Texas Open 2025 FRL Tips: Akshay to Bhatia the field on Thursday?

There looks to be no significant draw bias on show on Thursday at the Texas Open but Jamie Worsley is still hoping to find us a first round leader winner.

He previews the opening round and gives his thoughts on the players who he feels have a good chance of getting off to a flying start. Check out his Texas Open 2025 FRL Tips below.

Texas Open Odds

The forecast for the opening round of this week’s Texas Open is a pleasant one, with bright and warm conditions predicted throughout Thursday at TPC San Antonio.

A gentle and consistent 7mph breeze won’t cause any problems and although it’s predicted to be a touch gustier in the afternoon, it shouldn’t be enough to trigger a significant draw bias. This is in-keeping with recent history here, as the last nine first-round leaders have been split fairly evenly between AM and PM tee times, with four teeing off in the morning and five in the afternoon.

That should enable us to pick freely across tomorrow’s tee times and I’ve selected two from each wave.

1 pt Akshay Bhatia each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1

Start time: 13:14

Akshay Bhatia took the early lead here from a similar tee time on his way to victory last year and arriving in great form this week, I’m backing him to record consecutive first-round leads in the Texas Open.

Bhatia has had three top-10 finishes across his last four starts, including an excellent 3^rd in THE PLAYERS Championship when we last saw him. An event in which he gained strokes in all areas.

He made a good start there, opening with a five-under 67 to sit 4^th after the opening round. That was the sixth time in eight starts that he’s started with an under-par round this season, and he ranks 15^th in this field in round one scoring.

Bhatia opened with a superb 63 in this event in 2025 and with conditions similarly benign this time around, he can begin his week with another low one at TPC San Antonio.

Golf Odds

1 pt Denny McCarthy each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1

Start time: 08:15

Up next is the man Bhatia beat in the playoff last year, Denny McCarthy. He’s been playing golf to a similarly high standard as his compatriot this season and possessing a good record at TPC San Antonio prior to his runner-up finish in 2025, the course is clearly a good fit.

McCarthy hasn’t missed a cut across his eight starts this season and has hit the top 20 on five occasions, recording a best of 5^th in the Genesis Invitational.

He’s been strong both in approach and putting, ranking inside the top 10 in this field in both areas. Meanwhile, the positive results have often been engineered by fast starts, ranking 7^th in round one scoring and he has twice held the first-round lead, which came thanks to a 64 in the Sony Open and a 68 in the Genesis Invitational.

McCarthy recorded two top 20s across his first four trips to this course but improved considerably last year, finishing 2^nd. He’s also started strong in the last two, sitting 4^th after the opening round in 2022 and 2024, and having finished with a 63 last year, there is more than enough evidence that he had the scoring power to take the first-round lead here.

0.5 pts Eric Cole each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 90/1

Start time: 07:20

Eric Cole has rediscovered some form in his last two starts and as a player not afraid to go low on day one, he made plenty of appeal in this market.

Cole began the season solidly, finishing 5^th in the Sony Open on his second start. However, he entered the Valspar Championship two weeks ago having missed four of his previous five cuts, but he turned his fortunes around there, finishing 12^th and backed that up with a 15^th-place finish in Houston. With both of those efforts a result of a return to form in approach and putting.

He's fired six rounds in the 60s across those two starts, which includes opening with a 66 to sit 6^th after 18 holes last week. Prior to that, he shot two strokes better in the Sony Open earlier in the year to tie the first-round lead.

Cole missed the cut here last year but arrives in better form this time around. A second-round 67 on his debut in 2023 does offer promise in regard to this market and if his irons and putter are in as good shape as they’ve looked the last two weeks, he can hit the top of the leaderboard on Thursday.

0.5 pts Trey Mullinax each-way (1/4 0- 5 places) @ 90/1

Start time: 12:30

Trey Mullinax holds the 18-hole course record at TPC San Antonio and having narrowly missed out on the first-round lead for us in Houston last week, he looks worth another go in this event.

Mullinax has made his last three cuts in a row, among which he recorded a second top 20 of the season in the Puerto Rico Open. He arrives here after finishing 39^th in Houston but he began that event with three rounds of 67 or better to sit 6^th entering the final round, showing that he is in good scoring form.

He went into last week off the back of his best first-round performance of the season in THE PLAYERS Championship on his previous start, where he shot a four-under 68 to sit 8^th after 18 holes. He then followed that by opening with a 66 to sit 6^th at the end of day one last week.

Mullinax has missed the cut on four of his five visits to TPC San Antonio, but he did finish an excellent 2^nd in 2018. That was a result aided by his course-record setting 62 in round three and I’m hoping he can channel some of that same energy into tomorrow’s first round.

You can find all Jamie's latest Golf Betting Tips over on our dedicated golf Insights hub.