Chris Gotterup Has Been Waiting for Houston. Here's Why You Should Pick Him.

The TOUR turns its attention to Texas for two events in the Lonestar State prior to the Masters. Memorial Park will host the Houston Open and it’ll certainly cater to the big hitters. This place will play every bit of the 7,400 yards on the scorecard but it has little danger off-the-tee, contrast to the last handful of weeks in Florida. That changes the dynamic and changes the types of players that become valuable.

Winner: Chris Gotterup (+2450)

There are few places on the schedule better for Gotterup than Memorial Park, where he’ll blast driver without regard for where it lands – and be rewarded for it! His immense floor comes off-the-tee and allows him a variety of pathways to the top of the board. He’s proven that already this season with two victories on the resume and gaining +1.15 strokes per round – the seventh best mark in this field.

Top 5: Wyndham Clark (+1100)

I want to embrace the volatility that comes along with clicking Wyndham Clark’s name, so a top-20 or top-30 just isn’t good enough. If Clark has a good week, it’s likely to be a great week and Memorial Park offers plenty of opportunity. Over his last four trips to Houston, Clark has made the cut each year and has two top-16 finishes, highlighted by his T5 at this event last year.

Top 10: Marco Penge (+320)

You’re noticing a trend here, right? If you can bomb it off-the-tee, you have a chance to win at Memorial Park. Penge leads this field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee by a considerable margin, picking up +0.86 strokes per round this year. He gained strokes on approach last week as Valspar for the first time this season which is encouraging enough for me and he makes his Houston debut.

Top European: Stephan Jaeger (+1125)

Jaeger compiled one of his better starts of the year at Innisbrook last week, which couldn’t be coming at a better time. Jaeger has thrived in Houston, earning three straight top-11 finishes with a win in 2024. He’s found success on long courses in his career, most recently evidenced by his T5 at Torrey Pines earlier this year. He’s playing well and going back to one of the best stops on TOUR for him.

Top 20: Max Greyserman (+240)

When going well, Greyserman is the rare combination of great driving and great putting. However, things aren’t going well for Greyserman right now but that has driven his number down far enough to become a value. He’s still great with the putter, beating the field in five straight starts. The driver has been erratic but his big misses won’t be nearly as punished at Memorial Park as they were during the Florida Swing. This should be a breath of fresh air for Max who finished T7 here in 2024.