Texas Children’s Houston Open 2026: DFS and Betting Preview

March 25, 2026

After a great comeback win for Matt Fitzpatrick at the Valspar, the PGA Tour heads to Texas for one of the final tune-ups before Augusta as the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open returns to Memorial Park Golf Course (March 26–29). With a strong field led by defending champ Min Woo Lee, this event offers a perfect blend of betting value and DFS upside.

Tournament Overview

Event: Houston Open

Dates: March 26-29, 2026

Course: Memorial Park Golf Course

Location: Houston, Texas

Par: 70

Yardage: 7,475 yards

Field: ~144 PGA Tour players

Purse: $9.9M

FedExCup Points: 500 to winner

Course Breakdown: Memorial Park Golf Course

Par: 70

Yardage: 7,475 yards

Location: Houston, Texas

Designer: John Bredemus (renovated by Tom Doak)

Course Characteristics

Memorial Park is one of the most unique municipal courses on the PGA Tour—and it plays tougher than your average par 70.

👉Wide fairways → encourages aggressive driving

👉Long layout → favors distance off the tee

👉Challenging green complexes → premium on approach + scrambling

👉Minimal rough but difficult surrounds → missed greens = trouble

This course has developed a reputation as a “mini major-style test” where par is often a good score.

Key Stats

Strokes Gained: Off the Tee

Strokes Gained: Approach

Bogey Avoidance

Around-the-Green Play

Par 4 Scoring (450+ yards)

Winning Profile

Based on recent leaderboards and course setup:

✅Elite ball strikers

✅Long hitters who can club down strategically

✅Players with strong scrambling ability

✅Golfers comfortable in major-like conditions

👎Golfers who stuggle here include short hitters, poor scramblers, and volatile putters who rely on birdie streaks

🧐Comparable courses: Augusta National (prep event vibes), Torrey Pines, Bay Hill

Looking Back

The Houston Open dates back to 1946, when Byron Nelson defeated Ben Hogan.

Recent Winners

2025: Min Woo Lee (first PGA Tour win)

2024: Stephan Jaeger

2022: Tony Finau

2021: Jason Kokrak

📈Trend: Winners here are often elite tee-to-green players peaking before Augusta.

The Purse

Mid tier $9,900,000

Weather Forecast

Temps: Low–mid 70s

Winds: 10–18 mph (typical Texas breeze)

Rain: Possible scattered storms, especially Friday

🔎Weather Edge

Morning wave could have advantage if storms hit

Wind + soft conditions = longer course → favors bombers

Our Favorite Golfers This Week (DraftKings pricing and odds)

2 weeks before the Masters and every golfer not already qualified is trying to get that win to play at Augusta, we will provide a longer Dark Horse candidate list than normal

Top Picks T15 or better

Chris Gotterup ($9,800 DFS; +2050 to win)

Paired with his hot start this year, finishing 18^th here last year, and his strokes gained off the tee and around the green there is a reason he is one of the front runners to win this week. OWGR #10 should see his name on the first page of the leaderboard on Sunday.

Brooks Koepka ($9,600 DFS; +2400 to win)

It’s been awhile since Koepka played this event but he’s on his redemption tour coming back to the PGA and picking up a lot of events he wouldn’t have played a few years ago. He finished 5^th here in 2021, and has finished T9, T13, and T18 this year so far. He hasn’t been as accurate as we would expect off the tee this year, but his strokes gained approach to green is ranked #1 on tour this year his game matches this course well.

Rickie Fowler ($9,400 DFS; +2700 to win)

We are seeing a bit of a resurgence from Fowler this year. This is by far his most consistent start to a year in some time only finishing outside the top-30 once which was a T42 at The Players Championship where the weather got the best of many good golfers that weekend. He hasn’t played this event in about 5 years but his strokes gained approach to green, off the tee, and putting make him a solid bet to finish in the top-15 with a chance to take it home.

Min Woo Lee ($9,900 DFS; +1500 to win)

Min Woo the favorite this week has played this event once which was last year at won. He’s playing well this year making every cut and not finishing outside the top-40. He has a T2, T6, and T12. This course benefits his game as well which is obvious with his 100% win rate here.

Fade - Outside of top 15

Sam Burns ($9,700 DFS; +2350 to win)

This course requires elite ball strikers with a strong ability to scramble and this year Burns has not shown that. He does have good success here with 2 7^th place finishes, but in 2021 and 2022 his ball striking was far better than this year. OWGR #33 has a game better suited for other courses. We are down on him this year and believe he will be competing in many events the rest of the year.

Ben Griffin ($8,800 DFS; +3200 to win)

Griffin has played a pretty packed schedule to start the year and fatigue might be setting in. He made the 1^st 5 cuts and has missed the last 3. He’s made all 3 cuts at this event but has consistently been a top-25 guy and failing to reach the top-15. He will only compete this week if he can find his tee shot because his strokes gained around the green is elite ranked #14 on tour this year.

Harris English ($8,900 DFS; +3700 to win)

English has made both cuts here with an 18^th place finish last year. However so far this year in the 7 events hes played he has failed to finish in the top-20. His strokes gained off the tee and putting can save him this week, but he has been VERY below average with strokes gained approach to green and around the green. OWGR #20 doesn’t pass the eye test or the stat test this week to realistically compete.

Wyndham Clark ($8,300 DFS; +4800 to win)

Clark has struggled to really find his game this year. He’s made 6/7 cuts but besides his T13 in his first event his finishes haven’t been better than T35. The only saving grace Clark can find this week his plenty experience at this event and a 5^th place finish last year. His season and his stats don’t fit the mold this year and good golfers having a bad year isn’t uncommon. We hope he finds his game. Since the end of 2023 when he peaked at #10 on OWGR he has dropped 62 spots and now sits at #72.

Dark Horse - outright winner to top 15

Gary Woodland ($7,400 DFS; +9400 to win) 

Any golf fan is rooting for Woodland to get back to the best version of himself on the course because he is already a great person off of it. He has been off of many peoples radars due to him being away from the game for some time since 2023 when they found a lesion on his brain which required surgery. It’s good to see him back playing a full start to the year and growing pains are expected. He is only 3 for 7 cuts made this year but finished T14 last week. He also has a strong history here making 3 of 4 cuts with a 2^nd (last year), 21^st, and 9^th.

Tony Finau ($7,600 DFS; +6600 to win)

Finau got out of the gates slow missing 3 of his first 4 cuts, but since then has finished 18^th twice, T28, and a T70. His game has been progressing closer to his normal form throughout the year and it’s a good strategy to ride a hot hand gearing up for a major with the history he has here. In 5 events here he has missed one gut in 2022 and has finished 1^st, 2^nd, 24^th, and 32^nd. His ability to hit with great distance off the tee will shorten the course and play well to his strengths this year in strokes gained around the green and approach to the green.

Ryan Fox ($7,400 DFS; +6700 to win)

Fox so far on the PGA has made all 4 cuts and his finishes look like it’s football season. 3 times he’s finished T24 and a T7. He’s a well rounded golfer and finished 15^th here last year. We believe he is worth a look this week. He does get overlooked especially early in the season because he plays more DP Tour events than others.

Patrick Rogers ($7,600 DFS; +6700 to win)

The 33 year old is off to his best start of any season of recent memory since turning pro in 2014. He’s played all 9 events this year making all 9 cuts. A poor 3^rd or 4^th round performance is usually the reason he finishes on average in the top-35/40 but he does have a 3^rd, T11, and T24 this year. His stroked gained approach to green make him enticing this week but he is a dark horse for a reason. He has the game to compete here and has shown finishing 16^th previously, but that also comes with a 52^nd and 74^th.

William Mouw ($6,900 DFS; +12000 to win)

Mouw is not a well known golfer and only turned pro in 2023. In his young career he has very much been a hit or miss golfer. Last year he made 14 of 24 cuts but 50% of the made cuts resulted in top-25 finish with 1 win and 3 top-10 overall. This year is more of the same with 3 of 6 cuts made but comes in with a hot hand finished T6 and T24 in his last 2 events. This course sets up well for his game as his strengths are strokes gained off the tee, approach to the green, and putting.

Pierceson Coody ($8,000 DFS; +4800 to win)

The grandson of former Masters winner Charles Coody and Texas native sits at OWGR #51 which is 1 spot off of a spot at the Masters. Came out of the gate strong with 4 straight top-25 finishes including a T2, T10, and T13 but has cooled off his last 3 events missing the cut twice. While we stated riding a hot hand earlier is beneficial so is a golfer in a mild slump getting a little home cooking fighting to make the family proud and qualifying for the Masters in 2 weeks. He ranks 38^th in strokes gained approach to green and 31^st in strokes gained off the tee which are 2 big attributes for this course. He’s made the cut here twice but with less than appealing finishes outside the top-50, but in those events the previous 2 years his game had not nearly reflected what it has this year.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju ($7,200 DFS; +9400 to win)

Not a well known golfer in his 1^st year on the PGA Tour but he is quickly becoming one. He’s made 6 of 7 cuts this year with a top-5, top-10, and top-25. Yellamaraju doesn’t rank outside the top 36 in all strokes gained states besides around the green and his early career performances at some of the harder courses and more daunting crowds has been solid all around.

Stephan Jaeger ($7,800 DFS; +5700 to win)

OWGR #100 he has great history at this event. All 4 cuts made finishing 1^st, 9^th, 11^th, and 35^th. Coming off a T7 finish last week there is a reason he performs well here. He ranks 34^th in driving distance and 37^th in strokes gained around the green. A recipe for success at this course and event.

DFS Picks by tier: We are breaking out a new segment this week and moving forward leaning hard into DFS. We will give a breakdown in pricing tiers and how we believe they should be used. If a player in a tier isn’t mentioned we believe they are over priced, and if it’s way off they will be mentioned.

$10k+ tier:

Since Scheffler has WD there are no golfers priced at $10,000 or over

$9k tier:

Min Woo Lee $9,900, Chris Gotterup $9,800, Brooks Koepka $9,600, Rickie Fowler $9,400

With Scheffler WD who was the only 10k tier golfers and WELL over at $14,800 it puts us in a position to either make two lineups with two $9k golfers each or decide on three of the four. They are all mentioned above in our top picks section and for good reasons. All four have either great history here or are having great seasons with stats the match the course well. It’s hard to predict a four day sporting event but from what we see there isn’t a wrong mix here.

$8k tier:

Pierceson Coody $8,000

For all reasons above he is a little pricey overall but for all things mentioned above being the lowest end of this tier with only eleven others leaves room for two $9k tier golfers.

$7k tier:

This is where your contests will most likely be won or lost.

👉There is a ton of potential value within this tier and some to filter out.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju $7,200, Gary Woodland $7,400, Patrick Rodgers $7,600, Stephan Jaeger $7,800

We discuss these golfers more throughout the article, and each golfer listed above will find their way into our lineups, but Yellamaraju and Jaeger are probably the two we would want the most exposure to in this tier

$6k or less tier:

Zachary Bauchou $6,500

Not a very well known golfer but has made 7 of 8 cuts this year with three top-25 finishes with the most impressive being a T13 at the American Express. Not great off the tee but Bauchou can hit it long enough for his strokes gained approach to green and around the green to bail him out.

Chandler Blanchet $6,800

He missed the first five cuts of the year but in his last two has finished 2^nd and T18. Bargain buy if you filled your budget elsewhere but what makes him appealing is ranking 15^th in driving accuracy and 43^rd in strokes gained approaching the green.

Billy Horschel $6,800

Not off to a great start this year and not currently eligible for the Masters. Horschel is a seasoned veteran golfer. He has only played this event once which was in ’24 and finished 7^th. He probably added this to try and win outright or boost his ranking before next week which is the final chance to qualify for the PGAs first major.

William Mouw $6,900

To avoid being redundant he has a full write up under our dark horse picks for this week. He should absolutely be considered for your lineup.

Our One-and-Done Picks

Collin – Ryan Fox

Frank – Min Woo Lee

That’s it for this week. Check back Wednesday for our Valero Texas Open preview and follow us on our new X account @FTO_picks and @FTO_Fun. Always feel free to reach out in the comments or over on X. We are always happy to talk golf with you!

*This preview does not represent our final betting picks for this event. For our full set of picks, check out our Game Picks section!

**Odds accurate at time of posting.