Texas Children’s Houston Open

Things You Need to Know About the Houston Open

This will be the 76th edition of the Houston Open. This is the fourth year of the Texas Children’s Houston Open with new leadership. They have a new sponsorship, and those running the event have roots with the Houston Astros baseball team. The significant change is playing at its new home, Memorial Park, a public course in downtown Houston ready for fans. The event started in 1946, and the following year, Memorial Park was the tournament’s home for 14 events, mostly between 1951 and 1963. When the tournament left, the public course fell into disrepair.

After two years of renovations by architect Tom Doak and player consultant Brooks Koepka, the course opened in 2020 to great fanfare, not only from the fans but many of the players liked what they saw. Tom Doak’s mission was to make it enjoyable for recreational golfers and tough enough for PGA Tour players. One unusual characteristic of the course is that there are only 17 bunkers on the par-70 course. What makes it challenging is accuracy, which is a must with the thick rough, tight grass slopes and contours. The weather will make the course challenging; when the wind blows, especially a north or northeast wind, it will make things very tough. The course was opened for play in November of 2019, and the Bermuda grass has come in, and the course will be in good shape.

But look for low scores, as there are several drivable par-4s and two reachable par-5s. The greens are big, 7,000 square feet, and they are flat, like most municipal courses. In looking at the weather for the week, it’s going to be close to perfect, with each day being in the low 80s with no rain, but winds will be a problem as they will be 8 mph on Thursday but move up to 20 mph on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The good news is there is no chance of rain during the week.

🔑 Keys to Playing Well

First, hitting greens is essential. Another key is long hitters have to be careful since the rough was one of the most demanding of the year. The course ranked 2nd in rough proximity in both 2021 and 2022; last year, it was 4th, meaning that if you drive it off the fairway, getting it on the green is nearly impossible. So, players who hit it in the high grass will have a tough time. That may be why some of the tour’s longest hitters aren’t playing this week. So it’s essential to keep it in the fairway.

Players needed help to make birdies and eagles on the course.

In 2021, it ranked 17th with a total number of birdies made (1,221).

In 2022, it ranked 15th with 1,071 birdies made.

Last year, it ranked 23rd with 1,191 birdies. So, it proved to be challenging, as the course was 6th in Par Breakers in 2021, 4th in 2022, and 8th last year.

But as we have said, those who putt well always do well on this course, so look for the best putters to shine.

Of any non-major course, Memorial Park scored many honors as the hardest newcomer to the PGA Tour, so look for a special breed of player to win, one who excels in all areas of the game.

Check out the latest GolfStats Performance Charts for the Houston Open.

📈 Stats That Are Important to Playing Well at Memorial Park

This is based on the most important stats for Memorial Park, and data from the 2023 Houston Open, and data from all the players in the field with stats from this year. We take their rank for each stat and then add the four categories.

So, in looking at who the course favors, the first thing that hits us is how well the top players do in putting. Looking at the three events played at Memorial Park, of the 35 players that finished in the top ten, 14 finished in the top ten in putts per round.

In putting average, Memorial Park ranked 10th last year of all the courses on the PGA Tour, T-10th again in 2022, and T-15th in 2021.
When Tony Finau won last year, he was 2nd in Putting average, T-12th in One-Putt average, T-14th in 3-putt average, and T-23rd in Putting Inside ten feet, making 60 of 66 putts inside ten feet. For the week, Finau ranked 2nd in Strokes Gained Putting as he picked up 7.931 strokes for the four rounds.

So, the secret to picking a winner this week is to choose a very good putter.

Our second category is Proximity to the hole. Because Memorial is a public course, the greens are 7,000 square feet, and even though the players averaged 15th last year, T-16th in 2022, and 18th in 2021 in greens in regulation, getting the ball close to the hole is tougher.
Last year, Memorial Park ranked 9th in Proximity to the Hole, while winner Finau was T9th. In 2022, Memorial Park ranked 5th in Proximity to the Hole, while winner Kokrak was T-21st. In 2021, Memorial Park was 10th in Proximity to the Hole, and winner Ortiz was T-22nd.

Our third category looks at how difficult it is to make birdies and eagles and how Par Breakers are integral to Memorial Park’s ruggedness.

The course ranked 8th in Par Breakers, with 17.17% of the holes being played under par. In looking at those ahead of Memorial Park, courses that held three of the four majors were ahead, showing how hard Memorial Park is to break par. Winner Tony Finau made 22 birdies (best in field) and no eagles as he was 1st in Par Breakers, with 30.56% of the holes he played under par. 

So, we will be looking for players who are highly offensive and make a lot of eagles and birdies.

Our last category is one we rarely use: par 5 scoring averages. Memorial Park has just three par 5s, and they have been ranked the hardest on the PGA Tour to score on. Last year, the scoring average of the par 5s was 4.74, and it was the 10th hardest on tour. Now, last year was the first time the par 5s played easier.

In 2022, Memorial Park averaged a 4.86 average on the par 5s, which was the 2nd hardest on the PGA Tour. In 2021, they were T-1st along Torrey Pines in the U.S. Open, again showing how hard they were.

Now, in most events, the winners play the par 5s in double-digit numbers. But that hasn’t happened to those who have won at Memorial Park. Last year, Tony Finau played the par 5s in 6 under, which was T-6th. In 2022 and ’21, winners Kokrak and Ortiz were 8 under on the par 5s for the week, showing how instrumental it was in all of their victories.

👑 DraftKings Picks

Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

• Scottie Scheffler – $13,000

• Wyndham Clark – $10,900

• Sahith Theegala – $10,300

• Will Zalatoris – $10,100

• Tony Finau – $9,900

• Si Woo Kim – $9,700

• Jason Day – $9,500

• Alex Noren – $9,400

• Keith Mitchell – $9,200

• Tom Hoge – $9,000

Let’s look at our top players. First off is Scottie Scheffler at $13,000.  Yes, that price is not a typo; $ 13,000 is a lot for one player, but as we have seen, he makes a lot of points. At the Palmer, he earned 122.5 points; at the Players, he got 138.5. These give you a significant advantage, and many people will pick Scheffler. It’s excellent if Scottie wins again or finishes 2nd or 3rd; you will be able to keep pace with all the others who pick Scottie. But if he plays poorly, which is hard to believe, it will hurt your chances. Scottie’s record at Memorial Park was T-2nd in 2022 and T-9th last year, so the odds are he will play well.

Now, I like Wyndham Clark even at the high price of $10,900. I want him because he is doing fantastic now, making a lot of birdies and playing challenging courses well. Sahith Theegala is high at $10,300, but he is a great putter and makes a lot of birdies, so he is someone to think about, especially when you see that in his last four starts, he was 5th at Phoenix, T-37th at Genesis, T-6th at the Palmer and T-9th at the Players. Will Zalatoris, at $10,100, was playing well until he missed the cut at the Players. I worry about his putting, and he has never played at Memorial Park. Tony Finau, at $9,900, is a big no, he has yet to play well since the Farmers, and he has putted poorly this year. Si Woo Kim at $9,700 is also a no. Yes, he was T-6th at the Players, but Memorial Park is not suitable for him. Jason Day at $9,500 is a possibility; he has played well in 2024, his putting has been good, and Memorial Park is the type of course he can do well on. Alex Noren at $9,400 is too high for me; he did finish T-4th last year in this event but has yet to show us much in 2024. Keith Mitchell at $9,200 is a thought; he played well for three rounds at the Valspar until he shot a final round 77. But I won’t take him because of his putting, which is terrible. Tom Hoge at $9,000, is the right person at the right time. He played okay in 2024 and has the game for Memorial Park, even if he still needs to play better the two times he has played there. But this could be a perfect week for him.

Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

Aaron Rai at $8,600 is a possibility. He was T-7th last year and T-19th in 2022 at Memorial Park but missed the Valspar cut. Billy Horschel, at $8,300, is also worth a look at; he is a good putter and always plays well on challenging courses; this will be his first venture at Memorial Park. Also, watch Doug Ghim at $8,200. This could be a week for him to shine. He has played well for the last six events but has yet to put four rounds together. This could be the week for him. Also, this could be a good week for Mackenzie Hughes at $7,800. His game has been sharp lately, and he has played well at Memorial Park. Also watch Akshay Bhatia at $7,500 because he is a good putter.

Are there any “Bargains” out there?

I like Joel Dahmen at $7,100 because of his excellent play at Memorial Park, he was T-9th last year and T-5th in 2022. Alex Smalley at $6,800, may have missed his last five cuts but plays well at Memorial Park and finished T-4th last year and T-15th in 2021. Aaron Baddeley at $6,500 is a good choice because of his great putting, and he played well last week at the Valspar. Last, I like Padraig Harrington for two reasons. First, he is only $5,500, and second, he will find a way to make the cut this week.

💰 Who to watch for at the Texas Children’s Houston Open

Best Bets

• Scottie Scheffler - We can’t make him anything other than the big favorite since he is playing so well. If he putts like he has in his last two starts, he will lap the field.

• Wyndham Clark - We like him because he is doing fantastic now, making a lot of birdies and playing challenging courses well.

• Jason Day - He has played well in 2024, his putting has been good, and Memorial Park is the type of course he can do well on.

Best of the Rest

• Sahith Theegala - He is a great putter and makes a lot of birdies, so he is someone to think about, especially when you see that in his last four starts, he was 5th at Phoenix, T-37th at Genesis, T-6th at the Palmer and T-9th at the Players.

• Tom Hoge - He is the right person at the right time. Has played okay in 2024 and has the game for Memorial Park, even if he still needs to play better the two times he has played there. But this could be a perfect week for him.

• Billy Horschel - Is worth a look at; he is a good putter and always plays well on challenging courses; this will be his first venture at Memorial Park.

• Keith Mitchell - He played well for three rounds at the Valspar until he shot a final round 77.

Solid Contenders

• Mackenzie Hughes - His game has been sharp lately, and he has played well at Memorial Park.

• Akshay Bhatia - Like him because he is a good putter.

• Doug Ghim - This could be a week for him to shine. He has played well in his last six events but has yet to put four rounds together. This could be the week for him.

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