The Texas Children’s Houston Open is the next stop on the PGA TOUR calendar. There are only two weeks left until The Masters, so some players are still looking to qualify, while others are trying to sharpen their game ahead of Augusta.
This is a look at the best first-round leader bets to make for the event on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Texas Children’s Houston Open: First Round Leader Picks
The Texas Children’s Houston Open is being held at the Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas. The course runs 7,475 yards and plays as a par-70. The Houston Open is a full-field event with a standard 36-hole cut. The defending champion is Min Woo Lee. In addition to Lee, Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns and Brooks Koepka are among the top players in the field. Notably, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will miss the tournament due to the birth of his second child.
The most important key to success at Memorial Park is distance. The rough is short, but the course is long. That means bombers off the tee can take chances and use a driver on most holes. Players who can hit the ball far off the tee and stick it close with a wedge will have the most success in Houston. Scrambling from short grass and putting on quick Poa Trivialis greens will also help take you to the next level.
Chris Gotterup FRL (+2050)
Chris Gotterup has had a sensational season so far on the PGA Tour. He already has two wins at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the WM Phoenix Open. To go along with the wins, he has top-20 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Farmers Insurance Open. Gotterup has played great overall, but has been particularly strong in opening rounds. He leads the PGA Tour in opening round scoring average, with an average Thursday score of 67. He has a great chance to lead after the opening round here in Houston against a weaker field on a great course fit for him.
Gotterup mashes the ball off the tee. He ranks 11th in this field in ball speed and ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in driving distance. He will be able to take aggressive lines on this course and set himself up with wedges into greens. Gotterup is not the best with long irons, but ranks 24th on the PGA Tour on approaches from 50 to 125 yards. If he can get in position for those short wedge shots, he should have a great shot at making some easy birdie putts. Gotterup is also much better off the short grass that surrounds these greens, compared to the long rough. So, even if he gets into some trouble, he should scramble for pars rather than dropping strokes. Gotterup has a great chance to lead after the first round if he can make a couple of putts.
Michael Thorbjornsen FRL (+3200)
It has been a bright start to the season for Michael Thorbjornsen. It is just his second full season on the PGA Tour, and he is already showing signs of real promise. Thorbjornsen finished in third place at the WM Phoenix Open, the best performance of his career in terms of scoring and competition level. He also has a T18 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. Last week, Thorbjornsen showed how high his potential is at THE PLAYERS. Thorbjornsen shot 65 on Friday and 67 on Saturday to get into contention heading into Sunday. Heading into the final day, he trailed the leader, Ludvig Aberg, by just three shots and was in the final pairing. However, just like Aberg, he did not have his best stuff on Sunday and let his tournament slip away, ultimately finishing T22.
This is a massive week for Michael Thorbjornsen. He currently sits in 56th in the OWGR, and the top 50 in the OWGR automatically qualify for The Masters. Thorbjornsen has played in the other three majors, but has never been invited to Augusta National. A good performance this week could propel him into the top 50. Michael Thorbjornsen has so many positives to take away from last week at THE PLAYERS. He should be feeling confident against a much weaker field here in Houston. Thorbjornsen ranks in the top 25 on the PGA Tour in both driving distance and driving accuracy. He also putts his best in the first round, ranking seventh on the PGA Tour in putts per round on Thursdays. Thursday has been his best scoring day overall, ranking 23rd on the PGA Tour in round one scoring average.
