Texas Children's Houston Open: PGA Best Bets, Predictions, Past Results, and Course Info

With The Masters just two weeks away, golfers are looking to get their final reps in before the first men's major of 2025.

Two names stand out at the top of the board this week: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the number-one and number-two players in the world by the Official World Golf Rankings.

That makes them the only top-10 golfers in the world teeing it up this week at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas.

Here's all you need to know.

All golf odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Texas Children's Houston Open Info

Memorial Park Golf Course Info

Data from GCSAA, PGA Tour, and data golf's course table unless otherwise noted.

• Par: 70
• Distance: 7,475 yards (long -- around 350 yards longer than the average par 70)
• Average Fairway Width: 31.8 yards (narrow)
• Average Green Size: 7,000 square feet (large)
• Green Type: Poa overseed
• Stimpmeter: N/A
• Recent Winning Scores: -12, -16, -10, -13
• Recent Cut Lines: +1, E, +1, +3

Memorial Park Golf Course Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
• Strokes Gained: Putting
• Strokes Gained: Around the Green
• Proximity from 200+ Yards

In the four years we've seen Memorial Park host this event, we've seen it shift from November (the first three years) to March (last year).

It's largely been an all-around test without many dominant stats standing out as crowners of the eventual champs.

Last year, Stephan Jaeger won while ranking 37th off the tee, 38th in approach, 9th around the green, and 3rd in putting. He was only 41st in accuracy.

Conversely, Tony Finau was 2nd in SG:OTT, 9th in SG:APP, 28th in SG:ARG, and 2nd in SG:PUTT during his 2023 win by four shots. He led the field in fairways gained.

And while I'm bumping up SG: around the green this week, Jason Kokrak won by two shots in 2022 while ranking 67th among the cut-makers in SG:ARG (but was 2nd in approach and 3rd in putting).

So, while around-the-green play is more important than usual, it's not so important that it outweighs ball-striking and putting.

Three of the five par 3s are short (under 185 yards), and there's a boatload of long par 4s (five of them are 490 or longer). And let's not forget the three par 5s that are all at least 585 yards (with two of them longer than 600).

Despite that, the length hasn't made distance off the tee a must. Rather, proximity from 200-plus yards is elevated in terms of shot distribution.

Texas Children's Houston Open Past Results

Here are each golfer's finishes over the last five years of this event, including their strokes gained data at this event.

Texas Children's Houston Open Recent Results

Here are each golfer's finishes over the last five events on the PGA Tour, including their strokes gained data.

Texas Children's Houston Open Best Bets

These picks stand out relative to their golf betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds unless otherwise noted.

Rory McIlroy

• Odds To Win the Texas Children's Houston Open (+700)
• To Finish Top 10 (-105)

Yes, we'd be asking Rory McIlroy to go back-to-back in the win and to get a third win in five starts column here, but this week is a three-horse race:

1. Scottie Scheffler (+350)
2. Rory McIlroy (+700)
3. The Field
   1. Even in the market without Scheffler and McIlroy, no golfer has odds shorter than +2000 on FanDuel Sportsbook

With that said, I frankly don't see much wrong with either Scheffler or McIlroy at these early-week numbers but prefer McIlroy, whose game is more shored up right now. Scheffler's frustrations at THE PLAYERS will likely dissipate if he gets back in the win column, but right now, McIlroy is the much better golfer over the last three months (+2.95 strokes gained per round versus +2.37 for Scheffler with only J.J. Spaun's +1.80 better than a +1.53 otherwise).

Rory's game is dialed in right now, and while he has a lack of course knowledge, this is still a pretty new track on Tour and one that comes without a ton of course studs.

Tony Finau

• Odds To Win the Texas Children's Houston Open (+3500)
• To Finish Top 10 (+330)
• To Finish Top 20 (+150)

If Rory's on the card, things have to be light from there, and while it never feels great to hop in on a player who missed his last cut and was (statistically) lost with the irons, Tony Finau is a great iron player long term.

Finau ranks ninth in this field in iron play over his last 50 rounds and is sixth in overall strokes gained: tee to green in that span.

The putting splits are still positive even though his numbers from within 15 feet are subpar since the start of last season on Tour.

Finau's had a lot of success at this track, including a win two years ago and then a runner-up finish while leading the field by over half a shot per round in his T2G numbers.

Taylor Pendrith

• Odds To Win the Texas Children's Houston Open (+4500)
• To Finish Top 10 (+400)
• To Finish Top 20 (+190)

Taylor Pendrith's odds are a bit of an outlier this week, as my model ranks him fifth in long-term strokes gained average, yet he's coming in at 45/1. Pendrith's short game is pretty rough right now. Until he gained 1.60 strokes per round with his putting at THE PLAYERS, he had lost strokes with around-the-green play and putting in three straight events.

Despite that, the ball-striking has largely been consistent, and he's the third-best ball-striker in the field over his last 50 rounds, trailing just Scheffler and McIlroy.

He's likely due for putting regression based on his distance splits, as well, so the Canadian is someone I have my eye on this week.

Mackenzie Hughes

• Odds To Win the Texas Children's Houston Open (+9000)
• To Finish Top 10 (+700)
• To Finish Top 20 (+300)

Pendrith isn't the only Canadian I have interest in this week, though.

Mackenzie Hughes is playing some good golf and has had success at Memorial Park in his career.

Hughes has finished T7, T29, T16, and T14 in four career starts here.

He's a lower-ceiling player mathematically, so I prefer him more in the finishing position markets, but getting a great golfer at a course where he's clearly comfortable is hard to ignore.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.