After the grind of the Florida Swing, the tour shifts to the Lone Star State and the wide corridors of Memorial Park Golf Course for the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open. Once again garnering an elite field, the minimalist public course has served as a high-stakes tune-up on the road to Augusta National for the past few seasons.
After an extensive renovation at the hands of Tom Doak, Memorial Park has become a rare breed of golf course on the PGA Tour schedule. The layout features the fewest bunkers on tour, relying instead on steep runoff areas and multi-layered greens. At over 7,400 yards and a par 70, Memorial Park is well-suited for bombers who can send it with too much concern of trouble off the tee.
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Despite its public access, Memorial Park is a truly unique venue that puts a heavy emphasis on brute power and delicate touch, making it an ideal setting to see who is truly ready for the first major of the year.
Here are my top 10 contenders to hoist the trophy at the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open this week.10. Wyndham Clark
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Julio Aguilar
Wyndham Clark arrives in Houston carrying exceptional form in two key areas. He’s hitting his approach shots close, signaling vast improvement in that area, and he’s chipping around the greens better than ever. The wide, forgiving fairways at Memorial Park should be a welcome sight for Clark, who bombs it off the tee but often struggles with dispersion.
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He finished T-5 at this event last season, and his course history suggests a natural fit. He’s been putting horrendously but has gained strokes in all five career starts at this tournament with the flat stick. He’s searching for momentum, and Memorial Park could be just what he needed.
Read The Line’s Joe Idone and John Haslbauer make the case for Adam Scott at the Texas Children’s Houston Open:
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9. Nicolai Hojgaard
After posting strong results in the Florida swing, Hojgaard fits the power profile that aligns perfectly with this Tom Doak design. He can effortlessly touch 190 mph ball speed, allowing him to turn many of the long par 4s into wedge opportunities.
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He’s a spike putter, which always makes him intriguing from an outright perspective, and Hojgaard routinely posts his best scrambling metrics around the greens when chipping off short grass rather than deep rough. Hojgaard can attempt to simply overpower this golf course, making him an optimal sleeper candidate.
8. Michael Thorbjornsen
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David Cannon
Experience matters on the PGA Tour, and Michael Thorbjorsen put himself in position to learn and improve in 2026. He held a late lead upon heading into the cauldron of the 16th hole in Phoenix, and went off in the final pairing at The Players.
It was a couple of costly wedge shots that derailed him on both occasions, an approach range that is highly diminished at Memorial Park. He possesses the two main assets that I’m looking for at this course: A powerful driver and elite touch around the greens. He keeps knocking at the door, and it’s only a matter of time before the call is answered and a trophy awaits.
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7. Sam Burns
It’s been a season of peaks and valleys for Sam Burns, but when you are the best putter on tour, you always have a chance to win. All five of his wins on the PGA Tour have come in the south, with two in Texas, so Burns is no stranger to navigating the grainy surfaces this time of year.
He’ll need to dial in his approach play, much like he did in 2020 and 2021 at the tournament, finishing T-7 on both occasions. It’s all about finding greens in regulation, because we know he can find the bottom of the cup as often as anyone from there.
6. Jake Knapp
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Orlando Ramirez
Jake Knapp is another player ideally suited to take advantage of the course setup in Houston. He leads the field in total strokes gained over the past 20 rounds, with his combination of top-end distance and hot putting spearheading an incredible start to 2026.
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Five of his six starts this season have produced finishes of T-11 or better. He suffered a minor setback with an injury at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and missed the cut at The Players, but Memorial Park is the perfect destination for a bounce-back from one of the tour’s rising stars.
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5. Adam Scott
The Aussie loves Texas, as evidenced by four of Adam Scott’s 14 career wins coming in the Lone Star State. At age 45, Scott still packs plenty of power into his idyllic swing, and he remains one of the best in the world with a long iron in his hands.
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Scott looks rejuvenated in 2026, and I believe he’s gearing up to make another run at a green jacket after seeing another player from his generation in Justin Rose nearly claim victory last season. He’s hyper-motivated, and arrives at Memorial Park with the intention of adding another trophy from Texas.
4. Brooks Koepka
For much of the Valspar Championship, it felt like we were waiting for a run at the leader board from Brooks Koepka, who struck the ball beautifully once again. It was two steps forward and one step back for Koepka, who derailed every run of birdies with an untimely double bogey.
You’ll hear of his influence and work with Tom Doak on the redesign of Memorial Park this week, and the course predictably favors his infamous high cut off the tee box. The natural forgiveness off the tee should mitigate the impact of the occasional mishit with the driver, allowing Koepka to leverage his dialed-in approach play and maximize his scoring potential. Once he puts it all together, he’ll be back in the winner’s circle before you know it.
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3. Min Woo Lee
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Icon Sportswire
Min Woo Lee became a PGA Tour winner at this event in 2025, holding on for victory at 20-under par after dominating the week on these tricky greens. He’s back to defend the crown in terrific form, building upon excellent finishes at both the API and at Pebble Beach.
His blend of world-class speed and delicate touch around the greens is the blueprint for success at Houston. He continues to improve and build confidence, and his game is peaking at the right time for a title defense at Memorial Park.
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2. Chris Gotterup
An exasperated mic-up Chris Gotterup was caught mummering to his caddie as part of the recent NFL Films documentary at The Players, “I can’t wait to get to Houston where I can hit it everywhere.” While a bit tongue-and-cheek, it showcases the perceived nature of this golf course and how much the player believes that his skills align with Memorial Park.
Gotterup is a pure-bred winner, unbothered by his competitors, and thrives on the Sunday pressures of the PGA Tour. He possesses all the skills we look for in contenders at the tournament, and a free-swinging Gotterup is a scary prospect for the rest of the field. His run will continue in Houston.
1. Scottie Scheffler
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Kevin C. Cox
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The groundswell of concern around Scottie Scheffler is a product of his greatness, but the native Texan can put all the criticisms to rest in Houston at a golf course that he’s been dominant at. He’s played this event in each of the past four seasons and finished inside the top nine on every occasion. Shocker, right?
He does have unfinished business here, with three runner-up results that have come down to the wire. He looks agitated by those questioning his game, and nobody relishes the opportunity to assert their will like the best player in the world. Scottie is the overwhelming favorite to win, as he deserves to be.
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Joe Idone is a Read The Line contributor and host of the Preferred Lines podcast.
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