After a thrilling Florida swing, the PGA Tour heads to Texas for a two-week stretch in the before the Masters. Memorial Park returns as the host venue for this week’s Houston Open for the fifth consecutive year, but this will only be the second time that the event is held in March. Prior to last year, the tournament spent three years in the Fall swing. The John Bredemus design, which also received a significant 2019 renovation from Tom Doak, plays demonstrably different in March than it does in October, and this is largely due to the over-seeding of the golf course. In fact, tournament organizers have made an active attempt to make the golf course look and feel more like Augusta, in order to prepare players for the first major of the year. Memorial Park now features one of the lowest rough penalties on tour, and similar to Augusta, the golf course is extremely bomber-friendly, yet features some of the most challenging green complexes on tour. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy headline the field this week, and this will be our final look at the PGA Tour’s two biggest stars ahead of the season’s first major. Stephan Jaeger will also return to defend his title, and Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Maverick McNealy, Aaron Rai, Sungjae Im, and Jason Day, all look to build momentum ahead of the Masters. Let’s dive into the DraftKings slate.
This is an interesting slate, as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are the two clear best players in the field, and there is a significant gap in pricing before we even get to the third-most expensive player. Given the skill gap between these two players and the rest of the field, my recommended approach would be to pick your preferred option and go all in. I’m rolling with Scottie Scheffler this week. I know that Rory has played better golf, and his two trophies at Signature Events reflect this. Yet Scheffler is a five-foot putt away from being the defending champion at this event, and this is his last opportunity to build momentum heading into the Masters. While the gap has tightened between the two in 2025, I believe the pendulum will swing back in Scheffler’s favor this week on a golf course that he has already shown his comfortability on.
Fade: Sungjae Im, $9,300 
Michael Pimentel/ISI Photos
I still believe in Sungjae’s long-term talent, but his irons are just completely broken at the moment. Im ranks 143rd in approach play on tour this season, and it appears to be getting worse before it gets better, as he lost 6.4 strokes on approach in his last start at the Players Championship. Im’s inability to consistently generate birdie looks with his approach play continues to put an incredible amount of pressure on his short game and putting, which hasn’t been anything to write home about of late, either.
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$8,000 range Play: Taylor Pendrith, $8,500
Taylor Pendrith has been a long-term buy for me this season, and I still believe that a Wyndham Clark 2023-style season is in play for the big-hitting Canadian. Pendrith’s driver is a huge weapon, he’s shown tremendous upside on approach, and we finally saw him start to sink putts in his last start at TPC Sawgrass. Pendrith has already won on a bomber-friendly, long-iron intensive Texas golf course at TPC Craig Ranch, and I’m expecting a similar result this season.
Fade: Max Greyserman, $8,100
While Max Greyserman’s upside on the greens intrigues me, there is still too much risk with his approach play. Greyserman has now lost over nine strokes on approach in his last six rounds, and while a few poor mistakes at TPC Sawgrass might have skewed that data, it’s not as if he’s driving the ball very well either. I’ll happily fade the former Duke standout at this price point.
$7,000 range Play: Taylor Moore, $7,900 
Richard Heathcote
Taylor Moore finished runner-up at this event last year, gaining significantly off the tee and around the greens. This is the formula at Memorial Park, which heavily accentuates powerful driving and classy touch around the greens. We’re receiving an enticing price and ownership discount, as Moore let daily fantasy players down last week at the Valspar. I’m happy to buy back in at low ownership on a great golf course for his skill-set.
Fade: Kurt Kitayama, $7,600
Kurt Kitayama has broken my heart enough times this season, I will no longer be deceived by his gaudy ball-striking upside. Yes, Kitayama has shown flashes of brilliance in the past with a win at Bay Hill in a Signature Event, and some great approach form during the Fall swing, but he has still failed to finish top 30 in the 2025 season. At a certain point, the price needs to catch up with the results.
Flier: Victor Perez, $7,100
Victor Perez is one of my favorite sleepers on the slate this week, and his current iron form really has my attention. The Frenchman has now gained over three strokes on approach in back-to-back starts, which resulted in top-25 finishes at the Cognizant Classic and Valspar Championship. Perez is a rock-solid putter as well, and certainly possesses the skill on the greens to navigate Tom Doak’s challenging green complexes.
$6,000 range Play: Charley Hoffman, $6,900 
Icon Sportswire
Even in his mid-40s, Charley Hoffman still possesses above average distance off the tee, and he is also a great long iron player. Hoffman has gained strokes on approach in all seven of his starts this year, and he’s sneakily recorded three top-25 finishes, including a fifth at the American Express, another driver-heavy, over-seeded golf course with a low missed fairway penalty.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
