The PGA Tour continues to roll-on and, ahead of The Masters on the 10th - 13th April, there are two weeks in Texas to deal with.
Following the Florida Swing, the Texas Children's Houston Open is the first tournament up in the Lone Star State, with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy headlining at Memorial Park Golf Course.
Last year, Stephan Jaeger got the better of World No.1 Scheffler, who missed a short putt at the 72nd hole to force a playoff in his home state. Along with Scheffler, four other players also finished in a share of second.
The Texas Children's Houston Open was first played back in 1949 and, since then, a number of huge names like Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Vijay Singh, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson have lifted the title.
Along with Scheffler and McIlroy, Major winners Wyndham Clark and Jason Day are in the field, as are a number of the world's top 50, such as Sahith Theegala, Thomas Detry, Tony Finau and Sungjae Im.
In terms of scoring, a score in double digits has won every edition of the event since 1999, with Singh setting the tournament record at 22-under in 2002.
Texas Children's Houston Open Course Guide: Memorial Park Golf Course
The Texas Children's Houston Open has been held at several venues throughout its long history, with Memorial Park Golf Course staging the tournament since 2020.
A municipal golf course, it is one of the best public courses in Texas with a green fee setting you back no more than $60. What's more, Memorial Park is one of the largest urban parks in the whole of the United States.
Measuring 7,475 yards, Memorial Park Golf Course is slightly longer than average on the PGA Tour and, being listed as a par 70, it has 5 par 3s, 10 par 4s and 3 par 5s.
In terms of the signature hole, that would be the par 3 15th which, at 155 yards doesn't seem to pose a threat in terms of distance. However, the domed green features severe slopes all-round, which makes an up-an-down a tough test.
In fact, the par 3 15th, par 5 16th and par 4 17th are, arguably, the stand-out holes on the course, which features four holes where water is in-play and just 21 bunkers, the lowest amount of any PGA Tour course on the calendar.
With an average fairway width of 30-40 yards, as well as larger than average greens, the two key metrics for success at Memorial Park are the Strokes Gained: Tee to Green category, as well as Strokes Gained: Around the Green.
Texas Children's Houston Open Previous Winners
Texas Children's Houston Open Betting Odds
Outright winner odds from BetMGM (odds correct at time of publishing)
- Scottie Scheffler (+330)
- Rory McIlroy (+550)
- Aarron Rai (+2200)
- Tony Finau (+3300)
- Si Woo Kim (+3300)
- J.J. Spaun (+3300)
- Jason Day (+4000)
- Stephan Jaeger (+4000)
- Michael Kim (+4000)
- Sungjae Im (+4000)
- Davis Thompson (+4000)
- All other players are priced at +4500 or higher
Texas Children's Houston Open Betting Picks
Favorite: Thomas Detry (+6600)
The Belgian snapped a streak of two consecutive missed cuts last week at the Valspar, where he finished T22nd after ending with a four-under-par 67.
Detry is one of Europe’s strongest players right now and finally got over the line at the WM Phoenix Open last month thanks to a very impressive showing. With his game clearly back in better shape, he can go well in Houston again after finishing T2nd last year.
Outsider: Kevin Yu (+9000)
The former ASU star is still fairly early in his PGA Tour career but he has certainly found his feet, having won his first title at the Sanderson Farms Championship last year. The Chinese Taipei player didn’t feature here in 2024, but enters the week in fine form after a T12 at the Valspar.
He didn’t do a great deal wrong last week, with only the putter letting him down. Yu is a fine ball striker and ranked second off the tee at Innisbrook, so should find himself near the first page of the leaderboard again if he keeps up his tee-to-green form.
Favorite: Taylor Moore (+6600)
Admittedly, I would be backing either Scheffler or McIlroy this week but, at such short odds, I feel it's worth looking elsewhere for value, which is why I have opted for Texan-native, Moore.
Although he missed the cut at the Valspar Championship, his first since the Sony Open in Hawaii at the start of January, I feel he offers great value for money. Last year, he finished in a share of second at this event and already has multiple top 10s in 2025. Finally, he ranks well in SG: Tee-to Green and SG: Around-the-Green, two metrics you need at Memorial Park.
Outsider: Nick Dunlap (+12500)
Given his 2024, I can't quite believe Dunlap's odds are this high, especially as the American finished in a share of 11th in this tournament last year. What's more, he fired a third round 63, so is capable of shooting low in Texas.
The only slight negative is that Dunlap has missed his last two cuts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, but, with two weeks off to rest and recover, I expect him to roar back and claim at least a third top 20 of the season.
Favorite: Aaron Rai (+2200)
Rai has been playing some great golf of late, finishing 4th, 11th and 14th in his last three starts on the PGA Tour. The Englishman appears to excel on this track too, finishing 7th in each of his last two visits. Rai seems much more comfortable at this level following his 2024 Wyndham Championship win, and is finally showing an impressive level of consistency.
I certainly think this is a tournament he wins at some point in his career, but, why now? In his last four events, Rai ranks 12th in the world for SG: Total, bettered only by short favourites McIlroy and Scheffler in this field, so with a lot of boxes ticked I think it's time to jump on the Rai train.
Outsider: Stephan Jaeger (+4000)
It's rare that I go for a defending champion, but Jaeger has shown me enough in the past few weeks and I love his correlating form. The 2024 winner has been in-and-around contention in each of his last two starts before falling away to T36 and T20 finishes, which is no disgrace considering the field strength.
He has been 20th and 11th on his last two visits to TPC Craig Ranch, a course with strong links to this one, and has been 15th, 18th and 3rd on his last three visits to the Mexico Open in what is another similar test. He has been 9th in the past before winning a year ago, so at this price there is just enough intrigue for an each-way bet.
How To Watch The Texas Children's Houston Open
US/ET
- Thursday 27th March: 8.15am - 4.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+) 4.00 - 7.00pm (NBC Sports App)
- Friday 28th March: 8.15am - 4.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+) 4.00 - 7.00pm (NBC Sports App)
- Saturday 29th March: 11.00am - 1.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+) 1.00 - 3.00pm (NBC Sports App) 3.00 - 6.00pm (Peacock/NBC Sports App)
- Sunday 30th March: 11.00am - 1.00pm (PGA Tour Live/ESPN+) 1.00 - 3.00pm (NBC Sports App) 3.00 - 6.00pm (Peacock/NBC Sports App)
UK/GMT
- Thursday 27th March: 12.30 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Friday 28th March: 12.30 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Saturday 29th March: 15.00 - 10.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
- Sunday 30th March: 16.00 - 11.00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
