24 hours agoMark Hubbard has long been known as one of the PGA Tour's premier microwaves -- as his elite iron play allows him to create birdie chances on holes other pros are aiming merely for the putting surfaces themselves. There has perhaps never been a better example of this than two weeks ago at TPC Sawgrass, as Hubbard gained a whopping 8.3 shots to the field with his irons (10.5 from tee-to-green), and outpaced even the great Scottie Scheffler with his approach play. Of course, the 6.4 shots Hubbard lost to the field with his putter resulted in a more muted finish than his ball-striking deserved, but it should not be understated just how rare this type of upside is for a player in Hubbard's price range. Memorial Park figures to be a bit too demanding off the tee for his lackluster driving profile, but if Hubbard can find the range off of the tee, there aren't many players in the field better suited to attacking these pins.Source: PGA Tour
24 hours agoThe results haven't quite matched up for young Davis Thompson, but looking strictly at the underlying stats, the former UGA Bulldog seems to be primed for a breakout finish. Thompson ranks inside the top 40 in each of the four strokes gained metrics over his last 50 rounds, and Memorial Park's demanding 7400-yard layout should be a perfect fit for his power game. In 2022, Thompson recorded one of the best driving weeks of his career at the Houston Open (+3.8 Strokes Gained), and with the spring overseed slowing down fairways and rough cut down by 50%, this course should be ripe for Thompson to once again take advantage of his elite length. Recent putting woes have robbed Davis of better results through Florida, but perhaps a change of scenery can allow his potential to shine through once again.Source: PGA Tour
24 hours agoThe Florida Swing didn't get off to the best start for 22-year-old Akshay Bhatia, as missed cuts at PGA National and TPC Sawgrass extended his streak to three straight truck slams. However, last week's Valspar Championship may have breathed some life into his profile heading into the Lone Star State, as a 17th-place finish in Palm Harbor represented the best result we've seen from Akshay since the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Of course, Bhatia's prolific ball-striking prowess makes him an ever-present threat to contend -- particularly in a field with just four of the OWGR top 20 in attendance. Last week, he also gained strokes in both short game categories for the first time since last October. If he can sustain these performances on and around the greens, you'd have to think the tee-to-green game will eventually find its range.Source: PGA Tour
24 hours agoDespite a spectacular run of play in Europe from the Fall of 2023 until January of 2024 that included five top 10 finishes and a win over nine starts, Thorbjorn Olesen hasn't been able to translate that form across the pond. He's made just one cut out of three across Mexico, Palm Beach, and Palm Harbor, and has surprisingly found most of his struggles on the greens (losing a combined 3.5 strokes putting in eight recorded rounds). The short game will need to be revived quickly for the Dane here in Houston, as Oleson's historic struggles off of the tee won't exactly be met with the most welcoming confines at 7400-yard Memorial Park. Still, we're not too far removed from him making a case as the most in-form player on the DP World Tour, so I remain optimistic on his long-term prospects.Source: PGA Tour
1 day ago2024 has been an up-and-down season thus far for Patrick Rodgers, as the former Stanford standout has recorded three top 15 finishes in nine starts but missed three of his last five cuts. Positive signs could be on the horizon, however, as Memorial Park's lengthy layout should suit the big-hitting Rodgers' game to a tee. He finished 16th here the last time the Houston Open was played in 2022, and two of his best results thus far this year have come on similarly driver/long-iron-heavy venues (Torrey Pines and Vidanta Vallarta. In this rather beleaguered field, who knows? Maybe P-Rodge can make another run at that long-awaited breakthrough win.Source: PGA Tour
1 day 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. Source: Patrick McDonald - CBS Sports
1 day 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.Source: PGA Tour
1 day 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.Source: PGA Tour
1 day 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.Source: PGA Tour
1 day 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.Source: PGA Tour
1 day 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.Source: PGA Tour
1 day 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.Source: pgatour.com
1 day 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.Source: pgatour.com
1 day 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.Source: pgatour.com
1 day 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.Source: PGA Tour