How to watch the Shell Houston Open live online, TV schedule, radio and more

The ubiquitous countdowns to the Masters that you see splashed all over social media are in their final week. Augusta is on the mind of everyone in the game. But first the PGA Tour makes its annual stop in Houston, where a pretty solid field will tee it up for one final Masters tuneup.

The Shell Houston Open is definitely put in a difficult spot on the schedule. But this tournament has come to accept and embrace their position at the start of Masters week. Efforts have been made to punch the course up so certain conditions, shots, and areas will simulate Augusta as much as possible, so players can truly get some prep work out at the Golf Club of Houston. That attracts some of those already holding a ticket to the Masters.

There’s also that fact that this is the last chance for someone to earn a last-second invite to Augusta. The field for the Masters was perilously close to hitting triple digits for the first time since 1963. It stood at 99 entering this week, but on Wednesday, South Africa’s Tim Clark took his name out of the field early with an elbow injury. So the maximum we’ll get at Augusta is 99, and that’s if someone wins this week who’s not otherwise exempt.

Some of the big names getting competitive reps right before the Masters include Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Martin Kaymer, and Justin Rose. It’s a pretty solid international mix that the Houston Open might not get if it was during a random May or June week on the Tour’s schedule. The lead-in to the Masters might actually be an advantage, even if everyone’s mind is on the season’s first major.

With most of the networks all setting up shop in Augusta already, the Houston Open has pretty basic coverage. There’s the standard three-hour window for the first two rounds on Golf Channel, and then five hours of coverage split between GC and NBC on the weekend. There’s no spotlight coverage and the lengths of the broadcasts are the standard minimum for PGA Tour events.

As for online offerings, there’s nothing beyond the basic simulcast streams that NBC and Golf Channel provide each week via their LiveExtra service. By Sunday morning, Golf Channel will have mostly shifted to the Masters, covering the second annual Drive, Chip, and Putt Challenge on the grounds there. But as we saw last year when Matt Jones chipped in to punch his ticket at the buzzer, the Houston Open can be a nice little alternative before we dive head first into Augusta. Here are all your media options for the week (all times are ET):

3 to 6 p.m. -- Golf Channel

3 to 6 p.m. -- Golf Channel simulcast stream

3 to 6 p.m. -- Golf Channel simulcast stream

1 to 3 p.m. -- Golf Channel

3 to 6 p.m. -- NBC

1 to 6 p.m. -- Golf Channel/NBC Sports LiveExtra simulcast stream

1 to 3 p.m. -- Golf Channel

3 to 6 p.m. -- NBC

1 to 6 p.m. -- Golf Channel/NBC Sports LiveExtra simulcast stream