The PGA TOUR is ready for a Texas two-step the next two weeks with tournaments in Houston and San Antonio leading up to the Masters. This week’s event in Houston will be held at Memorial Park Golf Course, which is a unique challenge that emphasizes driving distance, approach play, and tee-to-green play. If you’re teeing it up at this event with some conservative lineups designed for cash games, my three top fantasy golf cash plays to consider are Rickie Fowler ($9,400), Ryan Gerard ($8,400) and Sahith Theegala ($7,600).
Make sure to also check out my top-three pivot plays for tournament lineups at Copperhead if you’re looking for some less popular, under-the-radar picks. Pivot plays for tournament lineups are usually more aggressive, while fantasy golf cash game picks are safer with higher floors and lower risk. The picks in this post generally have higher ownership than my pivot plays, but they are good selections for contests where the uniqueness of your lineup is less important. Think of cash game picks as lying back and playing a par 5 as it was designed, taking three shots before reaching the green, searching for a solid birdie. Tournament picks are like going driver off the deck to try to reach the green in two — more reward if it works, but much more risk, as well.
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Rickie Fowler ($9,400)
Rickie is running good coming to the Houston Open, but he still needs a big week to qualify for the Masters. He is 61st in the Official World Golf Ranking and needs to move into the top 50 this week to automatically qualify.
He has shown flashes of form this year, but hasn’t quite put a full four rounds together to contend. He has been inside the top 10 at the midway point in three of his six starts, but has nothing better to show for it than a T9 at the Arnold Palmer. He does have four top-20 finishes, though, and is 36th in FedExCup points coming into this week.
Fowler had success at this event earlier in his career with a solo sixth in 2014 and a T10 in 2016, but those tournaments were held on different courses. He did make the cut and post four under-par rounds last year in his debut at Memorial Park.
Fowler ranks in the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Approach and the top 25 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green over his last 20 rounds, and his putter has also been sharp this season. His Around-the-Green game has been shaky in a few events, but if he can get that right he could be ready to make a run this week.
Rickie is always a popular play, but for cash games, differentiating your lineup is not as much of a concern. He has been consistent with his ballstriking this season, though, and that consistnecy is what gives him a high floor in Houston this week.
Ryan Gerard ($8,400)
Gerard has been another steady option this season, even though he did cool off a little bit after opening the year with a bang. Last year, he posted a top-10 at Memorial Park, and the 26-year-old comes in with strong form again this year.
He finished 2025 with a runner-up on the DP World Tour in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, and then he started the PGA TOUR season with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Sony Open and The American Express. He hasn’t been quite as locked in since the with a T45 at Pebble Beach and a missed cut at Bay Hill in Signature events, but he still posted solid, top-30 finishes at The Genesis Invitational, the Cognizant Classic, and THE PLAYERS Championship.
He’s 15th in the FedExCup Standings after his T27 at TPC Sawgrass, where he ranked in the top 10 in Birdies and the top 11 in Greens in Regulation percentage. He could have had a much higher finish if it wasn’t for a few ugly holes that led to three double-bogeys.
Over the last three months, Gerard has been very sharp with his shotmaking, ranking fourth in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and fifth in Total Strokes Gained. He has the length to post another good finish this week at Memorial Park, where he went 65-65-68-68 last year to finish ninth.
Sahith Theegala ($7,600)
Another player with good form and tantalizing upside this week at Houston is Sahith Theegala, who was rolling before getting tripped up last week at the Snake Pit.
He should be set up for a bounce-back week in Houston, though, since he has made the cut in all four of his appearances at this venue with a pair of top-30 finishes in 2022 and 2024. He made the cut last year but finished T67 after an even-par weekend. He made a lot of cuts last year but didn’t really contend; however, this year he has looked much better.
Before missing the cut last week, Theegala made the cut in each of his first eight tournaments of the season. He posted three top-10 finishes and five top-25 finishes, including a T6 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a very strong field just a few weeks ago. He also made the cut at THE PLAYERS but sank to a T32 after a tough Final Round. His struggles carried over to his first round at the Valspar, where a 77 on Thursday kept him under the cut line despite a 72 on Friday.
Even with those bumps in the road, Theegala still ranks in the top 10 in the field in Total Strokes Gained per round over the last three months and is in the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green during that span. He has the upside of taking home a win if he’s at his best, but even if not, he has a high enough floor to be a great option in this week’s fantasy golf cash plays.
