Relocation
The event was held at the Houston Westside Tennis Club from 2001-07. On May 8, 2007, the U.S. Tennis Association announced that the River Oaks Country Club in the River Oaks neighborhood would host the tournament starting in 2008, which will keep the event in Houston for several years. Other cities that competed for the event were Atlanta, Georgia, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The tournament pays out US$500,000 with the winner receiving US$79,000. The River Oaks venue features a stadium with seating for 3,000. Temporary seating for 500 will be installed for the second court.
In 2007, after a few years being held on the same red clay used at the French Open, the event was held on Har-Tru green clay. In 2008, the event went to a maroon color of Har-Tru clay as the River Oaks Country Club renovated their courts in 2005. After renovating their courts again in late 2008, the surface remained the same.
Read more about this topic: U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships