This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
Houston Open – Humble, Texas
Golf Club of Houston (7,441 yards, par 72)
$7.0M Purse
$1,260,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points to the winner
Tournament Preview
To those already qualified for the season's first major, this is a tune-up for Augusta. To others, a final opportunity to earn their ticket to ride down Magnolia lane. In any case, the Golf Club of Houston will again look to simulate Augusta National with Stimpmeters tipping the scales around 13 complete with shaved banks, short rough, and many greenside collection areas. Six of the world's top 20 players are in the field, including fan favorite Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, and Henrik Stenson. Even with a firm and fast setup, the course has perpetually produced champions who get to at least 15-under par. Despite the enormous amount of major hype as the lead-in to the Masters, The Houston Open has provided plenty of drama in its own right with sudden death playoffs deciding the champion in 23 of 72 iterations.
Recent Past Champions
2017 – Russell Henley
2016 – Jim Herman
2015 – J.B. Holmes
2014 – Matt Jones
2013 – D.A. Points
2012 – Hunter Mahan
2011 – Phil Mickelson
2010 – Anthony Kim
2009 – Paul Casey
2008 – Johnson Wagner
Key Stats to Winning this Week
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green
• Par-4 scoring average
• Strokes Gained: Putting
Champion's Profile
The makeup of the course includes long par-5s and long par-3s, while the par-4s are quite scorable. The unique setup has provided a diverse group of champions – from elite ballstrikers to elite short game artists. The main point to harp here is that past champs have given themselves plenty of birdie opportunities compared to the field. Sometimes this presents itself as an elite ballstriker who hits tons of greens in regulation all week and brushes in a bunch of 10 footers. Other times, it's an average ballstriker who putts out of their mind on the lightning-quick greens. So how should you narrow down who to cherry pick for your lineups? Firstly, there's a prominent group of five elite players in Rose, Mickelson, Spieth, Fowler, and Stenson, at least one needs to be in your lineup. Beyond that, check for strong par-4 scoring amongst the lower-tiered players or guys who have putted above their norm recently. Creating a blend of different types of players by not focusing too much on one stat is the key this week.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Justin Rose, $12600 – Rose enters as the highest-salary option this week after back-to-back top-5s his last two events. Though he's a very solid option and decent value, his presence in lineups may cripple the depth of your squad, so be very intentional if you plan to use Rose. Not to steer clear of him entirely, just make sure you justify him with your own logic instead of freely slotting him in.
Jordan Spieth, $12100 – Spieth has underwhelmed much of this season so far, but a return to his home state Texas will bring plenty of support. Spieth narrowly lost in a playoff in 2015 prior to winning the green jacket and followed it up in 2016 with a top-15, so this venue is clearly a solid fit for his game if he can find his putting prowess again.
Rickie Fowler, $12000 – Though Rickie's record at GC of Houston has seen three top-10s and three finishes outside the top 60, he's a perfect 6-for-6 in made cuts here and has shown signs of finding his game. Fowler's fearless putting style should fare well on the quick Augusta-like greens, so don't be surprise if Rickie finds himself in the hunt on Sunday.
Henrik Stenson, $11900 – A couple weeks removed from a disastrous finish at Bay Hill (again), Stenson bring world-class talent and ballstriking to a easy venue this week. Stenson holds three top-3 finishes in six starts at the Houston Open, so there's upside for the Swede this week at his price.
Longer Shots Worth a Risk
Daniel Berger, $11000 – Berger has posted top-5s here the past two seasons and a T-25 in his first showing three years ago, so he brings arguably the most consistent course history of anyone in the field this week. Berger struggled at the match play event last week, but his propensity for sneaky-good results is the reason why he's a great value at GC of Houston.
Russell Henley, $10200 – Last year's champion has rattled of four-straight top-7s at this event, so he's clearly comfortable at this venue. The streaky Henley hasn't posted a top-10 since the TOUR Championship last September, but this venue could easily get his game back in shape.
Luke List, $9900 – The long-hitting List has played the best golf of his career recently with six-straight top-26 finishes in stroke play events heading into this week. Ranked 11th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green this season, List should have no problem giving himself plenty of birdie opportunities. The only question mark will be his ability to putt well on the extremely fast putting surfaces, though that's only a mild concern.
Byeong-Hun An, $9500 – An's rollercoaster results of three missed cuts and three top-25s his last six events is a bit of a concern given his price, but the South Korean has excelled in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and shows positive Strokes Gained: Putting on the season as well. His all-around game is a strong fit for this venue, but if he find himself missing greens in regulation, there could be a risk for a missed cut. He's a solid risk-reward lineup filler this week.
Paul Dunne, $8100 – Coming off a nice top-5 at last week's Corales Puntacana Championship should bring the Irishman confidence in another diluted field this week. It was Dunne's maiden top-10 on the PGA Tour, but at $8100 he's worth a risk while offering an above-average chance to make the cut.
Strategy Tips for this week (based on 60k standard salary cap)
With only five elite players in the field, it's best to narrow your focus on one or two of them and build around the chalk, who are very likely to make the cut and have a good chance to win in a weaker-fielded event if they find themselves in position. There are plenty of mid-to-lower tier players who are entering strong off last week's WGC-Matchplay or the Corales Puntacana Championship, so make that a consideration as well.
