Weekly PGA Preview: Texas Children's Houston Open

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.

Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course
Houston, TX

The PGA Tour heads to Houston for the Texas Children's Houston Open gets underway -- the first iteration of his event since 2022.

In case my fellow fantasy players were wondering, yes, we are in the midst of a long stretch of non-Signature Events that will continue through next week, but the payoff at the end is pretty strong. It's the Masters! I don't want to start peeking ahead to Augusta, though, as if I do that these next two weeks will seem like an eternity. 

Note that the next two tournaments include "Texas" in the name, just in case you forgot where the PGA Tour was perched. While we're in the Lone Star state, we should get some decent fields, as most players will want to get properly tuned up for Augusta. We're off to a pretty good start with the best player in the world -- Scottie Scheffler -- in attendance, as well as the guy who has almost thwarted his efforts during his past two wins, Wyndham Clark.

Hopefully we've got another epic battle in store this week, but if not, we're only two weeks away from the Masters. I just can't help myself. Did you know that we're only two weeks away from the Masters? 

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 7:00 PM ET Tuesday.

LAST TIME

Tony Finau shot a final-round 69 on his way to a four-stroke victory over Tyson Alexander.

FAVORITES

Scottie Scheffler (27-10)

To put it simply, Scheffler is less than 3-1. Think about that, you can get longer odds on a baseball game and we're talking about one golfer against a field of over 140 guys, that's insane. However, it's not unjustified. Now, if you've followed me over the years, you know that I'm generally against anything under 10-1, but honestly, I think I might make an exception this week. Scheffler's putting coming around is a game-changer. He's so much better at ball striking than anyone else that it just comes down to the putter every week and right now, the putter is working.

Wyndham Clark (12-1)

Clark's odds really show how far he's come in a short time. He's got really short odds this week and that's with a guy that's under 3-1 in the field! Clark is the second-best player out there right now, unfortunately for him, he's chosen to play alongside Scheffler. If I were Clark, I'd try to find a spot where Scheffler isn't playing, but maybe Clark is focused on slaying the beast, you know, if you want to be the best, you have to be the best? Whatever his reasons, you can be sure he'll be around come Sunday, but I'm not taking those odds to essentially bet against Scheffler.

Will Zalatoris (18-1)

Zalatoris looked like his old self a few weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but as is the case with players come back from injury, the consistency takes a while to return. This was evident the week following the Palmer when Zalatoris missed the cut at THE PLAYERS. He took this past week off however, which should help his prospects this week. With that said, his current odds might be acceptable under normal circumstances, but like Clark, Zalatoris' odds just aren't high enough with Scheffler in the field.

THE NEXT TIER  

Jason Day (25-1)

If someone is to top Scheffler this week, they're going to need to be either ignorant or accomplished. Ignorant because they have no idea that they shouldn't be beating Scheffler, or accomplished because they know they can do it. Day certainly falls into the latter category as he's beaten the best in the world on many occasions. He hasn't done it in a while, but he still flashes every now and then and his course history here is pretty good.

Keith Mitchell (35-1)

Mitchell held the 54-hole lead this past week at the Valspar and then everything fell apart with a few bad holes on Sunday. Mitchell was out of the mix early in the round which was bad for his chances to win this past week, but good for this week in that he shouldn't have much of a hangover as he wasn't close to winning late on Sunday. He did play well for three rounds however, so I'm not throwing that out just because of one bad round. Mitchell posted a top-10 here last year as well, so perhaps he gets back on track here.

Mackenzie Hughes (55-1)

Unlike Mitchell, Hughes hung around for most of Sunday, but in the end, he failed to find that final gear to become a serious threat. With that said, he played well all four days and should have some positive vibes heading into this week. Hughes' track record on this course is pretty solid with three top-30s, including a T7 in 2020.

LONG SHOTS

Doug Ghim (70-1)

Ghim was on a little bit of heater heading into this past week and although he didn't fare well, I've been around this game long enough to know that you don't give up on someone after one bad week, so I'm hopping back on board. Ghim's track record here isn't good, but he certainly falls into that category where you can somewhat ignore previous results as he's just a better golfer now than he was before.

Adam Svensson (120-1)

Svensson got off to a hot start this past week at the Valspar, but he faded in round two, only to come back in round three and then eventually fade in the final round. Now, that doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but I like guys that can go low and just need to find some consistency from round to round. Svensson has won on the PGA Tour before, so if he gets in position to win on Sunday, he's not likely to wilt under the pressure.

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Jason Day - Scheffler is the play if you're simply picking the player with the best result, but in a format where you can only choose him once, there is no justification for using him outside a major or a signature event. Same holds true for Clark, so we need to look at the next tier. Day has played well on this course and should fare well this week.

Moderately-Chosen Pick: Keith Mitchell - He fell apart late this past week, but he's been around the block, he can handle disappointment. Look, there just aren't many good options this week, so you might as well take someone that has won before and shown some good form lately.

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Doug Ghim - Ownership is likely to be all over the place this week because most OAD players will stay away from the top guys and there really isn't a solid middle tier either. Ghim is an intriguing option because his form has been good over the past couple months, but his performance this past week likely scared off a lot of OAD players.

Buyer Beware: Tony Finau - I'll start by stating that I have a vested interest in Finau playing well, so I don't put him here lightly, but there's just something not right with Finau currently. He's the defending champ here, but his track record is all over the place, which would indicate his win here this past year was more due to his form than his ability to get around this particular course.

This Week: Jason Day - I thought about going with Ghim here as I'm always leaning towards the unpopular pick, but I have to factor in my position right now, which is much improved after Scheffler's win at THE PLAYERS. Day has been playing well this year and he's one of a few players that has a solid and consistent track record on this course.

Previous Results

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Scottie Scheffler ($12,800)
Middle Range: Mackenzie Hughes ($9,600)
Lower Range: Ryan Moore ($8,200)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

This Week: Mackenzie Hughes - Well, at least Burns' inexplicable MC this past week didn't end a long streak. Back to the drawing board this week as I look to start another streak. Hughes seems like a safe play this week, but after what happened this past week, is there a safe play anymore? Hughes has the form and he's never missed a cut at this event, so he's the play. Now that I think about it, he's probably one of the better OAD plays as well.

Previous Results