Tour Guide 2026: Texas Children’s Houston Open and The Chevron Championship

Everything is bigger in Texas — the food, the long drives, the rodeos and, especially, the golf. 

What could be bigger than hosting one professional golf tournament in the nation’s fourth most populous city? Hosting two tournaments within one month of each other. Which is exactly what Memorial Park Golf Course and its superintendent, Parker Henry, have signed up for. 

Memorial Park has a long history of hosting the Houston Open on the PGA Tour, hosting for the third straight year in the springtime after a few years on the fall leg of the tour. What makes this year different is it will be followed by the LPGA’s Chevron Championship just three weeks after the men finish up. Henry and his crew have a jam-packed spring schedule on the horizon.

About the superintendent

Henry grew up on a farm in central North Carolina. His turf career started in high school when he was looking for a job and began working at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

Henry went to North Carolina State University to major in business and quickly came to the common realization that he was not meant to be stuck in an office all day — he wanted a job outside working with his hands. Luckily, he didn’t have to go far, and he quickly found the great turfgrass management program at NC State.

After graduating, Henry took an assistant superintendent gig at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro and took part in hosting the PGA Wyndham Championship. Henry got the full-blown tournament itch and found himself as the superintendent at Memorial Park in 2022. 

A community staple

Having to manage 50,000 annual rounds and two professional tournaments is not for the faint of heart, but the rush is what keeps Henry trucking along. Being a municipal golf course, Memorial does not have the internal support often seen at private clubs that host pro events, but what they do have is an endless amount of community support and pride in seeing their golf course take on the world’s best.

For example, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has significantly boosted local golf, notably by creating the Astros Golf Foundation to bring the PGA Tour back to the city. Collaborating with the city of Houston, Crane partnered with architect Tom Doak to renovate Memorial Park, elevating it to PGA Tour standards while enhancing accessibility for public golfers by removing select bunkers. 

And as a result, Henry, Crane and the Astros Golf Foundation have added a second professional tournament just three weeks following the Houston Open. 

Keeping it moving

On Jan. 7, 2026, it was announced that the 2026 Chevron Championship would be moving to Memorial Park. 

Henry said the biggest focus in the brief period between the tournaments is morale. He knows his crew can go pedal to the medal when needed, but he wants to ensure that energy and momentum can remain high. 

“Finding time to rest and unwind in those three weeks can be crucial for operating at a high level during long hours on tournament weeks,” he says.

Henry commended assistant superintendents Kyle Neal and Derrick Ross for their key work in preparing for the tournament, specifically highlighting their efforts in the driving range renovation and infrastructure build-out.

And with the high pressure that comes from hosting two tournaments in the same season, there’s sure to be some top-tier management involved to keep the course looking pristine throughout it all.  

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