Texas Children’s Houston Open 2026 Preview – Tips, Picks and Predictions
The PGA Tour heads to Houston for one of the most compelling stops on the spring calendar. Memorial Park Golf Course plays tough, rewards precision over power, and has a course profile that heavily favours one specific type of player. The 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open runs March 26-29 with a $9.9m purse – and the Statz model has clear signals at the top of its rankings.
What Does It Take to Win at Memorial Park?
Memorial Park is a par 70 measuring 7,475 yards. The greens are 328 Bermudagrass over Perennial Ryegrass fairways. Bermuda rewards players who can read grain and control pace – it favours feel putters over mechanical robots. This is not a bombing course. The SG data from Statz course analytics tells the story: putting is the biggest differentiator (+0.96 SG/round for top-10 finishers), followed by approach (+0.75) and off the tee (+0.49).
In 2025, the top 10 here averaged +2.74 SG total and +1.06 SG putting. In 2024 it was +0.92 SG putting. Two years running, the flatstick won it. If your player cannot putt on Bermuda greens, move on.
Who Is Trending Right Now?
The Statz trending leaderboard covers the last 16 rounds – the four most recent tournaments. In the field this week:
- Jake Knapp – 3rd on tour for SG putting over the last 16 rounds (+1.29/rd) and 5th for SG total (+1.93/rd). On Bermuda greens that demand elite putting, this is the most important form signal in the whole field.
- Min Woo Lee – 2nd on tour for birdies per round (5.25), 4th for putts per GIR. The defending champion is making putts at a top-tour rate right now.
- Michael Thorbjornsen – 4th for biggest SG improvement, up +2.25 SG/round recent vs prior 8. A player trending hard in the right direction.
Selection 1 – Min Woo Lee (16/1 bet365)
Min Woo Lee is the standout selection this week. The Statz Find Me a Winner model rates him number one in the entire field with a value score of 87 – the highest by a distance. He won here in 2025 shooting -20. His form rank is 2nd in the field. His course rank is 1st. His SG trending is +1.86 over recent rounds. He is making birdies (5.25 per round, 2nd on tour) and he is making putts on exactly this type of Bermuda surface. The defending champion, top model pick, peaking form – 16/1 is a proper price.
Selection 2 – Jake Knapp (25/1 bet365)
Jake Knapp is the value pick of the week. His SG putting over the last 16 rounds (+1.29/rd) is 3rd on the entire PGA Tour, and he sits 5th for SG total (+1.93/rd). Bermuda greens reward exactly what Knapp is doing right now. He has played this course twice and averaged a top-40 finish – respectable for a player at his odds level, and the model has him with a value score of +55. A player who putts this well on a putting-dominant course at 25/1 is exactly the profile we look for.
Selection 3 – Sahith Theegala (55/1 bet365)
Sahith Theegala is the #1 course fit at Memorial Park according to the Statz course fit model at 98%. His skill profile matches what this course demands better than anyone else in the field. He has played here twice, averaging a course position rank of 47.5. The odds (55/1) reflect a recent form dip, but his course-game match is the strongest on paper. At this price with that fit percentage, there is each-way value.
Longshot – Sungjae Im (66/1 bet365)
Sungjae Im checks in at 96% course fit – 3rd on the Memorial Park course fit list. He played here once and averaged a form rank of 81 in the field, but course fit at this level at 66/1 demands attention. Im is a consistent Bermuda putter and a high floor player – the type that sneaks into top-10s at prices most bettors ignore. At 66/1, the each-way case writes itself.
Summary
- Min Woo Lee – 16/1 EW
- Jake Knapp – 25/1 EW
- Sahith Theegala – 55/1 EW
- Sungjae Im – 66/1 EW (longshot)
All odds bet365. Each-way: 1/4 odds, 5 places.