Houston Open 2026 FRL Tips: Four to get hot in Lone Star State

The Houston Open begins tomorrow at Memorial Park Golf Course, and with blustery afternoon conditions on the way, the morning wave should have the advantage on day one.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is here with four picks he fancies to start fast in his Houston Open 2026 FRL Betting Tips, which you can check out below...

You can read Jamie's full Houston Open Preview here..

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Teeing off at 7.20am, the early starters will be welcomed by pleasantly bright and warm weather, with temperatures rising to 25°C by midday. This will continue throughout the day. Although players out in the AM will only encounter a mild 8mph breeze, those who begin in the afternoon will have to deal with constant wind speeds of 11-12mph, gusting at up to 25mph.

This, along with those high temperatures, means the course is also likely to get firmer as the day progresses, handing the morning tee times the upper hand. With that, I’ve selected four players from the first-half of the draw on Thursday.

1 pt Harry Hall each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 45/1

Start time: 8.04am

Having got better with each appearance at Memorial Park, my first selection is England’s Harry Hall. This short-game expert has made a strong start to the season, and with his irons also looking solid of late, he can roll in some early birdies before that wind rises in the afternoon.

Hall finished 6^th at the Sony Open to begin the year and has secured three further top-25s in six subsequent outings, including a 9^th-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

His short game is elite – ranking 6^th in this field SG: Around-the-Greens and 14^th in SG: Putting – and he also sits inside the top 30 in SG: Approach across the last month. Whilst he hasn’t quite got it going in round one this year, he does rank 5^th in first-round performance over the last 12 months, sharing the lead after 18 holes at both the Sony Open and Mexico Open in 2025.

Hall finished 39^th here on debut in 2023 and has improved on each visit since. He was 28^th in 2024 and having closed with a five-under 65 to finish 18^th last year, he arrives with his lowest ever round fresh in the memory.

1 pt Max Greyserman each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 55/1

Start time: 7.31am

With his length and tidy short game, Max Greyserman was part of my thinking in the outright betting. He didn’t quite make it there, but with some fast starts under his belt of late, I’m keen to get him onside in this market.

Greyserman was slow to get going this season, though prior to his missed cut at THE PLAYERS Championship, he reeled off finishes of 37^th at Pebble Beach, 24^th at the Genesis Invitational, and 18^th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in consecutive outings.

He’s putting well, ranking 21^st in this field over the last three months and is also gaining strokes in approach and around the greens. In addition, his first-round performances have been strong, going particularly well when opening with an eight-under 64 to sit 3^rd after round one of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Greyserman shot a 67 on day one of his debut here in 2024, and following with three further rounds in the 60s to finish 7^th, he certainly knows what it takes to score in Houston.

1 pt Jesper Svensson each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

Start time: 9.10am

Jesper Svensson’s third-round 63 was the fourth-best round of the week at Memorial Park last year. He’s driving the ball strongly and with three first-round top-20s across his last four appearances, expect the Swede to fly out of the blocks tomorrow.

Svensson has been inconsistent in 2026, but it’s noticeable how his best efforts have come on courses where you hit driver throughout, finishing 24^th at the Qatar Masters and 8^th at the Puerto Rico Open.

He ranks 22^nd in this field in SG: Tee-to-Green and alongside being the second-longest hitter, he’s also 25^th in SG: Off-the-Tee. Furthermore, he’s been starting well since the end of 2025, sitting 16^th in first-round scoring over the last six months, most recently ending round one of the Puerto Rico Open in 3^rd place after a five-under 67.

Svensson took to this venue right away 12 months ago, shooting rounds of 67, 69 and 63 to enter the final round sat in 6^th position. That 63 is hugely encouraging and combined with his recent quick starts, he’s primed to lead on Thursday.

0.75 pts Jhonattan Vegas each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 125/1

Start time: 8.04am

Going three-under after six holes, Jhonny Vegas was well on his way to threatening the first-round lead at TPC Sawgrass two weeks ago. His round unravelled after he took a seven on the famous par-3 17^th, though with some solid efforts around this course and a recent top-five in round one, I’m taking him to hit the top of the leaderboard tomorrow.

Vegas missed his opening two cuts of the season and looked no better when 78^th at Pebble Beach, but he finally started to show improvements at Riviera, finishing 44^th. He kicked on at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he was 18^th, and although he missed the cut at THE PLAYERS, there was little to cause concern.

He’s driven it solidly all year and has also begun to find form with his irons and putter. Meanwhile, as his results have progressed so have his first-round displays, shooting a two-under 69 to sit 14^th after 18 holes at Riviera, before then firing a five-under 67 to finish round one in 4^th place at Bay Hill.

Vegas has missed just one cut in four Memorial Park appearances, recording his highest finish of 26^th in 2021 – an event in which he was 2^nd entering the final round. His closing 65 in 2024 provides added reason for optimism and when combined this early start time, I fancy him to be among the leaders on day one.

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