Texas Open 2026 FRL Tips: Three to start fast on Thursday

| Wednesday 1st April 2026, 11:52am

Wednesday 1st April 2026, 11:52am

The final pre-Masters event begins tomorrow at TPC San Antonio, and with blustery, potentially stormy conditions expected, the morning starters could take the early advantage at the Valero Texas Open.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is here with three picks he fancies to take advantage in his Texas Open 2026 FRL Betting Tips, which you can check out below...

Texas Open 2026 FRL Tips

1 pt Maverick McNealy each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1
0.75 pts Andrew Novak each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1
0.75 pts William Mouw each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 70/1

*odds correct at time of publication

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

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

Beginning at 7.30am, the first wave will tee off in cloudy but warm (22°C) weather, and for much of the morning there will also be a steady 8-10mph breeze. As temperatures rise for the second half of the draw, reaching highs of 29°C, wind speeds will also increase, blowing at 13-17mph and gusting at upwards of 20mph.

Both sides of the draw could also witness a passing thunderstorm, each bringing around 5mm of rain, but with those windier afternoon conditions, the advantage looks to lie with the AM tee times. With that, I’ve selected three players from that part of the draw in this first-round leader market.

1 pt Maverick McNealy each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1

Start time: 8.18am

Arriving as the strongest round one performer in the field in 2026, Maverick McNealy is my first selection. He recorded a career-best 3^rd-place finish at TPC San Antonio 12 months ago and, gaining strokes right through the bag, he’s primed for a fast start in Texas.

McNealy has missed just one cut in seven appearances this year and has finished no worse than 32^nd in the other six, going best when 10^th at the Farmers Insurance Open. He ranks 6^th in this field in SG: Total and has particularly excelled with the driver, sitting 14^th in SG: Off-the-Tee.

His results have been littered with low scores, including a nine-under 63 at Pebble Beach. Having sat inside the top 20 after round one in all seven starts, many of these rounds have come on Thursday, which was again evident on his latest outing, as he shot a five-under 67 to share the first-round lead at TPC Sawgrass.

McNealy was 35^th on his Texas Open debut in 2022 and after placing 57^th in 2024, he returned to finish an excellent 3^rd last year. That position was engineered by a strong start, opening with a four-under 68 to sit 6^th after 18 holes and, with his third-round 67 in 2022 rating as the joint-best score of that day, he clearly has the ability to find a low one tomorrow.

Valero Texas Open - 1st Round Leader

Maverick McNealy

40/1

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

0.75 pts Andrew Novak each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

Start time: 8.42am

Having achieved finishes of 3^rd and 9^th during the last three editions of this event, Andrew Novak knows how to get it around TPC San Antonio. He’s played solidly enough this year without quite setting the world alight but, after producing one of his best tee-to-green displays of the season at the Valspar Championship two weeks ago, he may be coming into form at the perfect time.

After a missed cut at The AmEx, Novak was 7^th at Torrey Pines on his second appearance of 2026. Though he’s failed to crack the top 30 since, there were huge positives to take from his 55^th-place finish at the Copperhead Course last time out, where he drove the ball better than anyone and ranked 4^th in SG: Tee-to-Green.

He enjoyed his best start of the campaign at Pebble Beach, opening with a seven-under 65 to crack the top 10 on day one. Meanwhile, his wider first-round form is strong, ranking 13^th in this field across the last 12 months.

Novak missed the cut on his first stab at the course in 2022 but improved considerably the following year, finishing 9^th. He stepped it up again last year to finish 3^rd and, beginning that event with a four-under 68 to end round one in 6^th place, he can draw on the experience to again threaten the top of the leaderboard.

Valero Texas Open - 1st Round Leader

Andrew Novak

60/1

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

0.75 pts William Mouw each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 70/1

Start time: 8.08am

Last up is youngster William Mouw, for whom things are finally clicking after a slow start to the season. He impressed on his Texas Open debut in 2025, and with two first-round top-10s over his last three outings, he’s in great shape to contend in this market.

Mouw began the year with a 71^st-place finish at the Sony Open and failed to find any rhythm thereafter, missing three cuts on the spin to follow. He turned his game around at the Cognizant Classic, finishing 6^th, and he has backed that up with finishes of 24^th at THE PLAYERS Championship and 44^th at the Houston Open.

He’s driven it excellently for the most part this season, ranking inside the top 25 in both distance and accuracy. However, his upturn in form has come off the back of much improved displays in approach and on the greens.

Those enhancements were on show when Mouw fired rounds of 68 and 69 to finish round one inside the top 10 at both the Cognizant Classic and THE PLAYERS Championship. With a 33^rd-place finish at TPC San Antonio on debut last year providing added encouragement, he can secure another quick start in Texas.

Valero Texas Open - 1st Round Leader

William Mouw

70/1

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.