The second round of the 2026 Houston Open gets underway on Friday at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas.
Paul Waring leads the Houston Open after the first round at seven-under par. He holds a two-stroke lead over the rest of the field, but the tournament remains wide open with three days remaining.
Here are my picks for the Houston Open Round 2 best bets for Friday.
Houston Open Round 2 Odds, Best Bets
Ben Griffin Top 20 (+280 at DraftKings)
Ben Griffin enters Friday tied for 79th at even par. At +280, he is worth considering as a bounce-back candidate heading into the weekend.
Griffin is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, ranking in the 95th percentile in strokes gained: putting.
Putting is arguably the most important factor at Memorial Park. Last year, each of the top three finishers ranked inside the top six in the field in strokes gained: putting.
No other strokes-gained category showed a similar trend.
Griffin has relied on his putter to finish inside the top 20 here in two of the past three years, and there is little reason to expect a different outcome this week.
Eric Cole Top 20 (+265 at DraftKings)
Another golfer worth targeting in this market is Eric Cole. A more stable option, Cole enters Friday tied for 28th at 2-under par.
Success on the greens is often supported by strong short-iron and wedge play. Last season, 18.6% of approach shots came from the 125-150-yard range, the highest distribution of any 25-yard grouping at this course.
Entering this week, Cole ranks 25th on the PGA Tour in birdie-or-better percentage from that distance.
It is therefore not surprising that he finished tied for 15th here last year.
