Houston Open 2026 Betting Tips: Min to win in Texas

After finishing runner-up at TPC Sawgrass the previous week, Matt Fitzpatrick finally got his reward for a strong start to the season at the Innisbrook Resort on Sunday, producing an impressive bogey-free final round to win the Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course.

The Englishman will head into The Masters in two weeks full of confidence, though before we get to Augusta National, the PGA Tour takes a detour to Texas over the next fortnight.

It’s to Memorial Park Golf Course for the Houston Open this week, where world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be hoping to sharpen up his game before attempting to regain his Masters title.*

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with five more each-way picks this week, so let's check out his Houston Open 2026 Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights...

*since publication Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from the Houston Open to be at the birth of his second child. 

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*You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest Houston Open Odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The Houston Open has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour since its debut in 1946, with Memorial Park Golf Course serving as the exclusive host since 2020.

A pair of Texas golfing legends contested for the first edition, as Byron Nelson beat Ben Hogan by two shots. The event has been won by several other greats of the game, with Bobby Locke (1947), Arnold Palmer (1957, 1966), Gary Player (1978), and Payne Stewart (1995) all walking away with the trophy.

Vijay Singh won in 2002 before adding back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005 – becoming the first player to win consecutive renewals. His tally of three wins put him alongside Curtis Strange as the most successful players in the event, with Strange triumphing in 1980, 1986 and 1988.

Last five winners:

• 2025

Winner: Min Woo Lee (-20)

Runners-up: Scottie Scheffler, Gary Woodland (-19)

• 2024

Winner: Stephan Jaeger (-12)

Runners-up: Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Thomas Detry, Taylor Moore, Alejandro Tosti (-11)

• 2022

Winner: Tony Finau (-16)

Runner-up: Tyson Alexander (-12)

• 2021

Winner: Jason Kokrak (-10)

Runners-up: Scottie Scheffler, Kevin Tway (-8)

• 2020

Winner: Carlos Ortiz (-13)

Runners-up: Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama (-11)

Min Woo Lee secured his maiden PGA Tour success at Memorial Park last year. Firing an excellent seven-under 63 in the third round to take a four-shot 54-hole lead, the Australian had to hold off the charging Scottie Scheffler and Gary Woodland for a narrow one-shot win. He returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Memorial Park Golf Course

• Original architect / Year opened: John Bredemus / 1936
• Latest renovation: Tom Doak completed an extensive renovation of the venue in 2019
• Previous tournaments: Houston Open (14 times between 1947-1963)
• Par / Yardage: Par 70 / 7475 yards
• Hole breakdown:
  • 5x par 3s (155-237yds)
  • 10x par 4s (405-529yds)
  • 3x par 5s (587-625yds)
• Course style: Flat parkland course that is loosely tree-lined but predominantly open
• Fairways:
  • Average-to-wide fairways overseeded with ryegrass
  • Often positioned at an angle to the tee box, they can be tough to hit, possessing the 13^th-lowest driving accuracy percentage across the last five years
  • That said, with short, non-penal rough and sparse bunkering, the penalty for missing them is minimal
• Greens:
  • Large (7,000 sq. ft.), elevated bermudagrass-based greens overseeded with poa trivialis
  • The majority are crowned, designed to repel balls at their edges
  • Inaccurate approaches tumble into the tightly-mown chipping areas that surround most surfaces
• Defences: Can get windy and the green complexes are tricky if firm. With wide fairways, little rough or bunkers, and water in play on just four holes, punishment is limited elsewhere
• Average winning score: -14.2 (five editions)

Memorial Park Golf Course – which will also host the first women's major of the season, the Chevron Championship, in four weeks – is a haven for big hitters.

Although it has become less penal off the tee in recent years, its two 600-yard-plus par 5s and five 490-yard-plus par 4s require quality ball-striking. At the same time, if conditions allow the green complexes to firm up, they can still ask some difficult questions.

THE WEATHER

It's been a dry, bright and warm buildup to this year's Houston Open, and that looks set to continue into the tournament itself. Temperatures are forecast to reach 25°C each day, and while we could see intermittent gusts of just over 20mph, general wind speeds of around 7mph shouldn't pose too many problems.

KEY STATS

SG: Off-the-Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Distance

The generous fairways, lack of penalty, and length of Memorial Park Golf Course sets up perfectly for bombers, as evidenced by last year's leaderboard.

• 2025
  • Min Woo Lee (Winner): 2^nd in driving distance
  • Gary Woodland (2^nd): 16^th in SG: OTT / 9^th in driving distance
  • Taylor Pendrith (5^th): 5^th in SG: OTT / 13^th in driving distance
  • Wyndham Clark (5^th): 6^th in SG: OTT / 4^th in driving distance
  • Rory McIlroy (5^th): 8^th in SG: OTT / 6^th in driving distance
  • Alejandro Tosti (5^th): 12^th in SG: OTT / 11^th in driving distance
• 2024
  • Stephan Jaeger (Winner): 12^th in driving distance
  • Tony Finau (2^nd): 2^nd in SG: OTT
  • Alejandro Tosti (2^nd): 6^th in SG: OTT / 1^st in driving distance
  • Thomas Detry (2^nd): 14^th in SG: OTT
• 2022
  • Tony Finau (Winner): 2^nd in SG: OTT
  • Tyson Alexander (2^nd): 15^th in SG: OTT / 13^th in driving distance
  • Ben Taylor (3^rd): 8^th in SG: OTT / 15^th in driving distance
  • Trey Mullinax (4^th): 3^rd in driving distance
• 2021
  • Jason Kokrak (Winner): 14^th in SG: OTT / 14^th in driving distance
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 2^nd in SG: OTT / 8^th in driving distance
  • Kevin Tway (2^nd): 3^rd in SG: OTT / 6^th in driving distance
• 2020
  • Carlos Ortiz (Winner): 13^th in driving distance
  • Dustin Johnson (2^nd): 1^st in SG: OTT / 1^st in driving distance
  • Hideki Matsuyama (2^nd): 9^th in SG: OTT
  • Brooks Koepka (5^th): 6^th in SG: OTT / 10^th in driving distance

SG: Around-the-Greens (SG: ATG) / Scrambling

Due to the short grass that surrounds most of the greens, it's no surprise that many of the winners and top contenders have possessed a sharp short game. With likely firmer course conditions this week, this could increase in importance.

• 2025
  • Min Woo Lee (Winner): 15^th in SG: ATG / 3^rd in scrambling
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 2^nd in scrambling
  • Gary Woodland (2^nd): 5^th in scrambling
• 2024
  • Stephan Jaeger (Winner): 9^th in SG: ATG / 8^th in scrambling
  • Tony Finau (2^nd): 1^st in SG: ATG
  • Taylor Moore (2^nd): 2^nd in SG: ATG
• 2022
  • Tony Finau (Winner): 16^th in scrambling
  • Tyson Alexander (2^nd): 5^th in scrambling
  • Alex Smalley (4^th): 15^th in SG: ATG / 1^st in scrambling
• 2021
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 3^rd in SG: ATG
  • Kevin Tway (2^nd): 10^th in scrambling
  • Kramer Hickok (4^th): 12^th in SG: ATG / 13^th in scrambling
• 2020
  • Carlos Ortiz (Winner): 2^nd in SG: ATG / 2^nd in scrambling
  • Hideki Matsuyama (2^nd): 11^th in SG: ATG
  • Talor Gooch (4^th): 10^th in SG: ATG / 1^st in scrambling

SG: Approach / Greens-in-Regulation (GIR) / Proximity from 175 yards+

Lastly, few manage to contend without showing quality in approach, and due to those lengthy par 4s and par 5s, it's the long irons that are most vital.

• 2025
  • Min Woo Lee (Winner): 14^th in SG: Approach
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 10^th in SG: Approach / 7^th in GIR
  • Gary Woodland (2^nd): 15^th in SG: Approach
  • Sami Valimaki (4^th): 1^st in SG: Approach / 1^st in GIR
• 2024
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 3^rd in SG: Approach
  • Tony Finau (2^nd): 2^nd in GIR
• 2022
  • Tony Finau (Winner): 9^th in SG: Approach / 2^nd in GIR
  • Tyson Alexander (2^nd): 4^th in SG: Approach / 2^nd in GIR
  • Ben Taylor (3^rd): 15^th in SG: Approach / 6^th in GIR
  • Alex Noren (4^th): 3^rd in SG: Approach
• 2021
  • Jason Kokrak (Winner): 2^nd in SG: Approach / 3^rd in GIR
  • Scottie Scheffler (2^nd): 13^th in SG: Approach
  • Kramer Hickok (4^th): 10^th in SG: Approach
  • Joel Dahmen (5^th): 5^th in SG: Approach / 14^th in GIR
• 2020
  • Carlos Ortiz (Winner): 14^th in SG: Approach / 8^th in GIR
  • Dustin Johnson (2^nd): 16^th in SG: Approach / 1^st in GIR
  • Hideki Matsuyama (2^nd): 16^th in SG: Approach / 15^th in GIR
  • Sepp Straka (5^th): 1^st in SG: Approach / 12^th in GIR

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Phoenix Open (TPC Scottsdale)

TPC Scottsdale is another spacious course where long hitters have enjoyed plenty of success. It ranks closely to Memorial Park in each of the tee-to-green components and has bermudagrass greens overseeded with poa trivialis, which are often surrounded by short grass.

Notable correlating form:

• Tony Finau: Houston (1^st, 2^nd) / Phoenix (2^nd)
• Carlos Ortiz: Houston (1^st) / Phoenix (4^th)
• Hideki Matsuyama: Houston (2^nd) / Phoenix (1^st, 1^st)
• Gary Woodland: Houston (2^nd) / Phoenix (1^st)
• Thomas Detry: Houston (2^nd) / Phoenix (1^st)
• Alex Noren: Houston (4^th) / Phoenix (6^th)
• Brooks Koepka: Houston (5^th) / Phoenix (1^st, 1^st)
• Sam Burns: Houston (7^th, 7^th) / Phoenix (3^rd, 6^th)
• Robert Streb: Houston (7^th) / Phoenix (10^th)

Rocket Classic (Detroit Golf Club)

Possessing wide fairways that lack punishment for inaccuracy, Detroit Golf Club is favoured by bombers and has developed strong crossover form with this week's host. In addition, players are required to hit a high percentage of approaches from over 200 yards.

Notable correlating form:

• Tony Finau: Houston (1^st, 2^nd) / Rocket (1^st)
• Min Woo Lee: Houston (1^st) / Rocket (2^nd)
• Stephan Jaeger: Houston (1^st) / Rocket (5^th)
• Taylor Moore: Houston (2^nd) / Rocket (4^th, 6^th)
• Alex Noren: Houston (4^th) / Rocket (4^th)
• Taylor Pendrith: Houston (5^th) / Rocket (2^nd)
• Wyndham Clark: Houston (5^th) / Rocket (8^th)
• Aaron Rai: Houston (7^th, 7^th) / Rocket (2^nd)
• Adam Hadwin: Houston (7^th) / Rocket (2^nd, 4^th)
• Max Greyserman: Houston (7^th) / Rocket (2^nd)
• Cameron Tringale: Houston (7^th) / Rocket (5^th)

Mexico Open (Vidanta Vallarta)

Vidanta Vallarta is another generous driving course, where the roomy fairways, which are forgiving to errant tee shots, help deliver power-packed leaderboards. Furthermore, the long irons are vital, with over 60% of approaches in 2025 coming from above 175 yards.

Notable correlating form:

• Tony Finau: Houston (1^st, 2^nd) / Mexico (1^st, 2^nd)
• Stephan Jaeger: Houston (1^st) / Mexico (3^rd, 6^th)
• Alejandro Tosti: Houston (2^nd, 5^th) / Mexico (10^th, 10^th)
• Ben Taylor: Houston (3^rd) / Mexico (8^th)
• Sami Valimaki: Houston (4^th) / Mexico (2^nd)
• Alex Smalley: Houston (4^th) / Mexico (6^th, 10^th)
• Joel Dahmen: Houston (5^th) / Mexico (6^th)
• Aaron Rai: Houston (7^th, 7^th) / Mexico (4^th)

Cognizant Classic (PGA National)

With loosely tree-lined fairways of average width that have become more lenient in recent years, the demands off-the-tee at PGA National mirror what we see at Memorial Park. This has allowed these two venues to strike up some eye-catching correlating form.

Notable correlating form:

• Min Woo Lee: Houston (1^st) / Cognizant (2^nd)
• Taylor Moore: Houston (2^nd) / Cognizant (2^nd)
• Gary Woodland: Houston (2^nd) / Cognizant (2^nd)
• Ben Taylor: Houston (3^rd) / Cognizant (5^th)
• Alex Noren: Houston (4^th) / Cognizant (3^rd, 5^th)
• Sepp Straka: Houston (5^th) / Cognizant (1^st)
• Brooks Koepka: Houston (5^th) / Cognizant (2^nd)
• Wyndham Clark: Houston (5^th) / Cognizant (7^th)
• Mackenzie Hughes: Houston (7^th, 10^th) / Cognizant (2^nd)

Myrtle Beach Classic (Dunes Golf & Beach Club)

Despite the reasonably narrow fairways, the leaderboards at each renewal of the Myrtle Beach Classic have been bomber heavy. The limited rough at Dunes Golf & Beach Club plays a part in that, allowing contenders to take driver throughout. With bermudagrass greens that are similar in difficulty and size, and which are also frequently accessed by shots above 175 yards, it can provide clues as to potential performers this week.

Notable correlating form:

• Alex Smalley: Houston (4^th) / Myrtle Beach (5^th)
• Sami Valimaki: Houston (4^th) / Myrtle Beach (7^th)
• Mackenzie Hughes: Houston (7^th, 10^th) / Myrtle Beach (2^nd)

THE FIELD

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler heads a decent field in Houston, which includes 20 of the world's top 50. Chris Gotterup (No. 10) is the next highest-ranking player and the only other participant from inside the top 10.

Min Woo Lee is back to defend, and he is one of just four former winners in attendance, joined by Stephan Jaeger (2024), Tony Finau (2023), and Adam Scott (2007).

Will Zalatoris returns from a minor ankle injury that forced him to withdraw from the Cognizant Classic. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka – who acted a player consultant on the 2019 renovation of Memorial Park – plays in the event for the first time since 2021.

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Scottie Scheffler 10/3, Chris Gotterup 16/1, Min Woo Lee 18/1, Brooks Koepka 22/1, Jake Knapp 22/1

2.5 pts Min Woo Lee each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 18/1

Arriving here in even better form than 12 months ago, I'm taking Min Woo Lee to successfully defend his Houston Open title. He's gaining strokes through the bag this season and having particularly caught the eye with his upgraded approach play, he looks primed to go close.

Min Woo ended last year back home in Australia, finishing 5^th at the Aussie PGA Championship and 14^th at the Aussie Open. Hitting the top 40 in each of his six PGA Tour starts in 2026 – including top-10s of 2^nd at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and 6^th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational – it's been more of the same this year.

As you'd expect, he's excelling with the driver, ranking 7^th in SG: OTT and 13^th in driving distance, and his deft touch around the greens also remains a strength, sitting 23^rd in SG: ATG. That said, it's his irons that have been most encouraging, improving from 139^th and 166^th in SG: Approach over the previous two years to 77^th this season, with particular quality shown from 175-200 yards, where he ranks 17^th.

This profile appeared an ideal fit for Memorial Park in 2025 and that proved to be the case, as he took a three-shot lead into the final round before eventually winning by one on Sunday.

His enhanced iron play alongside being in greater control of the driver means he's in stronger shape this time around, and with that stellar short game a huge plus in the potentially firmer conditions, expect Min Woo to thrive again in Houston.

1.25 pts Wyndham Clark each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 45/1

Although his form figures don’t necessarily show it, Wyndham Clark has been playing some solid golf in 2026. He’s hitting his irons well, has looked tidy around the greens, and, with him likely to get away with the occasional wayward drive around here, I like his chances of a strong week at Memorial Park.

Clark finished 13^th at The AmEx on his first appearance of the season but hasn’t managed to build on that. Having said that, his narrow missed cut in last week’s Valspar Championship was his first in seven starts this season, and, showing quality in all areas across those first two rounds, I’m confident he can bounce back.

The American’s impressive major-winning 2023 season was engineered by quality iron play, and after suffering a dip in form with the clubs last year, his displays in 2026 offer plenty of promise. He ranks 27^th in SG: Approach and has been especially dialled in with his long irons, sitting 6^th from 175-200 yards.

His case is strengthened by a decent short game, ranking 40^th in SG: ATG, whilst this big hitter (currently placed 35^th in driving distance) has also started to find more fairways in recent outings.

Clark missed the cut here on debut in 2020 but has made each of his last four cuts, producing a standout effort of 5^th last year. With top-10s at the Cognizant Classic, Rocket Classic, and Phoenix Open providing added encouragement, the 2023 U.S. Open champ has much in his favour for a big week.

1 pt Stephan Jaeger each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 55/1

Playing the best golf of anyone over the weekend of the Valspar Championship, I’m keen to have 2024 Houston Open winner Stephan Jaeger onside. He’s finished no worse than 35^th here, and with his irons catching fire in those final two rounds at Innisbrook, he looks well placed to contend again.

Jaeger began the season positively, finishing 5^th at the Farmers Insurance Open on his second start. A 28^th-place finish in Phoenix was another solid effort, but he’d gone cold in three appearances prior to last week.

Opening with rounds of 71-72, the German was slow to get going at the Copperhead Course. However, an eight-under par weekend fired him into 7^th place at the close of play on Sunday, securing his second top-10 of the season.

He did everything well in the second half of the event, but I was especially impressed with his iron play on Saturday, ranking 1^st in GIR and 5^th in SG: Approach. That was all the more significant considering his generally underwhelming displays in this area in 2026. If he can maintain that, combining it with his top-40 rankings in SG: ATG and driving distance, he’s sure to challenge.

After debuting in 35^th position here in 2021, Jaeger finished 9^th (2022) and 11^th (2025) either side of his 2024 victory. This course form is striking in isolation, but when added to results of 3^rd and 6^th in Mexico and 5^th at the Rocket Classic, he’s also got the comp form to boot.

1 pt Sahith Theegala each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 55/1

Following a bright start to the 2026 season, Sahith Theegala’s missed cut in the Valspar Championship came as a real surprise. That said, I’m happy to forgive anyone an off week, and now out to what looks a big price relating to his talent and overall play this year, I’m backing him to respond.

Last week’s missed cut was Theegala’s first of the campaign – one in which he’d only finished outside the top 40 once in eight previous appearances. He’s picked up three top-10s over that time, most recently finishing 6^th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational three weeks ago.

His irons were disappointing at Innisbrook, but he was hitting them well prior to that, ranking inside the top 15 in SG: Approach across his last six starts. The short game is thriving, ranking 22^nd in scrambling and 30^th in SG: ATG, and although the driver is still unreliable, he’ll appreciate the forgiving nature of these fairways.

Theegala has teed it up at Memorial Park on four occasions, never missing a cut and recording a best of 22^nd in 2022. Having twice finished inside the top five at the Phoenix Open – 3^rd in 2022 and 5^th in 2024 – I’m certain he’s capable of a similarly top-class performance in Houston.

1 pt Steven Fisk each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 150/1

Rounding off my quintet of selections is strong tee-to-green performer Steven Fisk. He hasn’t hit top gear in 2026, but there have been positive signs in his most recent starts. As a lengthy hitter with a steady short game who excels with his long irons, this is the ideal week for him to kickstart the season.

Fisk ended his rookie 2025 season with a victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship – another course that fails to severely punish inaccurate driving. He started the new campaign with three missed cuts, though he did follow that by making his next three.

While again missing out on weekend golf at the Copperhead Course he did so only by one, responding to a three-over 74 in round one with a one-under 70 on Friday.

Every part of his game has shown sparks of life, though he hasn’t yet managed to put it all together like he did last year. His ranking of 21^st in SG: Tee-to-Green in 2025 was a serious eye-catcher for a first-time player on tour, and with further rankings 6^th in GIR, 21^st in SG: OTT, 29^th in driving distance, and 33^rd in SG: ATG, he appears tailormade for Memorial Park.

That didn’t quite work out 12 months ago, as he missed the cut. However, in shooting a three-under 67 in round two, he clearly got the hang of the layout by the end. Alongside top-20s on his first starts at the Mexico Open and Myrtle Beach Classic, I believe that this is a suitable setup for Fisk.