3 weeks agoWyndham Clark has been dealing with a back injury ahead of this week's Texas Children's Houston Open. Speaking to the media Wednesday, Clark revealed that he's been battling a back issue after "throwing it out" earlier this week. Last year's U.S. Open champion said he's progressed to hitting balls and should be ready to go when play begins at Memorial Park Golf Course on Thursday. Despite Clark's positive outlook, golf fans who are placing wagers or entering PGA DFS lineups should proceed cautiously, as the talented 30-year-old carries some legitimate withdrawal risk in this event.
--Joe Nicely - RotoBallerSource: Patrick McDonald - CBS Sports
3 weeks agoDoug Ghim was a disappointment for fantasy managers at the Valspar Championship last week. The fifth-year PGA Tour pro entered that event on the heels of five-straight top-20 finishes, but he stumbled through the cut while posting a middling T67 finish. Ghim could be a strong bounce-back candidate this week, as he returns to the state where he starred in college from 2014-2018 and appears to be a solid course fit statistically. Over the last 24 rounds, he ranks 18th in good drive percentage, 12th on approach, 27th in putting, and 15th in bogey avoidance. And while length is an advantage at Memorial Park, despite being one of the shorter hitters in the field, Ghim is 23rd in strokes gained on long courses and eight in par 5 scoring. Fantasy managers should roster Ghim with confidence at the Houston Open this week.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoCameron Davis has been a tough golfer to predict so far in the 2024 calendar year. The 29-year-old Aussie has as many top-20 finishes (two) as he does missed cuts, with additional middling finishes of T52, T30, and 49th in his seven starts to date. In his most recent start at The Players Championship, Davis lost a disastrous 17 strokes to the field en route to a missed cut. His Houston Open at Memorial Park history isn't much better, as he finished 68th in 2020 to go along with a missed cut in 2021. Davis enters this year's Houston Open ranked 58th in the Official World Golf rankings and certainly has the ability to contend on any given week, but fantasy managers may want to avoid rostering him until they see a more consistent return to form.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoFantasy managers will face a tough choice when deciding whether to roster Thomas Detry this week. The 31-year-old German has been a model of inconsistency so far in 2024, as he has three missed cuts to go along with three top-20 finishes in his eight starts to date. Detry doesn't appear to be a great statistical fit for Memorial Park, either, as he ranks outside 99th on approach, 128th around the green, 89th in par-five scoring, and 109th in bogey avoidance over the last 24 rounds. He has also lost strokes around the green in eight consecutive starts, which is typically a recipe for disaster here. On the other hand, Detry has a solid track record on long and difficult courses, and he enters this week after an impressive T17 finish at the difficult Copperhead Course last week. Detry offers decent upside for his $7,400 DraftKings salary, but fantasy managers may want to limit their exposure to him given his recent volatility.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoRyan Fox has been a mainstay atop the DP World Tour leaderboards for years. The 37-year-old New Zealander currently sits at number 47 in the Official World Golf Rankings and has eight international victories to his name, with his most recent win coming at the BMW PGA Championship in September of 2023. However, Fox hasn't carried this success over to the PGA Tour in recent months. In his six Tour starts since the beginning of the year, he has four missed cuts to go along with finishes of T41 and T35, and he has never posted a top-10 PGA Tour finish in his career. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect that to change at Memorial Park despite the advantage his distance off-the-tee will lend him, as Fox ranks 105th around-the-green, 90th in bogey avoidance, and 82nd in par 5 scoring over the last 24 rounds. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for upside in the low-to-mid $7,000 range on DraftKings.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoAndrew Novak will be a popular selection at the Houston Open, and rightfully so. The second-year Tour pro posted an impressive T17 finish at a difficult Copperhead Course last week, and he rattled off three consecutive top-10 finishes prior to his missed cut at The Players Championship before then. And while there is no course history to rely on, Novak seems to be a strong course fit this week as he ranks 37th in good drive percentage, 17th on approach, 16th around-the-green, 16th in par 5 scoring, and 13th in bogey avoidance over the last 24 rounds. He's currently projected to be the highest-owned golfer below $7,000, so fantasy managers selecting him will need to find pivot plays elsewhere on their rosters. But the reward is likely to outweigh the risk for Novak at the Houston Open.
--Ryan HickeySource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoSince he started on the PGA Tour, Sahith Theegala always had the talent to contend at any event but would go through stretches where he struggled. After Theegala got his first win in the fall, he started 2024 as a much more consistent player. Theegala only has one missed cut and four top-10s to start the season. Memorial Park will allow Theegala to recover from the occasional wild drive without the amount of water the Florida courses have so another win is possible this week.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: pgatour.com
3 weeks agoIf it wasn't for Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark could have three wins already this season. Clark has finished second to Scheffler in his past two events and was robbed of a chance at a playoff when his final putt lipped out at The Players. Clark's best weeks this season have come when his putter cooperates. In three trips to Memorial Park, Clark has had putting success, so another high finish seems likely in Houston.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: pgatour.com
3 weeks agoWhat is there to say about Scottie Scheffler after his past two events? The No. 1 player in the world has back-to-back wins at signature events and has figured out his putting issues. After switching to a mallet putter and adjusting how he lines up his ball, Scheffler is only losing .006 strokes this season on the greens. He's more expensive than any non-playoff event, but there's no argument why he shouldn't be with how well he's playing right now.
--Rob Rose - RotoBallerSource: pgatour.com
3 weeks agoSam Ryder has found magic with his flat stick, but it hasn't led to the big results he's hoping for just yet. The 34-year-old has gained an astonishing 19.9 strokes with his putter in his last three events combined, including 10.6 strokes at the Valspar last week. Unfortunately, Ryder hasn't been able to find fire with any other part of his game, so a 16th-place finish at The Players is the best he has to show for the recent success. If the Florida native can find his irons again soon, we could see another run at a win like we did in his T3 finish at the Valero in 2023. It's tough to say when Ryder will match his putting with other facets of his game, or how long this hot stretch with his flat stick will last, but for $6,900 on DraftKings, it might be worth sticking around to find out.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoJoel Dahmen has some of the best course history you could ask for at Memorial Park in Houston. The 36-year-old has a T9 in 2023 and a T5 in 2022 with a made cut back in 2018 to boot. Dahmen is red-hot with his irons right now, as he's gained 13.4 strokes combined on approach over the last two weeks. The Washington native is never the consistent type, as his short-game and putting woes can ruin a great round at any time, but the stars seem to be aligning this week in terms of form and course fit. Dahmen will be an extremely popular play on DraftKings at just $7,100, and many golf bettors surely jumped on his 100/1 price tag early this week... What could go wrong?
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoKurt Kitayama will debut at the Houston Open this week, and it comes at a time in which his game seems to be trending in the right direction. With the exception of an awful showing at the Arnold Palmer, the California native has struck the ball nicely to start 2024, and has started to show life with the flat stick too. Most recently, Kitayama gained 3.5 strokes on approach at THE PLAYERS, 3.1 strokes on approach at the Genesis, and 4.5 strokes putting at the Waste Management. If the 31-year-old can put those two things together soon, he could find himself contending for his second career win before we know it, and that would be a massive value for his current $8,100 price tag on DraftKings.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoDespite missing the cut at THE PLAYERS, Ben Griffin has now managed to gain strokes on approach in three straight appearances heading to the Houston Open, where he finished T16 in his lone start in 2022. The 27-year-old seemed to lose his irons late last summer, but there are signs he's turning things around. Griffin typically relies on top-notch putting to play the weekend, but he has shown some upside when he can pair a good approach week with that hot putter. The North Carolina native may be worth a look at a price of $7,600 on DraftKings while his game is trending upwards and he shows strong course fit tendencies.
--Tommy BellSource: PGA Tour
3 weeks agoTaylor Moore performed well at the Valspar Championship last week, tying for 12th place. This marks his eighth consecutive made cut in the 2024 season, with two top-25 finishes. His tie for 12th place in the previous week was his best finish in 2024. Moore's approach play has been exceptional, gaining strokes on approach in four of his last five appearances. In the past year, he ranked in the 72nd percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 200 yards in the fairway, which will be critical this week because over 33% of approach shots came from this distance at last year's tournament. Moore could be a valuable addition to DFS lineups this week with his consistent form and strong approach play.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
3 weeks agoAdam Svensson finished tied for 49th place last week at the Valspar Championship. This was a much-needed improvement for Svensson, as he had failed to make the cut in his previous three appearances before the Valspar Championship. His best performance this year was a tie for tenth at The Genesis Invitational last month. Svensson possesses the skill set required to compete this week. He has ranked in the 78th percentile in proximity to the hole on approach shots from over 200 yards in the fairway over the past 12 months, which is crucial for this week's tournament. This is because over 33% of approach shots came from this distance in last year's tournament. However, despite making the cut last week, his recent form makes him a risky pick to include in DFS lineups this week.
--Ian Christenson - RotoBallerSource: Data Golf
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