\n Eston Parker\/ISI Photos\n<\/p>\n
Good news: The Schefflers are having another baby. Even better news? Because of that, the World No. 1 has WD’d as a precautionary measure from the Houston Open. Well, good news for gamblers, we mean. <\/p>\n
Now we might actually have a chance to hit another outright, and the Houston Open provides a great opportunity as it favors the bombers of the golf ball. We went hunting on the odds boards for our favorite big hitters and we’ve hopefully found a winner for you. <\/p>\n
The Golf Digest betting panel is comprised of Pat Mayo of Underdog\/Mayo Media Network, Andy Lack of the Inside Sports Network, Ryan Noonan of Betsperts, your two authors and Keith Stewart, the CEO of Read The Line. <\/p>\n
RELATED: Texas Children\u2019s Houston Open DFS picks: Our favorite \u2018buy-low\u2019 play<\/a><\/p>\n Scroll down for our complete betting analysis of the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open:<\/p>\n Read The Line\u2019s Keith Stewart breaks down some early Masters bets below:<\/p>\n Watch a full preview of the 2026 Texas Children”s Houston Open with Stewart’s appearance on the Pat Mayo Experience here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas Children’s Houston Open picks 2026: Our Experts\u2019 Outright Predictions<\/p>\n Pat Mayo, Underdog\/Fantasy National, Mayo Media Network<\/a> analyst: Kurt Kitayama (28-1, Bet365) \u2014 Drive it as long as you can with no worry of accuracy and get dialed in with irons, this is the Kurt Kitayama method. Kitayama\u2019s lost strokes on approach just once in the past 12 months, sits 14th of all players in the field in ball speed<\/a> and 16th in distance. While \u201caverage\u201d is probably too generous for his short game, he has gained on the greens in four of five and hasn\u2019t been chipping himself out of tournaments lately.<\/p>\n Keith Stewart, PGA, Read The Line: Nicolai Hojgaard (28-1, BetRivers) \u2014 Here we go again. Nicolai H\u00f8jgaard ranks eighth in approach, 36th around the greens, and 17th with the putter. He has plenty of ball speed and also sits inside the top 18 for par 3 and par 4 scoring among players in Houston. We’re looking for a bomber who can scramble, chip, and putt. Let\u2019s not go beyond one of the Wonder Twins. I\u2019m keeping Nicolai on my card for another week because I believe he can win.<\/p>\n Ryan Noonan, Content Manager 4for4\/Betsperts: Adam Scott (40-1, Bet365) \u2014 Over the past 100 rounds, Adam Scott\u2018s average ball speed sits at 180.51. That ranks 23rd in this week\u2019s field, so he\u2019s comfortably above the tour average. In 2026, Scott\u2019s ball speed is up to 184.78 mph, a 4-mph jump that has him a touch above Chris Gotterup, Luke Clanton, Alejandro Tosti, and Wyndham Clark. Scott\u2019s also played his best golf of late on the toughest layouts against strong fields, with his best 2026 finishes coming at Riviera (solo fourth) and Bay Hill (T-11).<\/p>\n Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest managing editor: Pierceson Coody (47-1, DraftKings) \u2014 I\u2019m buying the Texas native on the precipice of a Masters invite. He\u2019s 51st in the world entering this week, needing to move up just one spot to get an invite. That\u2019s a big deal as the grandson of Masters champion Charles Coody. He\u2019s a great fit for Memorial Park with its lack of penalty off the tee\u2014one of the leaders in off-the-tee in the game and opened the year with five straight top-20 finishes. I\u2019ll bank on him getting back to that and contending in his home state.<\/p>\n Christopher Powers, Golf Digest senior writer: Nicolai Hojgaard (28-1, BetRivers) \u2014 I was Team Nico for nearly the whole Florida Swing and he consistently let me down. It feels wrong to jump off the rain now, though, as this week is all about ball speed, ball speed, ball speed. Hojgaard ranks fourth on tour in that department and this week he won\u2019t be penalized for any off-line drives, which was the case in Flo-duh.<\/p>\n Andy Lack, Inside Sports Network: Ryan Gerard (36-1, DraftKings) \u2014 Ryan Gerard has been playing some incredibly consistent golf this season, and he finished ninth at this event last year. Coming off a top-30 finish at the Players Championship where he gained strokes in all four major categories, Gerard is long overdue for his first PGA Tour victory.<\/p>\n Past results: We have our SECOND winner of 2026, with Ryan Noonan hitting his first-ever outright as a member of the panel, correctly predicting Nico Echavarria\u2019s win at the Cognizant Classic at 60-1. That makes two 60-1 hits for our panel this year, with Stephen Hennessey nailing Justin Rose\u2019s Farmers win at 60-1, too. <\/p>\n Listen to Golf Digest’s weekly betting podcast, “The Loop,” (below) where we interview the industry’s leading experts (and sometimes tour pros) to help you make your bets and pick your fantasy lineups. And be sure to subscribe to “The Loop” wherever you get your podcasts!<\/a><\/p>\n Texas Children’s Houston Open picks 2026: Sleepers\/Dark Horses Who Could Win<\/p>\n Mayo: Wyndham Clark (50-1, BetMGM) \u2014 Someone once said, \u201cdon\u2019t bet a golfer who is currently yelling at their putter.\u201d If they haven\u2019t, they probably should. Still, I wouldn\u2019t listen. Clark\u2019s ball striking is peaking over the past month, back to the levels of his career best run from two years ago. Problem is, he\u2019s lost almost 18 strokes putting over his past 16 rounds. Fortunately, history suggests Clark is a good putter, so a rebound could come at any time, and he\u2019s gained over two strokes putting each of the past three years at Memorial Park GC.<\/p>\n Stewart: Ryan Fox (67-1, DraftKings) \u2014 Ryan Fox is gaining in all aspects of his game over his last six starts. 2026 has been good for the Kiwi, with four top 25s in four PGA Tour starts this season. Fox is primed to close out another tournament when we find the right fit. Memorial Park\u2019s mid-iron requirement, short game successes, and positive putting skill set match Fox\u2019s player CV. Ryan finished T-15 last year in Houston with one bad round. Be sly and grab Foxy further down the odds board.<\/p>\n Noonan: Ryan Fox (67-1, DraftKings) \u2014 Ryan Fox is probably the most form-dependent golfer on the PGA Tour. When he\u2019s dialed in, it doesn\u2019t matter the setup. There\u2019s a good chance that he\u2019s going to contend. If he\u2019s riding a bit of a cold streak, it doesn\u2019t matter how perfect the course suits his game; he\u2019ll likely struggle. Now, the challenge here is figuring out when he slips out of form. You can certainly make the case that a surgery to remove kidney stones is the sort of situation that can push one out of form. He gained strokes tee-to-green and ball-striking in his past four starts, with three T-24 finishes and a T-7 at Riviera mixed in. All four starts were strong fields, with three of the four being Signature Events.<\/p>\n Hennessey, Golf Digest: Sudarshan Yellamaraju (94-1, DraftKings) \u2014 The Canadian KFT grad made a name for himself at The Players with his fabulous Sunday. If he can handle a complete test like TPC Sawgrass, I love his chances at Memorial Park where his elite distance (top 10 in this field) can really help him separate.<\/p>\n Powers, Golf Digest: Rasmus Hojgaard (60-1, BetRivers) \u2014 Part of this is because he\u2019s ranked just a head of his twin brother in ball speed on tour, and the other part is I\u2019ll want to crawl in a hole and die if I look at the top of the leader board Sunday, see the last name \u201cHojgaard,\u201d and find out it\u2019s not the one I bet. So, let\u2019s just bet both, which isn\u2019t such a bad play as they have combined to make 11 of 13 cuts and finish in the top 25 six times this year.<\/p>\n Lack: Sam Stevens (60-1, BetRivers) \u2014 I always have interest in Sam Stevens on wide open, driver-heavy golf courses, and his skill set fits Memorial Park to a tee. Stevens\u2019 combination of above average power off the tee, solid middle-to-long iron play, and a well above average short game should put him in a strong position to compete here.<\/p>\n RELATED: Will Chris Gotterup\u2019s run continue?<\/a><\/p>\n Texas Children’s Houston Open picks 2026: Players We\u2019re Fading<\/p>\n Mayo: Rickie Fowler (18-1, BetRivers) \u2014 I\u2019m rooting for him to make the Masters, but he has a better chance of winning next week than at this bomber\u2019s track.<\/p>\n Stewart: Brooks Koepka (14-1, Caesars Sportsbook) \u2014 We are all weighing the putter this week heavily. Since his return to the PGA Tour, that is the one aspect of Brooks Koepka\u2019s game that has consistently not shown up. Koepka basically leads the field in ball-striking, but wait and see what happens when he can convert on these greens. All of that pressure on his full swing will only allow him to borderline contend. Keep him off your outright card; Koepka is a placement bet at best this week.<\/p>\n Noonan: Sam Burns (20-1, BetRivers) \u2014 The putter does so much of the heavy lifting with Burns right now. His recent approach form is not good enough to be where he sits on the odds board, and while this is a place that rewards his plus distance and strong Poa trivialis putting splits, I think he demands excellent iron play as well.<\/p>\n Hennessey, Golf Digest: Ben Griffin (32-1, DraftKings) \u2014 Ben Griffin\u2019s decline this year has been odd. Consider these trends from Ron Klos\u2019 DFS report: The Ryder Cupper has missed three straight cuts and lost strokes on approach over his past five measured events. He\u2019s also averaging under 290 yards off the tee, and given his elite driving gains in 2025, is worth avoiding until further notice.<\/p>\n Powers, Golf Digest: Rickie Fowler (18-1, BetRivers) \u2014 Fowler has had a really solid year, but I\u2019m just not sure an event where bombers thrive is the type he\u2019s going to win at. Especially at this price.<\/p>\n Lack: Marco Penge (27-1, Caesars Sportsbook) \u2014 I still remain fairly high on Marco Penge long-term given his elite power off the tee, but his number crash this week feels like a massive overreaction. Yes, distance is important at Memorial Park, but it\u2019s far from the only way to find success, and Penge remains an extremely volatile iron player and shaky around the greens.<\/p>\n Texas Children’s Houston picks 2026: Matchups<\/p>\n Mayo: Matti Schmid (+110) over Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Coolbet) \u2014 A bomber vs. one of the shortest hitters in the field. At plus-money to boot!<\/p>\n Stewart: Rasmus Hojgaard (-110) over Wyndham Clark (Bet365) \u2014 Wyndham Clark is having serious putting issues. Clark is ranked 104th in the field for SG\/putting and has lost strokes in four straight starts. Rasmus H\u00f8jgaard can match Clark\u2019s ball striking ability AND has gained strokes on the field with his flat stick in eight of his last nine measured events. Memorial Park requires rolling the rock, so take Rasmus, and you cash this H2H ticket.<\/p>\n Noonan: Nicolai Hojgaard (-110) over Harry Hall (BetOnline) \u2014 Over the past 24 rounds, Nicolai Hojgaard ranks third in this week\u2019s field in SG\/total (1.33), gaining across the board. Nicolai finished fifth in my Rabbit Hole model this week<\/a>, grading out well on long courses with difficult scoring conditions. His distance is an asset this week, as is his putting, which has been a weapon this season. He\u2019s gained an average of 0.51 strokes per round over the past 24 rounds, and he maintains that rate on Poa Trivialis greens.<\/p>\n Hennessey, Golf Digest: Marco Penge (-125) over Ben Griffin (BetMGM) \u2014 As I mentioned above, Griffin is in an odd funk, missing three cuts in a row and losing a ton of distance. Penge is coming off a top five in Tampa and this is a much-better suited course for him. Seems like a slam dunk.<\/p>\n Powers, Golf Digest: Brooks Koepka (+100) over Rickie Fowler (Bet365) \u2014 Koepka is one hot putting week away from finishing inside the top 5. This could very well be that week at Memorial Park, a course he helped Tom Doak redesign in 2019.<\/p>\n Lack: Brooks Koepka (+100) over Marco Penge (Southpoint) \u2014 I\u2019m gladly going to roll with Brooks Koepka in this matchup at plus money, as he is coming off three top-20 finishes in a row and remains a far superior approach player to Marco Penge, who is entering the perfect sell high spot.<\/p>\n Matchup Results from the Valspar Championship: Powers: 1 for 1 (Koepka (-120) over Spaun); Lack: 1 for 1 (Fitzpatrick (-150) over Bridgeman); Stewart: 1 for 1 (Koepka (-110) over Griffin); Noonan: 1 for 1 (Hisatsune (-137) over Pendrith); Mayo: 0 for 1; Hennessey: 0 for 1<\/p>\n Matchup Results from the 2026 season (Wins-Losses-Pushes): Powers: 8-2-0 (up 5.21 units); Lack: 7-2-1 (up 3.76 units); Stewart: 6-2-1 (up 3.26 units); Mayo: 6-4-0 (up 2.31 units); Noonan: 5-4-1 (down 0.04 units); Hennessey: 4-6-0 (down 2.45 units)<\/p>\n Texas Children’s Houston picks 2026: Top 10s<\/p>\n Mayo: Chris Gotterup (+250, FanDuel) \u2014 Gotterup sits 11th in the field in ball speed, has crushed long Par 4s all season, and has produced a far more efficient scrambling rate on closely mown surfaces than out of thicker rough. Probably won\u2019t get away with losing strokes putting and winning like he did in Phoenix, but he won\u2019t have to gain as many as most to find himself near the top of the leaderboard.<\/p>\n Stewart: Jake Knapp (+270, DraftKings) \u2014 Very few players in this field fit the Memorial Park mold better than Jake Knapp. Forget the missed cut at The Players, Knapp is back and healthy again. Prior to Ponte Vedra, Jake rolled off five straight finishes in the top 11. Farmers through Genesis, Knapp had four straight top 10s. That Farmers comp is a good one, along with Jake\u2019s play at Vidanta Vallarta. Both of those courses feature driving and putting, just like Houston. While most run to Penge and others, Jake will justify the pick and cash, getting the 10 places.<\/p>\n Noonan: Brooks Koepka (+300, FanDuel) \u2014 I\u2019ve been in a wait-and-see holding pattern on Brooks, but I\u2019ve seen enough. His ball-striking numbers are outstanding right now, and they\u2019re impossible to ignore. Koepka leads this week\u2019s field in SG\/tee-to-green, SG\/approach and SG\/ball-striking in 2026. The sample is not huge, but it\u2019s not nothing. We know his putter was holding him back earlier this season, but he\u2019s been slightly positive (0.3 strokes per round) over his past 12 rounds, and he\u2019s historically an above-average putter on Poa Trivialis greens. He\u2019s always been one of the longest players on tour, yet his ball speed is up nearly a full 2 mph (182.14) over his 100-round baseline (180.17).<\/p>\n Hennessey, Golf Digest: Aldrich Potgeiter (+1000, FanDuel) \u2014 The books aren\u2019t a believer in Potgeiter. I get it\u2014the South African has been super inconsistent. But he\u2019s also capable of spiking\u2014especially when distance is at a premium. And he\u2019s one of the longest hitters on tour. Let\u2019s ride.<\/p>\n Powers, Golf Digest: Max Greyserman (+700, FanDuel) \u2014 Greyserman has had a very odd year, often getting off toe very fast starts and then tumbling well out of the top 20 by Sunday due to some big numbers. That could very well be because of his erratic driving. The good news is he can wail away with impunity this week and it shouldn\u2019t lead to the week-ending doubles and triples he\u2019s made far too much this year. Greyserman tied for seventh in his debut here in 2024, too, so he likes the place.<\/p>\n Lack: Mackenzie Hughes (+1000, FanDuel) \u2014 Mackenzie Hughes is one of my favorite long shot picks of the week, and his impressive resume at Memorial Park is hard to ignore. The Canadian has finished top-15 in both appearances since the event moved to March and possesses the elite short game and putting combo that will pay dividends on these challenging, Tom Doak green complexes.<\/p>\n Top-10 results from the Valspar Championship: Everybody: 0 for 1<\/p>\n Top-10 results from the 2026 season: Mayo: 4 for 10 (up 12.65 units); Noonan: 3 for 10 (up 4.6 units); Stewart: 2 for 10 (down 1.35 units); Powers: 2 for 10 (down 1.5 units); Lack: 1 for 10 (down 3 units); Hennessey: 0 for 10 (down 10 units)<\/p>\n Pat Mayo is an award-winning video host and producer of long and short-form content, and the host of The Pat Mayo Experience daily talk show. Mayo helped create the golf stats and research website Fantasy National<\/a> along with the Race for the Mayo Cup One and Done contest. Mayo won the 2022 Fantasy Sports Writing Association Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year and is a finalist for three FSWA Awards in 2023 (Best Podcast, Daily Fantasy Writer of the Year, Golf Writer of the Year). His 27 FSWA nominations lead all writers this decade and are second-most all-time. Follow him on Twitter: @ThePME.<\/a><\/p>\n Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest. Stewart is a co-founder of Read The Line,<\/a> the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the PGA Tour, LPGA and TGL. Subscribe to Read The Line\u2019s weekly newsletter<\/a> for the industry’s best betting narratives. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.<\/a><\/p>\n Ryan Noonan is the Betting Content Manager for 4for4 and Betsperts Golf, writing articles and hosting multiple shows under the Betsperts Group umbrella, including Move The Line and our Betsperts Golf Betting Show. Find him on Twitter: @RyNoonan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest\u2019s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports.<\/a><\/p>\n