This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
The PGA Tour resides in Texas for one more week before heading back east for the first major of the season. Without much fire power in the field this week, I won't blame anyone for looking ahead to the Masters. Speaking of which, this is the last chance to gain entrance to Augusta for almost everyone in the field, which means final-round nerves could be more noticeable than normal, depending on who is in contention come Sunday afternoon. TPC San Antonio has been the home course since 2010, which means plenty of course history in play this week. The winners have been scattered throughout the years, however, and many of those with solid track records at this event are not the players they once were. In other words, it's not going to be easy finding the winner this week.
This week: Texas Open – TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Last Year: Andrew Landry shot a final-round 68 on his way to a two-stroke victory over Trey Mullinax.
FAVORITES
Rickie Fowler (10-1)
With only a handful of big names in the field this week, Fowler certainly looks appealing. Fowler's placement atop the odds list seems to be based largely on name ... and his play this season, of course. This will be Fowler's first start at this event, which is a little concerning, but his form and talent are more than enough to win this week. That said, it's hard to get behind a favorite who has yet
The PGA Tour resides in Texas for one more week before heading back east for the first major of the season. Without much fire power in the field this week, I won't blame anyone for looking ahead to the Masters. Speaking of which, this is the last chance to gain entrance to Augusta for almost everyone in the field, which means final-round nerves could be more noticeable than normal, depending on who is in contention come Sunday afternoon. TPC San Antonio has been the home course since 2010, which means plenty of course history in play this week. The winners have been scattered throughout the years, however, and many of those with solid track records at this event are not the players they once were. In other words, it's not going to be easy finding the winner this week.
This week: Texas Open – TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Last Year: Andrew Landry shot a final-round 68 on his way to a two-stroke victory over Trey Mullinax.
FAVORITES
Rickie Fowler (10-1)
With only a handful of big names in the field this week, Fowler certainly looks appealing. Fowler's placement atop the odds list seems to be based largely on name ... and his play this season, of course. This will be Fowler's first start at this event, which is a little concerning, but his form and talent are more than enough to win this week. That said, it's hard to get behind a favorite who has yet to play the current track.
Matt Kuchar (16-1)
Kuchar's managed to find a career's worth of drama in just six months, which is certainly at odds with the public persona he's developed the last 20 years. The drama hasn't negatively affected his game, however, as he's having quite the season. As for this week, Kuchar's track record here is nothing spectacular, but he does have a pair of top-10s. With little high-end competition in his way this week, though, Kuchar likely will be a factor.
Tony Finau (16-1)
Finau has to pick up another win on the PGA Tour at some point, right? This looks like as good of a spot as any as there aren't many guys to worry this week. Finau did post a top-3 in his most recent start at this event, which indicates he can navigate this course with efficiency if everything is working properly. That's the problem, though, as Finau hasn't been in top form since 2018. He's managed a bunch of top-25s this season, but he hasn't posted a top-10 since October.
MID-TIER GOLFERS
Jim Furyk (25-1)
Furyk just missed qualifying for the Masters, but Augusta's loss is San Antonio's gain as I doubt he'd be playing this week if he were in the field next week. To Furyk's credit, he just keeps on chugging along, showing no signs of slowing down. He failed to make it out of the group stage last week, but that doesn't mean he played poorly. Furyk's track record here is pretty solid, with five made cuts in five tries and two top-10s overall.
Billy Horschel (25-1)
Horschel is the definition of "hit or miss" at this event as he's finished in the top 11 in four of his eight starts and 74th or worse in his other four starts. His form isn't great entering this week, but it isn't poor either. In other words, it's good enough that a course where he's played well could be just what he needs this week. With few big names in the field this week, he's bound to be a popular pick though. More on that to come.
Sungjae Im (25-1)
If you believe in momentum, then Im is probably your man this week. There's no denying that Im is trending in the right direction as he enters this week with top-10s in three of his last four starts. He'll be playing here for the first time, but that's been the case in most of his starts this season and it hasn't negatively affected him often.
LONGSHOTS
Charley Hoffman (40-1)
As recently as two years ago, Hoffman was the first player you considered at this event, but his game has fallen off in recent years, which has relegated him to "longshot" status. Still, he's a perfect longshot as his upside remains extremely high. Hoffman has finished in the top 15 in 10 of his 13 starts at this event and he's coming off a top-20 in his most recent start on the PGA Tour.
J.B. Holmes (50-1)
Holmes has been hit or miss at this event over his six starts, with three top-15s and three finishes of T64 or worse. He's also just a month removed from a win at the Genesis Open and while he backed that up with two missed cuts, he got back on track last week with a couple wins at the WGC Match Play Championship.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Highly Owned Pick: Billy Horschel - It looks like a toss up this week between Horschel and Hoffman, but people tend to stay away from golfers who have underperformed for long stretches and that's why I expect Horschel to be a more popular play this week. Horschel is near the top of my list as this doesn't look like the spot to use one of the bigger names, and there's no spot remaining on the schedule that screams "Horschel."
Moderately Owned Pick: Charley Hoffman - Plenty of people will take a chance on Hoffman this week and I can't argue with that pick. His play has been off for most of the last couple seasons, but he usually finds a way to play well here. Two of his worst outings have come in the last two years here, but that only means he's due.
Lightly Owned Pick: Jim Furyk - For some reason, I get the impression that most people are expecting the floor to fall under Furyk's feet, but week after week, he manages to hang in there. I used him a couple weeks ago and it didn't work out, but I wouldn't be afraid to pull the trigger in this spot if I still had him.
Buyer Beware: Tony Finau - It would be easy to look at the names in the field this week and pick one of the big ones, but Finau hasn't played like an elite player for a while, and I don't think he'll turn everything around this week. This is a good week to look for someone on the second or third tiers and save Finau for spot later in the season, when his form is better.
Last week: Webb Simpson (T56) - $56,000; Season - $3,545,304
This week: Charley Hoffman - There's no reason to go big this week, especially when you've burnt as many big names as I have to this point. With that in mind, I'm hoping that Hoffman will break his two-year streak of poor play at this event and get back to his form that made him a lock here for over a decade.
FANDUEL PICKS
High/Mid/Low: Billy Horschel ($11,000)/Charley Hoffman ($9,900)/Justin Harding ($7,000)
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: n/a - (n/a); Streak - 10
This week: Charley Hoffman - It's pretty rare that I'll take a golfer who is 40-1 or worse in this format, but Hoffman has never missed a cut at this event in 13 tries. His game has been better than it appears to be now, but for more than a decade, he managed to make the cut here no matter the shape of his game.
