t let a ranking define what I think of myself as a player. It was definitely fun being No. 1 in the world and it’s something I hope to get back to, but all my motivation’s always been internal. I’m a craze, crazy competitive person, so for me, I haven’t really needed much outward focus to kind of get motivated to come out and play. If anything, I need to tone myself down a little bit and just let things go and kind of just go out and play.”

4. More trouble ahead for Florida courses?

Jason Lusk for Golfweek…”Tropical Storm Nicole, forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall somewhere Wednesday night or early Thursday morning in South Florida, threatens to bring potentially damaging high winds and heavy rains to hundreds – possibly thousands – of golf courses along the eastern coast of the U.S.”

• “The storm was over the Bahamas on Wednesday morning with sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 10 a.m. report. It was forecast to reach the U.S. somewhere just north of West Palm Beach near the golf hot spot of Jupiter, home to many golf professionals. The storm is then forecast to cross Florida toward a region just north of Tampa and into the Gulf of Mexico before curving to the northeast into Georgia.”

5. Secret to LPGA success?

Kent Paisley for Golf Digest…”With two events remaining on the 2022 LPGA season, the data for this year corresponds with numbers gathered over the last decade that show greens in regulation (and in conjunction putts per GIR) have had the highest correlation with winning on tour compared to putting or driving. Statistical research of winners during that time shows they have averaged 25th in greens in regulation for the season (and 23rd in putts per green in regulation), 47th in average putts and 55th in average driving distance.”

• “Lee might be one of the most interesting individual examples of this: After all, she ranks 152nd in driving distance on the LPGA this season yet is one of a record-tying 11 first-time winners in 2022.”

• “The dominance by players who top the tour’s greens in regulation stats is eye-popping. In eight of the last 10 seasons, the leader for the year in GIR percentage has won at least one tournament: Suzann Pettersen, 2013; Brooke Henderson, 2015; Anna Nordqvist, 2016; Lexi Thompson, 2017; Jin Young Ko, 2018 and 2019; Sei Young Kim, 2020; and Ally Ewing, 2022. All eight, not coincidentally are multiple-time tour winners. As for 2014 and 2021, the lone seasons the No. 1 player in GIR percentage did not win an event, the second-ranked player did (Anna Nordqvist in 2014; Jin Young Ko in 2021). Notably, 37.3 percent of tournaments on the LPGA since 2013 have been won by players who ranked in the top 10 in greens in regulation during that season.”

6. Who congratulated Double P?

Alex Myers for Golf Digest…”Perez told Harmon he received a nice message from Jon Rahm, who has been one of the more vocal opponents of LIV. But maybe that’s not too surprising considering Rahm and Perez both have Arizona State ties, and Rahm has been on a real nice-guy kick of late after helping out Max Homa and his wife with food after the birth of their first child. But then there’s this.”

• “I got a text from Justin Thomas,” Perez says. “Monday morning. He said, ‘Hey man, I’m so happy for you, congrats.’ That’s pretty cool.”

7. Kirk Cousins bought a golf course

Cassandra Lybrink for the Holland Sentinel…”In response to questions from locals, the new owners of Saugatuck’s Clearbrook Golf Course have written a letter to the community.”

• “Our family recently purchased the Clearbrook Golf Course from our friends and longtime owners, Jim and Candy Jeltema,” the new owners — Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and his wife Julie — wrote. “They have managed the course for many years, making Clearbrook a place of connection and fun for our entire community.”

• “The sale didn’t include the Grill Room Restaurant, which remains under the ownership of Jim and Candy.”

• “West Michigan is a special community, and we have enjoyed living in Saugatuck/Douglas since we built our home here in 2018,” Kirk and Julie wrote. “As Jim reflected on his future, he wanted to keep the golf course in the community. As we discussed the history of the golf club with Jim, we agreed it is a community treasure and should remain a golf course for the next generation.”

8. Equal prize money

Mike Hall for Golf Monthly…”The Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF will see an eye-catching five-fold increase in prize purse from $1m to $5m for next year’s tournament.”

• “The boost means the tournament will have parity with the money on offer in the men’s PIF Saudi International, with $750,000 awarded to the winner.”

• “The news is part of a renewed agreement between the LET and Saudi Golf, and CEO of the LET, Alexandra Armas, outlined the huge significance of the increase as the profile of the women’s game grows.”

• “She said: “The increased purse for the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF is a landmark moment for our Tour, and for women’s sport globally. It will allow the tournament to grow in every way, from its purpose and impact on social change to the delivery of exceptional experiences for fans and for players at the event and in the community.”

9. Houston Open photos

• Check out all of our galleries from Houston here.