Welcome back, folks. A massive congratulations to Matt Fitzpatrick for closing out the Florida swing in spectacular fashion.
He secured his third career PGA Tour title, reigning victorious in Tampa, Florida, for the Valspar Championship.
We make our way onto the Texas swing for the next two weeks, then head back east for our first major of the year at Augusta National for the Masters.
2026 Houston Open
The PGA Tour heads to Houston this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Club. Perhaps a place I know quite well. I hit Min Woo Lee here last year after finishing 20 under to defeat Gary Woodland and Scottie Scheffler by the skin of his teeth, both finishing at 19 under.
The recipe for success at Memorial Park is actually quite simple. You need to drive the ball a long way and you need to be dialed in with the flat stick. Looking at the leaderboard from last year, seven out of the top ten finishers rank in the top 30 in driving distance over the last 12 months.
Given Memorial Park’s length, measuring just under 7,500 yards, it makes sense that the top of the leaderboard is filled with bombers. It’s the classic “driver putter” track, where we have seen players who gain only a couple on approach for the week can win. To put it into perspective, Min Woo, Scottie, and Woodland all gained under five strokes on approach last year. However, they all gained seven plus strokes with the flat stick.
It’s also very important to note that missing fairways here are pretty much non-penal (low missed FW penalty). And I think that is why distance becomes so important. The fact that it does not matter if you miss fairways, given how open the course is, then you take into account the sheer length of this place, I want my players with the shortest iron possible in hand, hitting their approach shot.
Around the green play is also quite interesting here. Around 27% of total strokes gained at Memorial Park come from around the green, one of the highest rates on tour and a clear sign how important it will be in order to contend here.
The key stats to success I will be looking at this week are driving distance/carry distance, recent approach play, long-iron play, and those who tend to spike with the putter (i.e: gaining 3+, 4+ strokes, etc).
Houston Open Picks
Jake Knapp +2600
My first play here was a predetermined bet on Saturday night after scanning the field. Jake Knapp screams a perfect course fit at Memorial.
Despite his missed cut at The Players, Knapp has been playing some very strong golf this year. A sixth at the Genesis, a T8 at Pebble, an eighth in Arizona, a T5 at the Farmers, and a T11 in Hawaii.
I'm fine taking his most recent start at Sawgrass with a grain of salt and believing in what he was doing prior to then. Not to mention, a course that should fit him extremely well.
A course comp I like this week is Vidanta Vallarta, host of the Mexico Open. A track where its driver/putter through and through. Knapp won that event in 2024. Ranking 11th in distance/carry distance stat and second in long-iron play, I can’t think of a better spot for the 31-year old.
Sam Burns +2800
Right now, the price on Sam Burns is +2800; however, it would not surprise me if that drifts into the 30s. So, I would likely wait until Wednesday to see if he drifts.
There is no denying Burns has been struggling on approach this year. There’s also no denying he has not been playing his best golf since the start of the season. However, we have seen some subtle signs, finishing T6 at Pebble, and most recently finishing T13 at The Players. As we keep preaching, this place is a driver/putter.
Given Burns ranks top 30 in carry distance relative to the field and is probably the best putter in this tournament, ranking second in, I have to take a chance on him here. I just think we can get a better number with a little patience.
Harry Hall +4600
I was quite high on Hall early in the year, given how he finished in 2025. He has two T10s this year with multiple missed cuts in between, but I think this place sets up quite well for him. The driving distance is lacking, but he can take over a tournament with the flat stick any given week.
The clear issue with Hall at tournaments is his off-the-tee game. He has lost five straight weeks in that category. The good news is that off the tee really does not matter here, given how wide open Memorial plays — Min Woo Lee lost 0.20 strokes off the tee last year when he won here.
Also, something very interesting I came across was Hall’s success in Texas. Out of the four Texas events in 2025, Hall had a T6 at the Charles Schwab, a T33 at the CJ Cup, a T26 at The Valero, and a T18 at Memorial. Showing incredible ball striking numbers as well. We all know what Hall does with the putter, but if we can just get an average or above-average week from him on approach, I believe the Englishman has a great shot this week.
Max Greyserman +8600
I feel like Max Greyserman has been due for quite some time to get his first win on tour. Similar to Hall, Greyserman is absolutely lights out with the flat stick, gaining in that category in his last five starts.
Greyserman is also sneaky long, ranking 23rd in the field in driving distance. He ranks 14th in overall approach play from 200+ yards and top 20 in a floor/ceiling of gaining 3+ strokes with the flatstick.
In 2024, he finished T7 here — If there’s any time to take a chance on Greyserman, I think it’s this week. Especially when it feels like he’s flying under the radar at such a long price at +8600. Bet the number type play for the New Jersey product.
Player Ranks by Stats
Driving Distance / Carry Distance (Last 12 Months – Min 16 Round)
- Aldrich Potgieter
- Jesper Svensson
- Marco Penge
- Michael Brennan
- Christo Lamprecht
- Gordon Sargent
- Rasmus Hojgaard
- Nicolai Hojgaard
- Chris Gotterup
- Kurt Kitayama
Strokes Gained: Approach (Last 3 Months – Min 16 Round)
- Brooks Koepka
- Ryan Gerard
- Adam Scott
- Kurt Kitayama
- Zecheng Dou
- Nicolai Hojgaard
- Austin Eckroat
- Shane Lowry
- Chris Gotterup
- Sudarshan Yellamaraju
Approach Proximity 200+ Yards (Last 3 Months – Min 16 Rounds)
- Rasmus Hojgaard
- Jake Knapp
- Brooks Koepka
- Sudarshan Yellamaraju
- Ryan Fox
- Shane Lowry
- Michael Brennan
- Hoatong Li
- Adam Scott
- Max Greyserman
Strokes Gained: Putting 3 +/- Poa Trivialis Greens (Last 12 Months – Min 16 Rounds)
- Nico Echavaria
- Sam Burns
- Matthieu Pavon
- Rasmus Hojgaard
- Billy Horschel
- Danny Walker
- Denny McCarty
- Harry Hall
- Mac Meissner
- Chad Ramey
When is the Houston Open?
The 2026 Houston Open tees off on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
- What: 2026 Houston Open
- When: March 26-29, 2026
- Where: Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas.
- Par: 70
- Length: 7,475
- Purse: $9.9 million
Where to Watch the Houston Open?
2026 Houston Open TV Schedule
Round 1: Thursday, March 26
- Live stream: ESPN+ (8:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (3 to 7 p.m. ET)
Round 2: Friday, March 27
- Live stream: ESPN+ (8:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (3 to 7 p.m. ET)
Round 3: Saturday, March 28
- Live stream: ESPN+ (7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 3 p.m. ET); NBC (3 to 6 p.m. ET)
Round 4: Sunday, March 29
- Live stream: ESPN+ (7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
- TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 3 p.m. ET); NBC (3 to 6 p.m. ET)
