2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

Peter Malnati’s shocking comeback win late at the Valspar Championship this past weekend couldn’t have happened without a late meltdown from Cameron Young and Mackenzie Hughes. In fact, Keith Mitchell, who holed out for an eagle on the 18th hole par 4 at the Innisbrook Resort Copperhead course, held a two-stroke lead into Sunday before quickly falling back down the leaderboard.

Last week is a good reminder that even with a multi-stroke lead, golf is a game of mental fortitude. Skill and luck also play factors in leaderboard results on the links. However, with FedExCup No. 1 Scottie Scheffler returning to action at the Texas Children’s Houston Open this weekend, the field is going to have an uphill battle to climb if they want to wind up on the winning podium. Scheffler is attempting to win three consecutive events following his impressive -eight-under-par finish at TPC Sawgrass to win The PLAYERS Championship by one stroke a couple of weeks ago.

PGA handicapper Matt MacKay returns to give his analysis for his favorite golfers to deploy in one-and-done pick leagues entering the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open.

Big Guns

Wyndham Clark
Expect Wyndham Clark to be on a mission following his gut-wrenching lip out on the 18th hole at The PLAYERS Championship a couple of weeks ago. He’ll get another chance to compete with Scottie Scheffler at Memorial Park this week, where he logged a T16 finish (-5) last year.

Now, this event is moved to the Spring instead of the Fall, which could make the surfaces slower due to less arid air and more moisture on the Bermudagrass fairways and greens. Ranked 17th SG: Approach, 12th SG: Putting, and 22nd SG: Off-the-Tee, Clark’s production on the golf course is undeniable. If you still have him available in one-and-done pick’em leagues, this is a good time to deploy Clark as he seeks his second outright win of the season.

Sahith Theegala
We saw Sahith Theegala make a big leap in his play at Memorial Park from 2022 to 2023, improving from T61 (+7) to T22 (-4). Theegala is among the odds-on favorites in this event, behind only Scheffler and Clark, meaning oddsmakers believe in his talent. Ranked seventh SG: Putting and 25th SG: Off-the-Tee, Theegala needs to keep his irons dialed in to have a shot at recording his second outright win in the past calendar year. If he’s still available, use Theegala without hesitation.

Secondary Options

Alex Noren
Alex Noren’s T4 finish at the 2023 Houston Open could mean he’s in store for another strong outing this time around. The 41-year-old Swede has gone T9 at Cognizant and T19 at The PLAYERS Championship in his last two events entering Memorial Park. Noren is among the best off-the-tee with his driver, but he’s also first in scrambling, so he’s a solid secondary option if Clark and Theegala have already been used as a pick during previous events this season.

Will Zalatoris
Making his debut at the Houston Open, Will Zalatoris has a ton of talent to make him a contender at any event. While we haven’t seen Zalatoris piece it all together since his only win during the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2022, the Californian came close at both Genesis (T2) and the Arnold Palmer Invitational (T4) in the past six weeks. Ranked sixth SG: Approach, Zalatoris can hunt flag sticks with relative ease. His putting remains questionable and inconsistent, but if Zalatoris is available, using him this week is strongly recommended.

Sneaky Plays

Luke List
A forgettable T57 finish at this event a year ago doesn’t mean Luke List should be counted out. He’s won two events since 2022 and managed a T11 finish at the Houston Open in 2022. Ranked 39th SG: Approach, 27th on par 3 birdie or better leaders, and 26th for Round 1 scoring average, List could contend atop the leaderboard if he gets off to another fast start at Memorial Park this week. His irons are his strength, so don’t be afraid to pick List in this event.

Nate Lashley
Nate Lashley is our final prospect to consider using at the Houston Open this week. Lashley is fresh off of a T13 at TPC Sawgrass during The PLAYERS Championship, while he also logged a T3 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January. Lashley hasn’t played at Memorial Park since 2022, when he missed the cut, but a T38 finish in 2021 wasn’t terrible.

Ranked 30th total driving, including fourth for driving accuracy, plus 37th in one-putt percentage, Lashley has the tools to compete for his first outright win since 2019. His confidence should be high, so this could be a great week to use the 41-year-old American.