This year’s Houston Open will take place Thursday, March 28 through Sunday, March 31 at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas. Tony Finau (+1800) will be looking for back-to-back titles. Below we will provide a betting guide for this year’s contest, which will include Houston Open odds as soon as they are posted by top sportsbooks.
houston OPEN ODDS
Cadence Bank Houston Open will be posted by top sportsbooks soon. Compare Houston Open odds below once they are available. Scottie Scheffler is the favorite at +300.
The field for the 2024 Cadence Bank Houston Open will be officially announced on Friday, March 22. Until then, here are the odds for John Haslbauer’s projected favorites a month out from the event.
- Scottie Scheffler +400
- Wyndham Clark +1000
- Tony Finau +1400
- Will Zalatoris +1600
- Jason Day +2000
Memorial Park Course Preview
This will mark the fourth consecutive year of play at Memorial Park for the Houston Open after a sustained 16-year stretch from 2003-2019 at the Golf Club of Houston. In 2019, Tom Doak completed a significant overhaul of Memorial Park, which was funded with $34M from the Houston Astros Foundation with input from none other than Brooks Koepka. Prior to Doak’s renovation, Memorial Park had hosted the PGA Tour’s Houston Open 14 times between 1947-1963, with Arnold Palmer notably winning here in ’57.
Whenever a player is brought on in an advisory role, it’s usually more cosmetic for marketing purposes, with the architect’s vision prevailing. In the case of Brooks Koepka at Memorial Park however, you can’t help but feel his influence. This renovated golf course does not possess the historical significance or stakes of a Major, but it’s been constructed in a way that closely emulates Major conditions with a combination of length and difficult green-side runoffs that reward all-around skillsets of distance, ball-striking, and short game.
How It Breaks Down
Memorial Park is a long par-71, playing to 7,412 yards on the scorecard with three par-5s, five par-3s, and 10 par-4s. Of the par-4s, half will play over 490 yards, which will impose a stern ball-striking test on the field.
There are only five holes with a scoring average under par, which is a stark contrast from the birdie fest conditions we’ve become used to over the last month. Unsurprisingly, the five 490+ yard par-4s and 237 yard par-3 are the most difficult scoring holes on the course.
What I found most interesting about Memorial Park is that through the first two years of play post-renovation, the shortest par-3 (155 yards), par-4 (382 yards), and par-5 (576 yards) each have a scoring average over-par. This shows that the firm conditions, tight runouts around the green, and susceptibility to gusting Texas winds all make this golf course play even more difficult than the stock scorecard yardage would suggest.
Traits And Recent Notable Facts
Fast, oversized Bermuda greens with tight surrounding runoff areas highlight the identity of Memorial Park. Not unlike Southern Hills or other recent links-style courses, Memorial Park will call for creative shot making around the greens, with a myriad of options to scramble when approaches inevitably miss their target.
The wind has been fairly calm in the first two iterations of this event, but we should always anticipate gusting winds whenever golfing in Texas, which will further emphasize short game. Over its first two years, Memorial Park has ranked inside the top-10 of most difficult courses to score from around the greens, both from the rough and tight fairway runoff areas.
Despite its length, standing over 7,400 yards, the par-3s offer somewhat of a respite at this course, ranking bottom-5 in average Par-3 length in each of the last two years. The par-3s are still not birdie opportunities by any means, so players will be content to finish the week at Even par across them.
In short, the course has been designed to reward skilled all-around players with distance, strong ball striking, and reliable short game in their arsenal.
MEMORIAL PARK COURSE SPECS
- Yards: 7,412
- Par: 70 (5x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 3x 5’s)
- Greens: Bermuda
- Architect: Tom Doak, with input from Brooks Koepka
- Historical Cut Line: +2, +4
- Median Score 4-round Score: -1 (’21)
- Comp Courses: Renaissance Club, Bay Hill, Los Angeles Country Club, Southern Hills, Quail Hollow, Colonial CC, St. George’s G & CC PGA National, GC of Houston
- Recent Houston Open Winners: Jason Kokrak -10 (’22), Carlos Ortiz -13 (’21), Lanto Griffin -14 (’20), Ian Poulter -19 (’18), Russell Henley -20 (’17)
HOUSTON OPEN ODDS: BETTING TRENDS
Looking across recent results, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, and Jason Kokrak highlight the list of players who have repeatedly played well at the Houston Open, suggesting an advantage for well-rounded players with above-average driving distance and proven performance in difficult, major-like conditions.
Over the last three years, this event has produced a little bit of everything, with a favorite, moderate, and longhot winner so far. Given the scoring difficultly and need for strong ball-striking and short game, it’s not the best week to fire away at longshots.
The below table tracks consensus pre-tournament outright odds for the last three winners of the Houston Open.
| Year | Winner | Pre-Tournament Odds | Winning Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tony Finau | +1800 | -16 |
| 2022 | Jason Kokrak | +5000 | -10 |
| 2021 | Carlos Ortiz | +15500 | -13 |
HOW TO BET THE HOUSTON OPEN
The Houston Open might not be a big golf betting draw like the upcoming Masters (Aug. 6-9 at Augusta National), but this PGA Tour event still offers several ways to place a bet. Looking at three out of the last four winners above, you will notice J.J. Spaun, Corey Conners and Andrew Landry all pre-tournament odds of 200-1. Is there an outright winner you like with similar odds? Keep in mind there is no guarantee the trend will continue.
Take a look at the 2023 World Golf Rankings and see if any of the top-25 players have entered. Jordan Spieth, the 2021 winner, is currently ranked No. 14. Is he playing again?
With many tour events, sportsbooks also offer golf odds for top-10 and top-20 finishes. If there are several golfers you’re considering backing, this is an alternative option. Keep in mind the betting lines will be much shorter versus betting on an outright winner.
And keep an eye on the weather conditions. Is there rain or heavy winds in the forecast? Poor weather might negatively impact how certain players perform.