Coming off of Viktor Hovland’s win at Mayakoba, the PGA Tour heads to Texas for the 2021 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open.
Defending champion Carlos Ortiz will be in the field, as will stars such as Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau. Below, we look at the 2021 Houston Open odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions to win.
It’s not the strongest field of the year but there are still plenty of recognizable names teeing it up in Houston this week. Sam Burns is the betting favorite and is 14th in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, while 23rd-ranked Scottie Scheffler is also in the field. Koepka, Burns, Finau and Tyrell Hatton are the only players in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking who will be playing this week.
The Houston Open will be played at Memorial Park Golf Course, which plays as a par 70 at 7,412 yards. It’s not a track that demands tremendous length, but it does require good ball-striking on approach to the green. Ortiz set the 72-hole scoring record last year with a total of 267 after the four rounds.
2021 Houston Open picks – Favorite
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Talor Gooch (+3000)
Gooch finished fourth at the Houston Open last year after firing a final-round 63 to pull within four shots of the eventual champion Ortiz. He’s in excellent form coming into this week, too, finishing in the top 11 in all four events so far this season.
He’s not great off the tee, hitting just 57.59 percent of his fairways, but he ranks sixth on tour in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and sixth in SG: Around-the-Green, so he more than makes up for his struggles with the driver. He’s an excellent value at +3000.
2021 Houston Open picks – Contender
Harold Varner III (+7000)
Varner missed the cut at the World Wide Technology Championship this past week but had three top-35 finishes, including two top-16 finishes, in the three events prior. Varner’s final-round 65 helped him tie for 15th at the Houston Open last year as he climbed 13 spots Sunday.
He’s often overlooked as a mid-tier contender but this could be the week that he puts it all together and claims his first PGA Tour win.
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2021 Houston Open picks – Long shot
C.T. Pan (+10000)
Pan has tapered off after a strong start at the Fortinet Championship and Sanderson Farms, finishing T-57 and T-45 in his last two starts. He wasn’t helped by an opening-round 76 at the Zozo and a final-round 72 at the WWTC last week, so it’s more a matter of staying consistent because he can go low. His ball-striking from the fairway will give him a chance in Houston.
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Source: Golfweek https://ift.tt/2V95qPJ