Long And Strong

COURSE: Joseph Bartholomew
TYPE: Muni
STATUS: Closed
The Bart was set to reopen after a $1 million renovation when Katrina hit and buried it under 20 feet of water. Rebuilding cost: $5 million, which isn't in the city's budget.

COURSE: Brechtel
TYPE: Muni
STATUS: Open
Brechtel is back in business but barely playable. The pumping station was destroyed, so the irrigation ponds rely on rainwater, and locals expect a brown and bleak summer.

COURSE: Eastover
TYPE: Private
STATUS: Closed
This 36-hole facility, once rated among the top five in the state, was submerged in 12 feet of water for two weeks. Nine holes briefly reopened but closed for good in October.

NEXT: SWIMSUIT ISSUE

A year ago Kenneth Ferrie of England was the cover boy for the SI GOLF PLUS Masters Preview and part of a photo essay on Masters rookies. (He missed the cut, shooting 14 over.) A four-time winner worldwide, the 29-year-old Ferrie is now a rookie on the U.S. Tour, where his best finish has been 13th, at the Buick Invitational. Unless he wins this week's Shell Houston Open, he won't be returning to Augusta, but he'll always have his SI cover. "[ SI] was my claim to fame," he says. "One has a place in my office at home. It was my first Masters, and it was special because you feel as if you already know the course before you get there. Hopefully, I'll be back."

Follow the Shell Houston Open, the last chance for a Masters berth, at GOLF.com.