American win streak continues to increase

Jonas Blixt of Sweden is becoming a footnote in history — the last foreign- born player to win on the PGA Tour.

Blixt won the Frys.com Open at CordeValle on Oct. 14. Since then, Americans have won all 16 official PGA Tour events, including 14 in a row to start the 2013 season. That matches the longest streak to start the season since 1984. That run ended a week after the Masters when Nick Faldo won at Hilton Head.

As for the 16 in a row?

It’s the longest streak of American winners since they won 17 straight in 2006. That streak began with Tiger Woods at the British Open and ended when K.J. Choi won at Innisbrook in the penultimate tournament on the official schedule.

One last chance

Germany’s Marcel Siem narrowly missed out on the top 50 and his first trip to the Masters. Now, he gets one more chance.

Tournament officials said Siem accepted a sponsor’s exemption Monday to the Texas Open. While the cutoff for qualifying for the Masters through the world ranking was last week, all winners of PGA Tour events that offer full FedEx Cup points get a trip down Magnolia Lane.

Ever since the Masters renewed its criteria to take PGA Tour winners in 2007, only one player has won the last event before the Masters to get in – Johnson Wagner at the Houston Open in 2008.

Siem is currently ranked 51st, 0.025 points average behind Russell Henley.

Weather reigns

The Houston Open was the seventh tournament out of 14 this year on the PGA Tour that had a round suspended because of weather. The last two tournaments were suspended by storms. The others were suspended because of snow, darkness, frost, fog and wind.