Houston Open: 6 players who might win and the one who may steal the spotlight

The 76th edition of the Houston Open is the next stop on the PGA Tour, and despite being just two weeks away from the Masters Tournament, the field is full of stars. Those looking for one of the last tickets to Augusta National Golf Club (which will be awarded to the winner if they have not already qualified) will not have an easy time.

The top-ranked golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, leads the Houston Open field. His mere presence at Houston’s Memorial Park Municipal Golf Course has even shaken the oddsmakers, as the specialist sites give Scheffler a +280 chance of winning. Wyndham Clark, who follows him in the odds, is given +1400. Note the difference.

However, there are several players to keep an eye on in what promises to be a high-level event. Let’s see who they are:

1- Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler tops the prediction lists for every tournament he plays in, now more than ever after his stellar performances at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. Great things are expected from Scheffler this season, and he will undoubtedly steal the spotlight for at least the first two rounds.

2- Wyndham Clark

Wyndham Clark is playing the best golf of his career and has been seen with room for improvement. His win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which included a course record, was followed by consecutive runner-up finishes at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass. Especially at The Players Championship, he proved to be in position to challenge Scheffler and maybe the Houston Open will be the right scenario.

3- Tony Finau

Tony Finau enters the Houston Open as the defending champion. His start to the season has been good, if not brilliant, as he has made seven cuts in eight starts, but has only one top 10 finish. However, Finau has been playing well at Memorial Park Municipal Golf Course, where he has posted scores in the 60s in eight of his 10 rounds.

4- Will Zalatoris

Will Zalatoris has started the 2024 season well with two top-10 finishes in six events (four cuts made). His excellent second place finish at the Genesis Invitational is still fresh in his mind. His most recent start wasn’t good (missed the cut at The Players), so we’ll see how Zalatoris responds.

5- Sahith Theegala

Sahith Theegala is one of the rising stars on the PGA Tour, one step away from claiming a place among the top players on the circuit. Without making much noise, he is ranked 5th in the 2024 FedEx Cup rankings thanks to four top 10s in eight tournaments (seven cuts). He already won in the fall (Fortinet Championship), but we can be sure that this was just the beginning.

6- Jason Day

Jason Day is a player with an illustrious career on the PGA Tour, but he has not yet said his last word, far from it. The Australian returned to the winner’s circle in 2023 and during the current season he has had a solid start, with three top 10s in seven tournaments (six cuts passed).

Houston Open: The underdog that could shake up the field

It has been more than a year since Si Wo Kim won his fourth (and last so far) PGA Tour tournament (2023 Sony Open in Hawaii), however, the Korean has not stopped posting good performances. During 2024 he has played eight tournaments without missing a cut and with a Top 10 in no less than The Players Championship.

Kim is a player who has had ups and downs in his career, but has shown that when he finds his best game, he is capable of winning in any field. Let’s remember that he won TPC Sawgrass in 2017.

So, who’s your favorite?