PGA Tour 2013: Brandt Snedeker Adds Shell Houston Open To His Schedule

After his win at The ATT National ProAm at Pebble Beach, FedEx Points leader, Brandt Snedeker didn’t swing a golf club until ten days ago. Although he will tee it up on Thursday at The Arnold Palmer Invitational, he has decided to add The Shell Houston Open to his schedule. With the extended time off to let his ribs heal, he felt like he needed some further work in preparations for the Masters.

Snedeker suffered a strained intercostal rib muscle on his left side during the early part of the season, and decided to get some rest so he could be ready for Augusta in April. He did not want a repeat of last summer where he had to pull out of the US Open, so elected to take the time to heal.

"“This is an injury you don’t want to try to play through because it can get worse. The Masters is something that you don’t want to miss due to an injury. I’m glad I’m back, but the Masters was a concern.”"

Brandt Snedeker felt if he could get to Augusta healthy, he could be competetive. Five years ago, Snedeker had a chance to win at Augusta National before shooting a final-round 77 to finish third. He’s also finished in the top 20 there each of the last two years.

He has had a few medical issues in his career. There was last year’s problem with his rib, plus two hip surgeries, one at the end of 2010 and then again at the end of 2011. He has had several test performed to see if they could pinpont what is causing his rib problem, but have been unable to find anything.

"“Sometimes an injury can be a good thing,” Snedeker said. “I got time to rest and sit at home and kind of reevaluate where my year is. As great as the start of the year wasm that was a long time ago. We’ve got to get refocused and get back into it.”"

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