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TourPicks ranks his top-10 PGA Tour players to watch for at the 2025 Texas Children's Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course. Insights on the top-10 golfers for the week and reasons why they are primed to win.
After putting a bow on an electric swing through Florida, the PGA Tour makes a couple of stops in Texas before taking the trip down Magnolia Lane for The Masters in a few weeks time. This tournament has really grown on my through the years, with last season being no exception as Stephan Jaeger was up to the task of taking down a red hot Scottie Scheffler in Texas to win his first career PGA Tour event.
I have carefully evaluated the players to project proper course fits and looked into how they are performing in the categories that matter the most, specifically at the challenging Memorial Park Golf Course. Let's dive right into my Top-10 Power Rankings for the 2025 Texas Children's Houston Open:
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No. 10 - Taylor Pendrith
- #1 ranked player in the field in SG: OTT over the past 36 rounds played.
- Pendrith is a bomber who typically thrives on these kind of layouts where pure power and carry distance OTT are of heightened importance.
- He won in Texas last summer at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and has bettered his finishing result in each of the past three years at Memorial Park.
No. 9 - Stephan Jaeger
- Defending Champion at the Houston Open and finished T9 in his previous appearance at this course in 2022.
- Has flirted around on the first page of several leaderboards this season including the Sony Open, Mexico Open, and most recently at The PLAYERS.
- Jaeger hits it very high and has continued to improve his ball speed numbers. If he can hit his irons anything like he did at TPC Sawgrass (+5.1 approach)...then watch out!
Stephan Jaeger wins the Houston Open 🇩🇪
• 34 years old
• 6 time winner on the KFT
• $6mn in PGA Tour career earnings from 134 events
• $1.6mn in Houston this weekBecomes the 5th player to win for the first time on the PGA Tour this season.
— Mark Fox (@ThePluggedLie) March 31, 2024
No. 8 - Si Woo Kim
- Si Woo Kim is one of the most underrated chippers on the PGA Tour. He's been a massive gainer in three consecutive tournaments Around-the-green and was +4.5 in Houston last year.
- Ranks 5th in the field in SG: Total on courses with overseeded fairways, which provides players with exceptional turf conditions and great lies to hit their irons off of.
- Kim has historically played very well in Texas. Finished 2nd at the 2023 Byron Nelson and 4th at the 2019 Texas Open. I sense a Si Woo run is incoming.
No. 7 - Davis Thompson
- Thompson is still young and predictably inconsistent, but has been much better Tee-to-green lately which includes a +6.5 strokes performance at The PLAYERS and a T10 finish.
- Made the cut in both appearances at Memorial Park which includes a T21 result last season.
- Thompson loves to hit Driver...a lot. He ranks 3rd in the field in SG: OTT on courses with heavy driver usage and minimal penalty for missed fairways.
No. 6 - J.J. Spaun
- Spaun forced a Monday morning Playoff at The PLAYERS before ultimately falling short, losing to Rory McIlroy in the three-hole aggegate.
- He has two second-place results through the Florida swing and seems in very good control of his ball. Spaun is the 2nd best approach player over the last 16 rounds played.
- His lone PGA Tour career victory came in Texas at the 2022 Valero Championship. He's comfortable in the wind and in these conditions.
I liked this from 54-hole leader JJ Spaun a lot pic.twitter.com/uTAq6wlmcd
— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) March 16, 2025
No. 5 - Michael Kim
- Kim continues his exceptional run where he has thrived with proper course management and precision with his irons.
- He's been particularly good with his longer approach shots, ranking 5th in the field in approach proximity from 175-200 yards.
- Since working with Joe Mayo, Kim has been one of the best on Tour around the greens. He gained +11.5 strokes on the field chipping in his last five tournaments.
No. 4 - Aaron Rai
- 3rd best in the field in strokes gained on Approach over the last 16 rounds played. Rai has been dialed in with his irons.
- Rai finished in a tie for 7th place at this event in 2024 AND 2022. He gained a combined +19.6 strokes on the field in his last two tournaments at Memorial Park.
- He is the anti-bomber, but consistently finds a way to get himself on the leaderboard on these bomber layouts, much like he did at the Mexico Open a few weeks ago (T4).
No. 3 - Tony Finau
- It's been a mixed bag of results for Finau in 2025, but he's spoken about progress in the right direction as he changed swing instructors earlier this year.
- Dominant record at the Houston Open. He won this tournament in 2022 and followed that up with a T2 result here last season.
- Ranks 2nd in the field in SG: Total in Texas over the past five years. Finau thrives on courses with low missed fairway penalties like Memorial Park. Bombs away big Tony!
No. 2 - Rory McIlroy
This week we have the big two...and then everybody else. Rory McIlroy somewhat surprisingly committed to this event just after winning the 2025 PLAYERS just over a week ago. His two signature event wins this season are exactly what the doctor ordered for 2025 as McIlroy looks to continue his momentum heading into The Masters.
McIlroy ranks as the #1 player in the field off the tee on courses that emphasize power and set up for bombers. On paper, although he has never played at Memorial Park before, this appears to be a much better fit for his game rather than the Valero which he has played in previous years.
He admittedly hit it all over the grounds at TPC Sawgrass, but was able to avoid disaster scenarios and relied heavily on his Approach game which was the best in the field that week. He'll be able to let the Driver loose once again this week as he looks to test his game once again with Scottie Scheffler at the top to continue to build his confidence. He'd happily trade a win this week for a green jacket, but I don't see him overlooking another opportunity to keep the pedal to the floor in H-Town.
Rory McIlroy has committed to the Texas Children's Houston Open!
The #2 ranked golfer in the world, four-time major champion, and The Players Championship winner will join an elite roster of players at this year's tournament.
Get your ticket now: https://t.co/blSwRwEjfC pic.twitter.com/rk5ElJlAOz
— Texas Children’s Houston Open (@TCHouOpen) March 18, 2025
No. 1 - Scottie Scheffler
Despite the monster start to the year from McIlroy, I'm still not willing to remove Scottie Scheffler from the #1 Power Ranking throne, especially as the PGA Tour meanders across the border into Texas this week. He's the favorite to win this tournament once again and for good reason.
Scheffler has been noticeably wearing the frustration on his sleeves to start 2025, but I'm convinced that he is not far off. He's playing from tee to green just like we had come to expect from Scheffler, gaining +25 strokes on the field in that category over his last three tournaments alone. It's been a couple of untimely bogeys that have seemed to derail his impending run on the weekends.
He should have won this event last year, but you can't win 'em all I suppose. He missed a short putt on the 72nd hole to send it to a Playoff that surely has to be on his mind as he returns to Memorial Park this week. It's the ultimate game of inches, and Scheffler just needs a couple of putts to drop and he can run away with this tournament. After an unconventional offseason dealing with the hand injury, I believe Scheffler will be hyper-motivated to feel the pressure of a Sunday leaderboard before we head into Major season.
Enjoy the Houston Open, and thanks for reading! Good luck, RotoBaller family!
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